UK health spending shifts from January spikes to habit

UK consumer spending on health and wellbeing is settling into steadier, year-round patterns. Early January growth was driven by higher spend per shopper, not a surge of new participants, according to a joint analysis by Experian and customer engagement firm Reward.

The findings suggest a shift away from the traditional "New Year, New Me" spike that has long shaped marketing and promotional calendars for gyms, fitness retailers, and health-focused brands. Spending in the first weeks of January followed trends already visible at the end of the previous year.

In the first two weeks of January 2026, total health and well-being spending rose 3.9% year-on-year. Over the same period, the number of customers fell 2.8%. Average spend per customer increased 6.8%, indicating fewer consumers are spending more.

The analysis suggests health and wellbeing is becoming a more stable part of household budgets. Consumers also appear to treat the category less as discretionary spending tied to January resolutions.

Gym dynamics

Gyms remain a major part of the category but appear to be settling into more regular routines. Customer churn in gym spending eased to 7.3% in 2025, from 11.1% in 2024.

Gym spend rose 2.8% year-on-year in January 2026. Rather than a sharp seasonal jump, the pattern mirrored behaviour already seen in late 2025.

This steadier profile could change how gym operators and fitness chains plan acquisition activity. It also has implications for retention and membership pricing, where long-term engagement matters more than short bursts of sign-ups.

Everyday purchases

Health-related spending is also spreading into adjacent lifestyle categories. Sportswear and outdoor clothing grew 12.8% year-on-year in January 2026.

Food choices showed momentum, too. Specialist grocery, including meal prep and wholefood providers, grew 12.7% year-on-year in December 2025.

These categories capture spending consumers may not have previously counted as part of a "health kick". They also broaden the set of retailers that can credibly position themselves around wellbeing and fitness-linked habits.

What marketers track

For advertisers and brand teams, the findings point to a market where always-on messaging may be more effective than short seasonal campaigns. A longer planning horizon also increases the value of identifying audiences by observed behaviour, rather than assumed New Year motivation.

Experian and Reward described the shift as a move towards more "protected" health budgets. That view aligns with the combination of fewer customers and higher spend per person, which can signal a stronger commitment among continuing buyers.

The analysis also reflects a broader commercial trend in which payments and transaction datasets inform targeting and measurement. Reward runs customer engagement programmes that connect card-linked offers with participating merchants, while Experian sells marketing services based on data and analytics.

Dataset scope

The study used anonymised transactional and merchant information from Reward's customer engagement programmes. It drew on more than 1.4 billion card transactions across 10% of UK households and more than 4,000 retail brands, covering both online and in-store purchases.

The analysis spans January 2024 to December 2025, plus the first two weeks of January 2026, based on available data. The firms said the data was aggregated and anonymised in line with GDPR and privacy requirements.

In this dataset, "Health and Beauty" includes gyms and fitness, beauty products, beauty salons and spas, health and nutrition, pharmacies, and healthcare providers. As a result, the headline figures reflect a broad basket rather than gym spending alone.

Colin Grieves, managing director of Experian Marketing Services at Experian UK&I, linked the results to consumer budgeting pressures and the value of transaction-level insight for planning.

"Health and wellbeing is no longer just a new-year priority. People are maintaining these habits throughout the year, even as they make difficult budgeting decisions elsewhere," Grieves said.

"Granular spending data helps brands understand what people and their customers are prioritising in their life. These rich levels of insight make it easier to plan media and messaging around genuine behaviour, rather than assumptions or seasonal spikes in consumer activity," he added.

Reward said its dataset and programme structure allow retailers and partners to link engagement activity to observed spend. Experian said its marketing services use behavioural insight to guide media planning and customer communication.

Both companies expect brands to broaden how they define health audiences, with signals emerging from clothing, grocery, and other lifestyle categories alongside traditional fitness memberships.