The FIFA World Cup kicks off in Mexico on Thursday this week, and with a whopping 1.5 billion people expected to tune in to the first match between Mexico and South Africa, the opportunities for retail are immense. This extends beyond match night itself – the window of opportunity includes pre-match preparation and next-day consumption.
New research from discount site VoucherCodes.co.uk shows that there are three distinct spending phases: pre-match upgrades, matchday consumption, and morning-after recovery.
How this works in practice
Pre-match upgrades include one-off, higher value purchases to help manage unsociable match timings. The research suggests that spending boosts will be seen on electrical items such as upgrading TVs or tech (generating £325.3 million), purchasing sportswear (£296.7 million) and obtaining summer hosting essentials such as garden cooking equipment (£88.7 million) and garden furniture (£44.7 million).
On match day itself, snacks, drinks and hospitality come to the fore, with hospitality alone expected to generate £898 million in total. But with kick-off at 8pm, and many fans expected to enjoy a beer or two during the game, the hidden value for retailers lies in the morning after, when 5.2 million coffees and hangover breakfasts are expected to be purchased. Two million people are also expected to call in sick as a result of the event – and this, too, offers additional opportunities for retailers selling food and drinks though ultra-convenient DTC channels or aggregators.
What this means is that retailers who strategise around a 90-minute window could end up missing the mark: “Focusing on gameplay alone means you are following outdated consumption patterns – and the location and timing of this World Cup will really bring that misdirection to light,” said Moji Oshisanya, chief commercial officer at VoucherCodes.co.uk. “Consumer behaviour doesn’t start, or stop, at full-time. Late fixtures mean the commercial window extends to a distinct preparation phase, and bleeds heavily into the morning after. Retailers that fail to plan for these waves will miss out.”
Five actions retailers should take now
Oshisanya highlights the five actions retailers can take now to optimise ahead of the sporting extravaganza:
1. Extend the retail window
Treat each match as a two‑day event by adding timed evening, morning‑after and lunchtime messages to your existing schedule – whether that’s social content, promotional offers or well-scheduled push notifications.
2. Merchandise the morning‑after shop
Encourage the workforce to kick into action the next day by creating simple bundles using current SKUs to capture predictable purchases. An obvious choice would be coffee, breakfast and hydration – but apply the understanding of your customer, and how and when they’re likely to shop, to benefit sales potential.
3. Use affiliate and value messaging
Affiliate partners can support conversion at various stages of the consumer journey – use them strategically. Dial up rewards, points and value cues around early morning slots, services or products, to encourage consumers through the funnel at moments they’re already considering making a purchase.
4. Activate timing, not just promotions
Reschedule any existing offers to specific match timings – plan takeaway offers to land during half-time, prompt an upgrade to express delivery subscriptions before the next match date, or activate breakfast bundle reminders to coincide with the commute.
5. Build recovery into future event planning
England’s first match is against Croatia on 17 June; with spending in the UK likely to ramp up around that, preparation is key. However, if it’s too late to make meaningful changes, Moji suggests taking note and preparing for the next time there’s a major sporting or cultural event. “Formalising awareness means teams will begin to plan for multi-spend occasions from the off-set, creating a stronger market position next time.”
VoucherCode.co.uk’s research makes it clear that, instead of single‑spike events, occasions are now driving longer, multi‑phase retail cycles – and in the current challenging retail environment, optimising any such opportunities and capitalising on demand is essential to stay ahead of the competition.
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