Tesco reveals festive shopping habits
New research highlights Ireland’s last-minute Christmas shopping trends, forgotten essentials and evolving festive traditions
Print22 December 2025
Tesco Ireland has recently unwrapped the nation’s quirkiest Christmas shopping habits, revealing a mix of festive chaos, last-minute rituals and enduring traditions.
Based on research carried out with Bounce Insights, teachers are among the least likely recipients to be forgotten at Christmas, with just 9% admitting to leaving them off the list, second only to partners at 7%. Siblings, in-laws, colleagues and neighbours are more likely to miss out, with neighbours the most forgotten at 27%, suggesting proximity does not guarantee presents.
Familiar items
If an unexpected visitor arrives with a gift, 66% of people opt for wine, chocolates or biscuits in return. The research also shows that familiar items are forgotten year after year, with batteries (36%), a spare gift (32%), tin foil (22%), Christmas crackers (21%) and sellotape (19%) topping the list. On 23 December alone, Tesco customers purchased more than 18,000 rolls of tin foil, highlighting the scale of last-minute shopping.
Two in five people (40%) complete their final top-up shop in the last 48 hours before Christmas. While 92% say they would prefer to avoid queues, many still head in-store for a final dash.
For those seeking a calmer approach, Tesco’s home delivery, Click & Collect and Whoosh services continue to offer alternatives for forgotten essentials. The final date for home delivery and Click & Collect is 23 December, with new slots reopening on 27 December. Whoosh remains available until 4pm on 24 December, closes on 25 December, and reopens on 26 December.
Sales data from dunnhumby shows that certain traditions remain strong. Baileys continues to perform as a seasonal staple, with weekly sales peaking at more than nine times the average. Ready-to-drink cocktails recorded growth of over 460%, while alcopops and tequila also saw strong festive demand.
Gift cards continued to play a key role in last-minute gifting, with one sold every 1.5 seconds in Tesco stores on Christmas Eve last year.
Customer baskets in the final week before Christmas also revealed notable trends, including hummus sales rising by more than 50%, dog treat demand increasing by 85%, ice cream dessert cakes selling at over four times the weekly average, and Polish product sales increasing by nearly 40%, reflecting demand for traditional festive foods.
For full festive opening hours, customers are advised to use the store locator tool on Tesco.ie.
Read more: Tesco Ireland opens new Belmayne store
© 2025, ShelfLife by Ryan Brennan
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