Decoding UK Web Trends: Q4 2024
Gener8’s Consumer Browsing and Demographic datasets enabled macro analysis of website visit trends for Q4 2024
In our previous UK web trends article, we highlighted how the Gener8 Consumer Browsing dataset, when utilising our 10.5k UK nationally representative panel, enables us to accurately measure engagement patterns that reflect the behaviour of the population as a whole. Recognising that web browsing behaviour is transient and dynamic, we have committed to making this a regular quarterly research initiative to track evolving trends in UK web activity.
In this article, we examine the most notable shifts in web behaviour categories during Q4, and dive into into usage of generative AI tools across the UK.
What were the most notable UK web behaviour shifts in Q4?
In this Q4 2024 instalment, we’re taking a deep dive into two particularly intriguing website categories, Fashion & Style and Careers, as they exhibited the most notable shifts in seasonal web browsing behaviour during the course of the quarter.
Fashion & Style
Driven by Black Friday and Christmas sales, the number of people browsing websites in the Fashion & Style category, which includes brands like Primark, ASOS, and H&M, surged to 24.7 million in December. This marked an increase from 62% of all UK adults aged 18–64 in October to 67% in December.
Notably, the average number of website category visits per person saw a 23% month-on-month increase in November, reaching 64, as individuals eagerly sought out Black Friday deals.
Examining the demographic snapshot of browsing behaviours for December, we observed that females, younger age groups, and individuals with higher levels of education, such as those holding A Levels or university degrees, indexed the highest.
Careers
Conversely, engagement with career-related websites, such as LinkedIn, Indeed, and TotalJobs, saw a sharp decline as the holiday season approached. The number of visitors dropped from 13.8 million in October to 11.9 million in December, reflecting a 14% decrease. Even more strikingly, average visits per person plummeted by 31% over the same period. This trend suggests that many put their job searches on hold and stepped away from their work devices to prioritise spending quality time with loved ones.
Career-related website browsing was balanced between genders but indexed significantly higher among individuals aged 18-34 and those holding a Level 4 qualification (university degree). Unsurprisingly, London residents led the way, with the highest regional index for career-related website visits at i115.
This macro-level view of the UK is especially valuable for digital marketing professionals looking to analyse seasonal trends within their industry. It allows them to correlate these trends with their own site traffic and monitor how their website performance stacks up against key competitors.
Benchmarking Generative AI tool usage in UK
It seems that each year continues to be hailed as the "year of AI," and 2025 is no exception. With the rapid advancements in artificial intelligence, we sought to gain a clearer understanding of how tools like ChatGPT and Google Gemini are being utilised within the UK.
Our data revealed that in December, 7.6% (2.8 million) of the UK online population aged 18-56 accessed ChatGPT via the web, while 1.6% (595,000) used Google Gemini.
Notably, ChatGPT was used by 4.6 times more people than Google Gemini, highlighting the significant impact of its early head start and brand recognition, even as the gap between the two services continues to narrow.
When examining the demographics for these services, it’s perhaps unsurprising that both ChatGPT and Google Gemini are most popular among younger age groups.
However, what stands out is a noticeable gender gap in generative AI usage. Men are significantly more likely to use ChatGPT, with an index of i115 compared to women at i86. A similar trend is observed with Google Gemini, where men have a much higher usage rate, indexing at i162, while women trail at i42.
Furthermore, individuals with a Level 4 qualification (university degree) indexed higher in the use of Generative AI platforms compared to those with lower or no qualifications. When examining platform use by region, London emerged as the highest indexing area in the UK, with an index of 143 for ChatGPT and 131 for Google Gemini, respectively.
How can I access this data?
We utilised Gener8's Consumer Browsing and Demographic datasets via a UK Nationally Representative cohort connected to IAB Domain Classification to uncover trends behind UK’s browsing behaviours.
Gener8 Labs’ complete data and insights solution empowers media and marketing businesses to find actionable consumer and market insights, using our unique, consented, first party panel data sets that are all connected around one user ID.
Discover how you can power your decisions and gain a competitive edge from our behavioural truth set by contacting us today!
