From Kick Off To Checkout, Lloyds Research Reveals How UK Merchants Are Preparing For The Summer Rush

Nine in ten retailers say keeping up with customer expectations is now a top priority. As major sporting events drive concentrated consumer spending, the pressure on merchants is at its most intense.

London, UK – 25 June 2026: As the FIFA World Cup 2026 brings millions together to watch, travel and spend across the UK, recent research from Lloyds shows that the surge in consumer spending driven by major sporting events is creating new demands on merchants.

According to Lloyds' More Than Checkout: The Role of Payments in Retail in 2026, based on a survey of 1,000 UK retail business leaders, 91% say adapting to changing customer behaviour is a top strategic priority, while 77% say checkout speed is critical to their day-to-day operations. In a separate survey of 250 UK hospitality businesses, From Till to Table: Smarter Payments Driving Innovation in Hospitality, 77% say contactless is the most requested payment method, while 42% identify slow processing as their biggest payment challenge.

Taken together, these findings point to a clear shift: during major sporting moments, speed and simplicity move from expectation to non-negotiable.

The Lloyds Business Barometer, published in May, shows retail business confidence has rebounded to 53%, above the UK average of 47%, with two-thirds of businesses expecting stronger trading in the year ahead. The optimism is real, but converting it into results depends on the ability to deliver fast, reliable payment experiences at scale.

Payments are no longer just about the checkout

The research highlights a significant and ongoing shift in how UK merchants view payments, no longer as a final step, but as a core driver of day-to-day performance. Retailers are increasingly linking payment performance to customer flow, staff efficiency, cash flow management and wider business planning.

The survey found that 77% of retailers say integrated reporting and reconciliation are important to daily operations, while 76% highlight access to funds and settlement timing as critical to how they run their businesses. At the same time, 37% identify payments administration as a significant operational burden.

Payments have become embedded across many aspects of retail and hospitality operations. During major moments like the FIFA World Cup, where evening fixtures can drive sharp spikes in demand over short periods, it is not just transactions that are tested, but the resilience and coordination of the systems underpinning every sale.

David Thomasson, Managing Director, Business Transaction Banking, Lloyds Banking Group, said: “Major sporting events like the World Cup create some of the most concentrated spending periods of the year. Our research shows that as volumes rise, so do expectations for fast, seamless and reliable payment experiences.

It’s in these peak moments that payment infrastructure makes the biggest difference, keeping transactions flowing, maintaining customer trust, and ensuring businesses can continue to trade smoothly. More than ever, payments are shaping how businesses operate, while helping deliver the fast, frictionless experiences that keep customers moving and enjoying the occasion.”

Five pressure points merchants are managing this summer

1. Speed at checkout is now a business priority:  Three quarters of retailers (77%) say checkout speed is important to daily operations and 41% say customers already expect shorter queues. Major sporting events concentrate footfall and spending into short, intense windows that place immediate pressure on how quickly businesses can serve customers.

2. Customers expect more ways to pay:  Eight in ten retailers (80%) say accepting all major cards and digital wallets is operationally important, and nearly half (46%) report growing demand for mobile or flexible checkout. In hospitality, 77% of operators say contactless is the most requested payment method. These expectations do not ease during busy periods.

3. Reliability is now a frontline requirement: Four in five retailers (84%) say their expectations of payment providers have risen in the past two years, with terminal and device reliability rated as important to daily operations by 79%. When payment systems slow down or fail at peak moments, the impact spreads quickly across customer queues, staff efficiency and cash flow visibility at the same time.

4. Cash flow across a sustained busy period needs managing: With major sporting events running through June and July, alongside music festivals, Wimbledon, the British Grand Prix at Silverstone and The Open Championship at Royal Birkdale in Southport, merchants face sustained cycles of high-volume trading. Nearly half of retailers (44%) say faster access to funds will become a competitive necessity.

5. Pop-up and flexible formats are part of the picture: Major events drive spending beyond traditional retail and hospitality venues. Fan zones, outdoor screenings and temporary food and drink outlets all rely on portable, reliable payment solutions. A third of retailers (34%) say mobile payments are most valuable in exactly these pop-up and temporary formats.

England, Scotland and an eight-week spending window

With England and Scotland both competing at the FIFA World Cup 2026, and every game broadcast free on BBC and ITV, this summer represents one of the most significant periods of concentrated consumer activity the UK has seen in years. Depending on how the tournament unfolds, the spending window could extend to the final on 19 July, running alongside Wimbledon (29 June to 12 July), the British Grand Prix at Silverstone (2 to 5 July) and The Open Championship at Royal Birkdale in Southport (16 to 19 July). For UK merchants, that represents an extended period of elevated demand, with payment systems expected to perform consistently throughout.

More Than Checkout: The Role of Payments in Retail in 2026 is based on independent research conducted by Censuswide among 1,000 UK business owners and decision-makers in small and medium-sized businesses with up to 249 employees. Fieldwork was carried out between 20 February and 3 March 2026. Read the full report at www.lloydsbank.com/business/resource-centre/insight/role-of-payments-in-retail.html

From Till to Table: Smarter Payments Driving Innovation in Hospitality is based on research conducted by Censuswide among 250 UK owners and managers of hospitality businesses including restaurants, food halls, cafés, pubs and pop-ups. Fieldwork was carried out between 18 August and 26 August 2025. Read the full report at www.lloydsbank.com/business/resource-centre/insight/payments-driving-innovation-in-hospitality.html

The Lloyds Business Barometer is a monthly survey of 1,200 UK businesses conducted by Ipsos. May 2026 fieldwork was carried out between 30 April and 18 May 2026. Read the latest report at www.lloydsbank.com/business/resource-centre/insight/business-barometer.html

Both Censuswide surveys abide by and employ members of the Market Research Society and follow the MRS Code of Conduct and ESOMAR principles. Censuswide is a member of the British Polling Council.

About Lloyds Banking Group

Lloyds Banking Group is a UK based financial services group. As part of the Group, Lloyds Merchant Services offers leading end-to-end payment acceptance solutions.

We help businesses from all parts of the UK, and across all different sectors and sizes, giving them the support they need to take payments online, in store, or over the phone at any time.  

For more information on how we help businesses to receive payments please visit: www.lloydsbank.com/cardnet