What the World Cup Taught Us About Student Spending

We analysed purchases across SUBTV Perks throughout the World Cup to see how consumer behaviour changes in real time.

Students didn't simply spend more, they spent differently.

Supermarkets led on total sales

The strongest performing brands on SUBTV Perks by total sales were Sainsbury's, Tesco and adidas.

It's no surprise that grocery retailers dominated. Whether students were hosting friends, stocking up before kick-off or grabbing food and drinks for watch parties, supermarkets became an essential part of the matchday routine.

Tesco deserves a special mention. Having recently joined the SUBTV Perks platform ahead of the tournament, it immediately became one of our highest-performing partners, highlighting the demand for everyday savings.

Adidas' position in the top three is partly down to a boosted discount offer, but it also shows that major cultural moments like the World Cup strengthen demand for brands naturally connected to the occasion.

Matchdays drove convenience spending

While supermarkets generated the highest total sales, some of the biggest growth came from convenience brands. Compared to pre-tournament performance, we saw:

• Starbucks achieve almost 4x more sales per day
• Deliveroo generate over 3.5x more sales per day
• Uber Eats exceed 3x its normal daily sales

Students were grabbing coffee before games, ordering food instead of cooking, and making convenience purchases around match times. The World Cup created entirely new purchasing habits over the course of a few weeks.

The real takeaway for brands

Major cultural moments aren't just awareness opportunities, they're moments when consumers actively change how they spend. Brands that are part of those moments, whether through relevance, timing or value, stand to benefit the most.

At SUBTV Perks, we see these shifts every day across hundreds of student purchases. The World Cup was one of the clearest examples of how quickly behaviour can change when the right event meets the right audience.

We connect students with exclusive discounts from brands they already know and use. The World Cup reinforced something we've seen time and time again: when the right offer meets the right cultural moment, engagement and sales follow.

We're excited to continue helping brands capitalise on these moments throughout the year, whether that's major sporting events, Freshers' Week, exam season or the Christmas period.