Holiday Shopping Statistics & Key Marketing Insights [2025]
Nov 04 2025
Beyond the fun festivities, the holiday season is an incredibly significant time for both businesses and consumers alike, shaping economic landscapes year after year.
From the early-bird shoppers who meticulously plan to the last-minute buyers looking for a steal, we’ll dive into the interesting ways consumers interact with the market in the months leading up to the festivities. Let’s unwrap the top statistics behind the most anticipated shopping season of the year.
Table of Contents
The Most Important Holiday Shopping Statistics for 2025
For our 2025 Holiday Shopping Trends study, our experts surveyed 1,000 holiday shoppers in the United States regarding their plans for the 2025 holiday season. Our research showed that shoppers will be relentlessly focused on value this year, although they expect to spend more. Here are some of the high level trends:
- 32% of consumers are planning to spend more, while only 20% are planning to spend less. However, this number is being inflated by Gen Z, where 44% are planning to spend more than previous years.
- When we look at shoppers that believe they’ll spend less on gifts this year, we see that 24% will opt for cheaper brands (compared to 16% of all shoppers) and 38% will just buy fewer products (compared to 19% of all shoppers)
- Despite tariffs, Gen Z still like Shein and Temu. 43% of Gen Z expected to shop on Shein for holiday gifts, and 26% planned to use Temu. Overall, planned usage for Shein grew 4% year-over-year.
- Social media and LLMs will be crucial for product discovery. 58% of shoppers will use AI to help them shop, and 39% get gift inspiration through social media platforms.
- Shoppers are starting earlier each year. 65% of holiday shoppers expect to start buying gifts before Thanksgiving, with 22% starting before October begins
- In-store is the best way to reach last minute shoppers – we found 38% of shoppers will make their last-minute purchases instore
- The most important product characteristic for a holiday gift is its value (45%) followed by its quality (30%)
- AI adoption is on the rise, 58% of respondents expect to use at least one AI-powered tool for holiday-shopping-related tasks. 78% of Gen Z and 71% of millennials plan to use AI tools for holiday shopping
- Most shoppers are responding to tariff related pressures one way or another – only 9% of shoppers don’t foresee changing their shopping behavior due to tariffs, and another 18% aren’t sure how it will impact them yet
Together, these datapoints paint a picture of a pragmatic and practical shopper who wants to gain visibility across brands and marketplaces to find the best deals. Spending more might be unavoidable due to tariffs and inflation, but shoppers are planning to stretch their dollar anyway.
How Price Conscious Are Holiday Shoppers in 2025?
Between inflation and tariffs, the holiday shopping outlook for 2025 seems similar to what we predicted in 2024. In 2024, 25% of shoppers believed they’d spend more on gifts during the holiday season. This number has increased to 32% of shoppers preparing to pay more this year when compared to previous years. On the flip side, the number of shoppers planning to spend less has remained relatively consistent at 21%.
Although customers are expecting to spend more, they’re still as price sensitive as they’ve been in prior years. This year, the top three factors influencing holiday shoppers will be price (72%), free shipping (70%), and sales or discounts (64%). The motivations behind their behavior have changed slightly as tariffs influence how people shop. Shoppers who plan to hunt for more deals because of tariffs are significantly more likely to prioritize sales and discounts (72%) compared to those who aren’t changing their habits (61%).
When we only look at the consumers that plan to spend less, 38% are planning to buy fewer gifts while 24% will opt for budget brands to save money.
Additionally, tariffs haven’t really deterred shoppers from using China-based online marketplaces like Shein and Temu. In 2025, 22% of shoppers plan to shop for gifts on Temu, and 18% plan to use Shein, with an especially large portion of Gen Z (43%) planning to use Shein. A steady, but slowly increasing, percentage of customers have planned to look for gifts on Shein in particular (15% in 2024 versus 18% in 2025).
Key Statistics for Holiday Shopper Confidence in 2025
How Is Gen Z Is Shopping During the 2025 Holiday Season?
Gen Z’s holiday shopping habits continue to evolve, with 44% of Gen Z expecting to spend more on gifts this year than they did last year. This is a significant increase from the 34% that expected to spend more last year. This could be partially due to tariffs, with 88% of Gen Z well-aware of how tariffs will impact their shopping habits compared to 76% Baby Boomers.
Their preference for discount marketplaces like Shein and Temu has also stayed strong despite tariffs. Notably, 43% of Gen Z plans to shop on Shein for holiday gifts – more than twice as likely as the general population, and ten times more likely than Baby Boomers.
While Gen Z becomes more discerning with their spending, marketers must hone in and ensure they’re reaching them on the right channels. For example, Gen Z’s reliance on social media for buying decisions remains strong – 55% have bought a holiday gift after seeing it on social media, compared to 39% of the general population. TikTok is most likely to drive gifting inspiration with 71% of Gen Z, and that number is growing year over year:
On a similar note, influencer marketing is key to reaching Gen Z. 68% have purchased a gift after seeing an influencer endorse it, which is far more likely than any other demographic:
When it comes to timing, Gen Z either shops for gifts very early in the season, or waits until the last minute to finish shopping. 57% of Gen Z plans to complete all their holiday shopping before Thanksgiving. However, 22% of Gen Z won’t start shopping until Black Friday, compared to 8% of Baby Boomers. Their procrastination has a significant downstream impact as well – they’re the most likely to spend extra on fast shipping, and quite likely to shop in store in the final days leading up to the holidays.
Younger generations are more likely to use AI to improve their shopping experience. 78% of Gen Z shoppers say they expect to use AI in some capacity to help make gift buying decisions. ChatGPT is the most popular with Gen Z and Millennials by a wide margin – 48% plan to use ChatGPT, 34% plan to use Gemini, and 31% plan to use Meta AI. Other AI solutions are trailing behind significantly.
Key Statistics for Gen Z Holiday Shoppers in 2025
Are Holiday Shoppers Starting to Adopt AI?
Between 2024 and 2025, we noticed a significant difference in how many holiday shoppers plan to use AI. In 2024, 54% of holiday shoppers said they’d use AI to help them shop in some capacity, but only 3% said they’d use ChatGPT.
In 2025, shoppers were over ten times more likely to use LLMs like ChatGPT. 33% of shoppers say they’ll use ChatGPT to help them shop this year, with 30% using it to compare products and another 30% using it to find the best possible price. This underscores why brands need to invest in generative engine optimization, or AI SEO, marketing strategies – LLMs will source product information from across the internet in difficult to predict ways, so brands need to ensure they’re being described with a positive sentiment.
We also noticed that while ChatGPT is the LLM of choice for Gen Z and Millennials, there’s a small generational split. While 48% of Gen Z will use ChatGPT to help them shop, only 21% of Gen X and older anticipate using it. Google Gemini is actually the LLM of choice for the older generations, with 23% planning to use it for holiday shopping.
Key Statistics for AI and Holiday Shopping in 2025
- 54% of holiday shoppers in 2024 said they would use AI to help them shop.
- 3% of holiday shoppers in 2024 said they would use ChatGPT.
- In 2025, shoppers were over ten times (10x) more likely to use LLMs like ChatGPT.
- 33% of shoppers in 2025 say they will use ChatGPT to help them shop.
- 30% of shoppers in 2025 will use ChatGPT to compare products.
- 30% of shoppers in 2025 will use ChatGPT to find the best possible price.
- 48% of Gen Z will use ChatGPT to help them shop.
- 21% of Gen X and older anticipate using ChatGPT to help them shop.
- 23% of older generations (Gen X and older) plan to use Google Gemini for holiday shopping.
How Important is Cyber Five in 2025?
Our Holiday Shopping Study revealed an interesting trend: When shoppers are feeling pricing pressures, a significant portion (21%) they’re more likely to shop earlier in the year instead of waiting for a sales holiday. We’ve also noticed a greater share of consumers plan to start gift shopping before Thanksgiving, with 65% planning to start shopping on or before Thanksgiving.
In earlier versions of our studies, shoppers explained this adjustment by citing concerns about order fulfillment, inventory, and inflation. Additionally, some consumers wanted more time to search for deals and spread their budget out. This is magnified by early-to-mid October sales holidays, like Amazon Prime Day or Walmart Deals for Days, which provide even greater incentive to start shopping early.
However, that’s not to downplay the continued importance of Cyber Five holidays, namely Black Friday and Cyber Monday. 59% of Gen Z shoppers plan to make the bulk of their holiday purchases during Cyber Five, and 28% of all shoppers are going to start shopping during Cyber Five. And the revenue numbers throughout Cyber Five are no pittance – Adobe tracked over $41 billion in online sales during Cyber Week alone.
Key Statistics for Cyber Week 2025
- 21% are more likely to shop earlier in the year instead of waiting for a sales holiday.
- 65% of consumers plan to start gift shopping on or before Thanksgiving.
- 59% of Gen Z shoppers plan to make the bulk of their holiday purchases during Cyber Five (Black Friday/Cyber Monday).
- 22% of Gen Z won’t start shopping until Black Friday
- Only 26% of baby boomers expect to do all or most of their holiday shopping during Cyber Week
- 28% of all shoppers are going to start shopping during Cyber Five.
- 48% of shoppers plan to complete at least half of their holiday shopping over Cyber Week (2024)
- Cyber Week 2025 generated $41 billion in online sales
Where Are Holiday Shoppers Looking for Gifts?
In previous holiday studies, we used to separate online and instore shopping statistics. However, we observed near-total adoption of online shopping in 2025 – and the real story lies in the interplay between online and offline channels. We found that 96% of shoppers expect to shop online at least once for a gift, and 59% plan to shop both online and offline.
Instore and online shopping reflects two different priorities: Online gives shoppers more time to research and shop around, appealing to their desire for value. Instore shopping is more popular closer to the holiday, as consumers realize they need a last minute gift now. This is shown in our survey data, where 38% of shoppers say their last-minute purchases take place instore, 23% plan to research online and buy instore, and 18% will order products online and pick up instore.
Sites like Amazon also appeal to a sense of urgency, given its one- or two-day shipping times. When we look at a list of the top online marketplaces for holiday shoppers, we see Amazon, Walmart, and Target leading the way. Each of these platforms either provides next-day shipping or the ability to buy a product found online inside the store immediately.
Moving beyond the online and offline dynamic, 70% of shoppers showed a propensity for purchasing products like clothing and apparel. These numbers have stayed relatively consistent, with a slight increase in beauty product purchases and a slight decrease in jewelry over the past five years. This might explain why sites like Temu and Shein have maintained the attention of holiday shoppers – these are well known for selling apparel and beauty products at rock-bottom prices.
Key Statistics for Online & Offline Holiday Shopping
- 96% of shoppers expect to shop online at least once for a gift.
- 59% plan to shop both online and offline.
- 38% of shoppers say their last-minute purchases take place in-store.
- 23% plan to research online and buy in-store.
- 18% will order products online and pick up in-store.
- 70% of shoppers showed a propensity for purchasing products like clothing and apparel.
- 80% of shoppers plan to use Amazon for the majority of their holiday shopping
- 37% of holiday shoppers plan to spend more money online, while 25% plan to spend more in-store
- 33% of all shoppers purchase gift cards when shopping for presents at the last minute, but only 27% of Gen Z will purchase a gift card in this scenario.
- 39% of women and 25% of men plan to purchase a beauty product as a holiday gift
- 34% of men and 22% of women expect to purchase electronics as gifts
Conclusion
Preparation is the cornerstone of holiday success for brands. Understanding the intricacies of consumer behavior, harnessing the power of seasonal sales, and embracing the surge of online and in-store shopping can make all the difference in your bottom line.
Want more stats?
Check out our full research report, 2025 Holiday Shopping Trends, for more exclusive insights.
You Might Be Interested In
