Tis the season for sun, sand, summer fun… and holiday shopping?
Proving it’s never too early to be prepared – or proving that Christmas creep is officially out of control – one of the first holiday shopping surveys of the season is upon us.
Economic concerns may have some shoppers and sellers concerned that this holiday season may be a time to cut back. But the new “2026 Holiday Pulse Report” from Salsify finds that shoppers expect to spend anyway – with a little help from tried-and-true promotional events, and artificial intelligence.
The good news for early worriers is that 40% of the shoppers surveyed said global news events won’t affect their gift-giving. And more than half expect to spend the same amount on holiday gifts as they did last year. “Overall, fewer shoppers say they plan to spend less than those who plan to spend more, which is a pretty telling indicator of the gains brands might make this holiday season,” Salsify reported optimistically.
58% of survey respondents said they expect to begin their shopping during “peak season,” from roughly September to December. Fewer than 10% of shoppers wait until the last minute, as most “will be banking on predictable sales events like Black Friday and Cyber Monday,” the report found. 61% plan to shop Cyber Monday deals, and 73% plan to shop on Black Friday – with about a third saying Black Friday and Cyber Monday deals offer “significant value,” nearly 10% more than last year.
“This trend might indicate that shoppers found last year’s Black Friday more impactful than years past and, therefore, a worthwhile event to participate in this year,” Salsify surmised. And it shows that “while deals are plentiful throughout the year, shoppers still look to more predictable sales events to get their shopping done.”
That said, for every shopper planning to hunt for deals, there are some who don’t bother. Another third of shoppers said they tend to look at deals but don’t rely on them, and 17% claim they “didn’t even notice last year’s deals,” which Salsify says offers “room for improvement for brands to jazz things up.”
But the real difference this coming holiday season “isn’t going to be how much consumers spend, it’s how they shop,” the report predicted. And a lot of that has to do with AI.
AI is “becoming the holiday shopping wingman,” Salsify declared, moving “from novelty to sidekick,” assisting shoppers every step of the way, from brainstorming ideas, to comparing products and prices, to narrowing down choices.
More than half of shoppers said AI tools like chatbots and gift guides would help improve holiday shopping, and 40% said they’re comfortable using AI to come up with gift ideas for their loved ones. While some prioritize a “fast decision-maker that narrows gift choices quickly,” or “a trusted advisor that recommends high-quality gifts,” what shoppers most want in an AI assistant is “a deal hunter that finds the lowest price.”
So what can be learned from all this, at a time when no one is really thinking much about snow and spending and shopping? “For brands that want to win,” Salsify advised, “holiday planning should already be heating up.” They can expect shoppers to spend, but they must “prioritize deal hunters,” or those shoppers may do their spending somewhere else.
Anything could happen between now and then, though. Global events, inflation, politics or other concerns could shake the current confidence of shoppers. But don’t discount the appeal of retail therapy. More than half of survey respondents said current events had often or occasionally prompted them to make purchases during the holidays specifically to improve their mood – sometimes by self-gifting instead of shopping for others.
Holiday shopping and searching for deals may be the furthest thing from your mind right now. But sellers who heed Salsify’s advice, will be ready when you are.
Image source: freestocks on Unsplash
