Consumer Spending Trends: How Much Will Holiday Shoppers Spend in 2026?

2025 ecommerce holiday spending broke records — with Cyber Week alone hitting $336.6 billion, and total global ecommerce spending hitting $1.3 trillion, according to Salesforce. That’s even with 21% of shoppers saying they planned to spend less last year, according to Salsify’s “2025 Holiday Consumer Research” data.

And this year? More than half (51%) of shoppers say they plan to spend about the same as they did in the 2025 holiday shopping season, according to Salsify’s upcoming “2026 Holiday Pulse Report.”
But what about the other half? And what does this mean for brands and retailers getting a jump on their 2026 holiday planning and strategy? Learn more about market trends influencing spending and how to sleigh ahead this holiday season.

But what about the other half? And what does this mean for brands and retailers getting a jump on their 2026 holiday planning and strategy? Learn more about market trends influencing spending and how to sleigh ahead this holiday season.

How Do Holiday Shoppers Plan To Spend in 2026?

In this year’s holiday research report, Salsify surveyed 1,212 participants, 412 shoppers from the United States (U.S.), 400 from the United Kingdom (U.K.), and 400 from Canada.

As mentioned, plenty of shoppers plan for status quo spending — but with economic and related uncertainty abound, 18% of shoppers plan to spend less than last year.

Millennials Plan To Be Extra Generous, Other Groups Not Far Behind

Who’s planning to spend the most this year across generation groups? While it’s fairly close, 33% of millennials are gearing up to spend more, followed by Gen Zers (28%), Gen Xers (19%), and baby boomers (10%).

The U.K. Leads the Way to More Spending

In terms of global markets, 26% of U.K. shoppers say they’ll spend more this holiday season. U.S. shoppers follow close behind at 25%, and 18% Canadian shoppers plan to spend more.

3 Market Trends That May Influence Spending This Year

Though everything the market will throw at brands and consumers through year-end is unpredictable, shopper sentiments collected in Salsify research shed (a near festival of) light on how things will shake out — including how shoppers feel about in-store and ecommerce holidays like Black Friday and Cyber Monday.

1. Shoppers Still Look Forward To Black Friday and Cyber Monday

This won’t be the year that Black Friday dies — the same goes for Cyber Monday. Nearly three-quarters of shoppers (73%) plan to shop on Black Friday this year, and of that split, 40% plan to shop these deals online, 25% plan to shop online and in-store, and just 12% plan for in-store-only shopping, making effective Black Friday and holiday ecommerce strategies crucial to snagging shoppers across channels.
In 2025, only 30% of shoppers thought Black Friday offered significant value, but that number jumped to 39% in 2026. The same goes for Cyber Monday: Nearly two-thirds of shoppers (61%) plan to shop on the digital holiday this year.

Baby boomers are expressing an increased interest in the holiday, too, with 44% planning to spend on Cyber Monday, compared to only 35% in 2025. Enthusiasm for Cyber Monday is highest in the U.S. (75%), followed by Canada (58%) and the U.K. (50%).

2. Holiday Shopping Is Starting Earlier and Earlier

According to Salsify consumer research, early bird shopping — which occurs between January and April — is on the rise. This year, 19% of shoppers plan to start holiday buying during that time, a 4% increase from 2025.Mid-season shopping, however, saw a 2% decline, with only 17% of shoppers getting started mid-year.

The sweet spot? October (16%) and November (25%). And if you’re worried about the last-minute rush in December, don’t be. Only 9% of shoppers plan to get going that late in the year.

3. Brand Cohesion Is Everything

More than two-thirds of shoppers (69%) plan to purchase products in physical retail stores this year — up 11% since 2025. But they’re not only buying in-stores.

Nearly the same amount (67%) plan to webroom, or find products online but purchase them in-store. More than half (53%) are getting ready to showroom, or start in-store and then complete their purchases online.At the same time, 59% of shoppers are basing their purchases on their personal value systems even more than price.
This means that a cohesive, transparent brand experience that highlights brand values — sustainability, philanthropy, ethical business practices, etc. — and is consistent across sales channels is more important than ever.

3 Things Brands Must Do Now To Prepare for Holiday Shopping

How do brands build engaging holiday shopping experiences that matter for consumers? Here are three things to do now to prepare for holiday shopping and consumer spending trends.

1. Check Your List of Spenders (Twice)

Your brand may not identify as a guy in a big red suit — but taking a play from his playbook, you should certainly know who your customers and even prospects are, for example, analyzing how your brand performs with different generation groups.

Making a list of high- and low-intent shoppers and understanding what might motivate each can help you adjust your strategy accordingly. This way, you can better personalize your messaging and plan your promotions ahead of time.

This year, pay extra attention to artificial intelligence (AI) and agentic shopping tools, as 40% of shoppers believe AI can help them find gift ideas. If you’re not optimizing your product content for AI chatbots and assistants, you risk losing out this holiday season.

2. Strategize Now — Don’t Wait

It might be tough to think about the holiday season in spring, but many shoppers are already getting started. It’s never too early to start strategizing campaigns to capture specific generation groups and markets — especially when many of those shoppers are planning to spend more this season.

Get your product detail pages (PDPs) in order, build your gift guides, and get your holiday promos ready now. You’ll thank yourself come Christmas.

3. Make It About More Than Products

You have sales goals to hit — every brand does. But not every brand has the same origin story, values, and people part of it. Be sure to embed your brand values authentically into your holiday strategy to connect with like-minded consumers.

For example, share how members of your organization celebrate the season or how customers from different walks of life benefit from your products. You can also take inspiration from these top 10 holiday ads from brands and retailers.

Most importantly, make sure your brand messaging is consistent across all channels, including ecommerce, social, in-store, and mobile. Shoppers will be moving fluidly across these channels, so cohesion is key.

Sleighing Ahead of This Holiday Season’s Consumer Spending Trends

Planning plenty of exciting promos, catching shoppers early in the year, and merging in-store and online experiences means no nightmares before any holiday this season — whether spending predictions are right on the money or not.