According to Salsify’s upcoming “2025 Holiday Pulse Report,” which surveyed 1,010 consumers across generation groups on their holiday shopping behaviors in the United States (U.S.) and the United Kingdom (U.K.), some get a head start as early as January.
The report also reveals holiday shoppers’ spending predictions and behaviors, important shopping timelines and events, and more valuable insights.
Here’s the 411 for brands that want to get on Santa’s nice list and succeed this holiday shopping season.
In 2024, global holiday ecommerce spending totaled $1.2 trillion, according to Salesforce.
Statista predicts that this number will increase to $8 trillion by 2028.
Compared to last year’s holiday spending, 53% of shoppers say they’ll spend about the same, 22% plan on spending even more, and 18% are tightening their purse strings and spending less, according to Salsify research.
Spending habits are even more nuanced across generation groups. Gen Zers (29%) and millennials (25%) are most likely to spend more than last year, but baby boomers (17%) and Gen Xers (16%) are more hesitant.
According to Salsify research, 37% of shoppers say that personalized recommendations influence them to buy more frequently. Now’s the time to hone in on who your audience is so you can tailor your strategy and amp up your personalization tactics.
Holiday shoppers fall into three different categories: early bird, mid-season, and peak season. Here’s a glimpse at how to capture shoppers year-round.
Fifteen percent of shoppers are considered early birds — they like to start their shopping as early as possible. For example, shoppers across the pond (in the U.K., that is) are two to three times more likely to do their holiday shopping in April and May.
Don’t neglect early bird shoppers when building out your holiday strategy. Being generous with discounts on Bank holidays, Easter, and President’s Day will get you an in with these eager shoppers.
Mid-season shoppers (19%) are summer shoppers, preferring to get their haul done while the temps — and summer deals — are hot.
Amazon Prime Day in July is the perfect opportunity to offer discounts to inspire early holiday gifting. (Maybe just remind customers to hide them from prying eyes.) Brands can jump on this opportunity by perfecting their product detail pages (PDPs), advertising, and messaging a few weeks in advance of Prime Day.
Want more opportunities? Don’t forget to plan ahead for other big discount events like Target Circle Week and Walmart Deals.
Peak season shoppers represent the biggest slice of holiday shoppers at 58%, but only 9% wait until December to purchase gifts. Instead, a majority make their holiday purchases in October (15%) and November (23%).
October is the perfect time to prime shoppers for Black Friday and Cyber Monday deals. While they’re scouring the internet for Halloween costumes, pique their interest with personalized holiday gifting recommendations they can favorite for later.
Brands can win shoppers from every category over with perfectly timed deals and discounts, customized messaging and recommendations, and fine-tuned product detail pages (PDPs).
While Black Friday may not elicit lines out the door like it once did, it still garners an impressive response from consumers: 73% plan to shop the event this year.
Surveyed shoppers shared their Black Friday shopping strategies:
Millennials are the most likely to shop Black Friday deals online (46%), followed by Gen Xers (42%), Gen Zers (42%), and baby boomers (24%).
Thirty percent of shoppers are still keyed into Black Friday deals, but for 43% of shoppers, the event doesn’t hold the same weight — they check out deals, but don’t rely on them. Twenty-three percent don’t even pay attention to deals.
Cyber Monday has a strong pull on shoppers, with 61% planning to shop during the event. Millennials are the most excited for deals (74%), followed by Gen Zers (72%), Gen Xers (60%), and baby boomers (35%).
Shoppers have similar sentiments toward Cyber Monday as they do toward Black Friday: 27% believe it still holds significant value; 42% look at deals but don’t rely on them; and 26% didn’t even notice last year’s deals.
According to Salsify’s “Ecommerce Pulse Report: Q2 2025,” 59% of shoppers prefer shopping on smartphones versus other devices like desktops, laptops, and tablets, and 69% purchase from marketplaces like Amazon and eBay. Consumers' predilection for smartphone shopping emphasizes the importance of optimizing for mobile.
Despite economic uncertainty, shoppers will spend more on a brand if they feel their values are aligned.
Gen Zers (75%) are the most likely to spend more on a brand that aligns with their values. Millennials (66%), Gen Xers (53%), and baby boomers (50%) aren’t far behind.
Whether they’re early birds or procrastinators, brands can capture shoppers any time of year by practicing transparency about data use and policies, building connections with their audience, and personalizing messages.
While the holiday shopping season may seem like a distant dream, it’s never too early to start prepping for enthusiastic consumers.
If you cater to shoppers’ spending comfort, offer snazzy Black Friday and Cyber Monday deals, and prime your PDPs and messaging in advance, you’ll win over even the Grinch’s steely heart.