Top Predictions for 2026 Holiday Shoppers, Black Friday Trends [DOWNLOAD]

The state of shopping might feel like it’s on shaky ground — there’s a new three-shelf reality (physical, digital, and agentic) and an avalanche of perspectives to consider. Holiday preparation is far from spared.

But uncertainty doesn’t mean disaster, and it doesn’t mean you’ll get caught out in the storm this season.

Cozy up with the “2026 Holiday Pulse Report” from Salsify, which offers the latest holiday shopping trends and consumer research insights from a survey of more than 1,200 shoppers from the U.S., U.K., and Canada to help brands and retailers prepare.

Check out highlights from the new report and learn why shoppers will spend (with a few caveats), when they plan to start shopping, and what matters most to them this year.

Report Highlights: Understand What Matters to Shoppers This Season

Shoppers across markets (the U.S., U.K., and Canada) and generational groups bring something different to the holiday table, and changes in commerce affect their buying in different ways.

To help understand these shifts, the holiday pulse report features:

• Exclusive consumer research. Access spending forecasts and expectations, when shoppers plan to start their holiday shopping, where shoppers go for gift ideas, and what they plan to gift this year.

• Top industry trends. What role will AI play in gift-giving? How much do brand values matter to shoppers this holiday season? Find out how holiday shopping trends and current events impact shopper behavior.

• Holiday growth hacks. Access actionable tips related to product detail page (PDP) optimization, promotional strategies, agentic commerce, and more.

3 Ways To Delight Holiday Shoppers This Season

Audiences have high expectations — whether shopper or AI agent (or shopper asking AI agent). Focus on “predictable” sales events and optimized product content for success.

1. Deliver on Black Friday and Cyber Monday Deals

Shoppers are counting on Black Friday trends, as 73% plan to shop either in-store, online, or a mix of both. Thirty-nine percent view these deals as having significant value, nearly 10% more than last year, according to Salsify’s “2025 Holiday Pulse Report.” 

Plenty of shoppers are counting on Cyber Monday this year, too, as 61% plan to shop these deals. According to Salsify data, 44% of baby boomers plan to shop Cyber Monday deals this year, compared to 36% last year; however, 22% “didn’t even notice last year’s deals,” offering room for improvement for brands to jazz things up.

2. Corral Your Data, But Let Your Humanity Fly Free

It’s nothing new that product content clarity and quality directly impact buyer trust and conversions. This interplay with AI is apparent, too, as shoppers (31%) shared that detailed product descriptions and specifications helped them trust AI recommendations the most, according to Salsify’s “2026 Consumer Research” report.

And now, as 51% of shoppers (including 66% of millennials) would feel comfortable using an AI shopping agent that could automatically discover, research, and purchase products for them based on their gifting goals and preferences (i.e., agentic commerce), it’s clear this tech isn’t going anywhere — except when it’s kindly asked to leave.

More shoppers (34%) responded that they believe AI shopping tools and agents will make holiday shopping more efficient but less meaningful. This provides an opportunity for brands to bridge the gap with creative, thoughtful content that wins hearts (and sales) where tech can’t.

3. Navigate News and Market Preferences

In response to a barrage of current events and trade challenges, are shoppers impulse-buying, overly particular, or unbothered?

While it may depend on the day, plenty of shoppers (40%) say local and global news events don’t affect their gift-giving; however, 27% are choosing more practical or useful gifts due to current events.

Brands need to consider context in these cases as well, as behavior can vary greatly across age groups and markets. As another example of global events impacting shopping, 29% of shoppers are actively trying to buy more domestically made gifts this year.

Light Up Your PDPs With Optimized Product Content

If you start strategizing with holiday shopping trends and PDP optimization in mind, winning the new three-shelf reality and staying ahead of competitors is perfectly possible.

Download the full report for more insights on how your brand can skate through Q3 with grace and stick the landing in Q4.