Top Predictions for 2025 Holiday Shopping Trends [DOWNLOAD]

A flurry of activity happens in the third quarter (Q3) — most notably, holiday planning and strategizing. It might be too early to let Mariah infiltrate your playlists, but it’s not too early to start preparing for the fourth quarter (Q4) and the biggest shopping season of the year.

The “2025 Holiday Pulse Report” from Salsify offers brands and retailers a rundown of the latest holiday shopping trends and consumer research insights from a survey of more than 1,000 shoppers from the U.S. and U.K.

Check out highlights from the new report and learn why shoppers are more keen to spend this year (with a few caveats), when they plan to start shopping, and what they expect from brands this year.

Report Highlights: Stay Competitive This Holiday Season

Your dream of a delightful holiday season can come true — the latest pulse report has everything you need to inform an effective and festive holiday strategy.

The Q3 holiday edition of the ecommerce 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: How much do brand values matter to shoppers this holiday season? What role will artificial intelligence (AI) play in holiday shopping? Check out these trends and a wealth of insights from Salsify research.
• Holiday growth hacks: Apply new learnings with digestible, actionable tips related to product detail page (PDP) optimization, promotional strategies, mobile commerce (mcommerce), and more.

How Brands Can Prepare To ‘Sleigh’ This Holiday Season

The lukewarm news for brands and retailers? The market (and related regulations) will likely remain unpredictable — but shoppers are planning to show up this season. Here’s a preview of what they expect.

Plan for Spenders

The good news: About half (53%) of shoppers plan to spend the same as last year this holiday season, and nearly a quarter of shoppers (22%) plan to spend more, with the highest interest reported by Gen Zers (29%) and millennials. Only 18% plan to spend less. 

Execute Early

October is the sweet spot to snag proactive holiday shoppers with the first line of promotions, as the majority of shoppers start their holiday shopping in the peak season of September through December. However, most shoppers (23%) start their holiday shopping in November, thanks to continued interest in events like Black Friday and Cyber Monday, especially online.

Share Your Values

Though market conditions are making cost-conscious consumers out of all of us, values are central to shoppers’ gift-buying this year: 61% of shoppers prioritize personal values over price when choosing holiday gifts, making it crucial to infuse your values into your messaging throughout the season.

Merry and Bright Ecommerce Insights for Every Quarter

If you start holiday strategizing with holiday shopping trends in mind, winning the digital shelf and staying ahead of competitors is perfectly possible.

Download the full report for more insights on how your brand can “holla” for holiday success and conquer Q4 with confidence.