Holiday Shopping Starts Earlier Than Ever This Year
▼ Summary
– AI is becoming central to how people shop, and the holiday shopping season is spreading beyond Black Friday and Cyber Monday to a longer, more dynamic calendar.
– Brands must look beyond peak season and use AI to personalize every touchpoint in the customer journey to succeed.
– Over half of consumers plan to use AI for comparing prices, searching for products, and getting personalized recommendations during the holiday season.
– While 40% of consumers plan to shop during Black Friday/Cyber Monday, 20% make their first holiday purchase between June and August, with Gen Z leading early shopping trends.
– Millennial shoppers are the most enthusiastic about AI remembering their preferences, with 66% in favor, and 62% of all consumers prefer AI tools that know their purchase history over explaining needs to sales associates.
The holiday shopping season is undergoing a dramatic transformation, with consumers beginning their purchases earlier than ever before. Black Friday and Cyber Monday remain the most significant shopping events, but they no longer dominate the calendar as they once did. A recent global study reveals that a growing number of shoppers are spreading their spending across a wider timeframe, embracing new tools and expecting more personalized experiences along the way.
According to the findings, 40% of consumers still plan to shop during the Black Friday and Cyber Monday weekend, but a notable 20% are making their first holiday purchases as early as June through August. Younger shoppers, particularly Gen Z, are leading this shift toward early buying, with 30% starting before traditional sales periods and over a third stating they don’t align their shopping with any specific promotional event.
Artificial intelligence is playing an increasingly central role in how people shop. More than half of consumers intend to use AI this season to compare prices, search for products, summarize reviews, and receive personalized recommendations. A significant 62% of shoppers prefer using an AI tool that already understands their purchase history over explaining their needs to a sales associate. Millennials show the strongest enthusiasm for AI-driven personalization, with 66% favoring technology that remembers their preferences.
Beyond timing and technology, the report highlights evolving consumer expectations. Shoppers want brands to offer deals on products they have repeatedly viewed, indicating a strong desire for relevance and recognition. While Christmas, Black Friday, and Cyber Monday continue to be the top three shopping holidays, Mother’s Day and Prime Day have climbed to fourth and fifth place, reflecting a broader and more varied retail landscape.
For brands aiming to succeed, the message is clear: winning the holiday season requires thinking beyond the traditional peak days and leveraging AI to create seamless, individualized customer journeys throughout the extended shopping period.
(Source: MarTech)
