Survey Monitor: A compilation of the latest holiday season surveys
American consumers make Thanksgiving plans
Eighty-seven percent of American consumers plan to celebrate Thanksgiving this year. Seventy percent say they will gather with family and friends, 55% plan to cook or bake at home, 27% will host and 14% will travel.
Seventeen percent of Gen Z will travel for the holiday, 9% will go out to eat, 7% plan to go out for drinks and 13% plan to order takeout or delivery. Eighty-nine percent of respondents plan to purchase food for Thanksgiving, followed by non-alcoholic beverages (32%), alcoholic beverages (31%) and decorations (18%). The top alcoholic beverage choices this year include wine (70%), beer (52%) and spirits (44%).
Seventy-three percent of shoppers plan to purchase items at grocery stores. Thirty-two percent of shoppers plan to spend between $100-$200 and 31% will spend $50-$99. Forty-eight percent say they will spend the same amount as last year and 28% say they plan to spend more.
Numerator’s Q4 2024 Holiday Preview survey was fielded to 5,347 consumers in September 2024. Learn more.
Shoppers favor unique gifts and early purchases
Fifty-four percent of holiday shoppers don’t view Black Friday and Cyber Monday as essential for their needs. Among this audience, 65% will shop early to avoid shipping delays and 62% will get their shopping done as fast as possible.
Millennials and Gen Z tend to be more influenced by social media or general online media ads than the average consumer. When considering their top personal influences, the top choices for holiday gift shoppers are the gift recipient (52%), recommendations from friends/family (47%) and customer reviews (35%). Only 28% of recipients say that brand familiarity influences them.
Fifty-three percent will shop where there is free shipping. Fifty-one percent are heavily influenced by sales and promotions and 53% of holiday gift shoppers prefer retailers that help them find unique gifts.
Basis Technologies’ biannual holiday shopping study was conducted with GWI in May 2024 with over 2,000 U.S. consumers. Learn more.
Shopping small
Consumers are in a giving mood this year, not just toward their friends and families, but also to small businesses. Seventy-one percent of U.S. shoppers are willing to pay more to support small businesses during Black Friday this holiday season, with an eye-popping 53% of them willing to spend up to 10% more to do so. Despite 65% of survey respondents agreeing that inflation will impact their shopping this year, their desire to shop small is clear. Seventy-eight percent of people are as or more likely to shop at a small business this Black Friday and throughout the holidays compared to previous years, with Gen Z being the most likely to shop small (85%) with Millennials following closely behind (83%).
Of the reasons to favor small businesses, 30% of respondents cited wanting to support their local economy while 18% claimed doing so led to better customer service. Thirteen percent preferred unique or handmade products. Almost one in five (19%) are planning to do the bulk of their shopping on Black Friday alone.
Spreading holiday joy isn't just about giving gifts to others. Two-thirds (67%) of consumers intend to treat themselves to a holiday indulgence as well. Gen Z is the most likely to do so with 83% planning to buy themselves a special item or experience.
The research was collected via two surveys. One was conducted in October 2024 with 1,247 respondents and the second was conducted in September 2024 with 1,520 respondents. Learn more.
Consumers want instant order confirmations
Seventy-eight percent of consumers prefer to receive promotions through two or more channels. Sixty-one percent of shoppers expect to receive holiday promotions via e-mail and 51% are likely to engage with interactive campaigns delivered via messaging apps. Nearly 80% of consumers want personalized recommendations during the holiday season.
Nearly 50% of consumers expect to receive an order confirmation immediately after making a purchase. Additionally, 94% of consumers indicated that transactional messages, like order confirmations, are somewhat or very important. Multiple channels are key, with 30% of respondents preferring to receive transactional notifications through both e-mail (75%) and SMS (43%).
The research was conducted with nearly 1,200 consumers in the U.S., the U.K., France, Germany, Spain, Brazil and Australia. Learn more.
Cyber Monday takes the lead
Seventy-one percent of Gen Z, 64% of Millennials, 49% of Gen X and 38% of Baby Boomers are likely to shop on Black Friday. They are likely to shop in cities (62%), suburbs (51%), towns (49%) and rural areas (42%).
Fifty percent of Americans say they will shop the Saturday after Thanksgiving. Over half of Gen Z (59%) and Millennials (59%) are likely to shop on Small Business Saturday. Only 40% of Baby Boomers plan to shop that day.
Cyber Monday has become the most popular shopping day this year with 59% of Americans planning to make a purchase online. Seventy-two percent of respondents with a household income of $100,000 or more, 67% of those with a household income between $80,000-$99,999, 62% of households making between $50,000-$79,999 and 53% of lower-income households are likely to shop on Cyber Monday.
This research was conducted by Bankrate using an online interview administered to members of YouGov’s panels. The survey was conducted between October 15-17, 2024, with 2,479 U.S. adults. Learn more.
Physical retail remains a priority
Consumer spending is expected to reach nearly $125 billion during the five-day period between Thanksgiving and Cyber Monday, as 90% of consumers – or 236 million people – plan to shop. Promotions continue to be a key driver of consumer activity, with 57% of shoppers citing deals and discounts as their primary motivators for shopping over the long weekend. Many intend to use the weekend to purchase everyday essentials or items they delayed purchasing earlier in the year due to high prices and 68% plan to research products ahead of time to find the best deals.
Physical retail remains central to the shopping experience, with 88% of consumers planning to visit stores during the five-day period. In tandem, 82% of consumers anticipate visiting a mall or shopping center to shop and take advantage of offerings like dining, entertainment and holiday experiences.
This research was conducted online from November 8-10, 2024, with 1,013 respondents. Learn more.
Consumers pace purchases but don’t hold back
Consumers are not holding back on holiday spending this year – but they are taking a more deliberate approach to the purchases they make. Seventy-three percent of consumers have adopted the “slow shopping” trend for the holiday season and 60% say they have started their shopping earlier, making more frequent but smaller shopping trips.
When asked why, consumers pointed to value and intention. Over half of consumers (53%) say they “slow shop” to ensure they are only purchasing items they truly want. Thirty-six percent say it helps them take more time to research their purchases and compare different brands and styles. At the same time, more than half (51%) say they are using “slow shopping” to take advantage of more deals and promotions. Consumers may be pacing their holiday spending, but they are not cutting back. Sixty-eight percent of consumers plan to spend the same or more than they did last year – fully aware of higher costs.
This research was conducted by Talker Research on behalf of Affirm between September 24-October 2, 2024, with 2,000 U.S. respondents. Learn more.