Dive Brief:
- Almost three-quarters (71%) of shoppers plan to start their holiday shopping journey before Black Friday this year, a survey of 600 U.S. consumers conducted by marketing firm Attentive found. Almost half (46%) are shopping prior to November.
- Most consumers (84%) anticipate that Black Friday and Cyber Monday sales will start before Black Friday, mostly arriving in November, according to the report.
- Two-thirds (67%) of shoppers have used AI tools like Gemini, Perplexity and ChatGPT to manage their purchases in the last three months. For Gen Z consumers, that share rises to 80%, the survey found.
Dive Insight:
Consumers are not only beginning their holiday shopping early this year, but they’re relying on AI to make their purchasing decisions.
While 58% of shoppers are asking AI tools about a particular product, 51% are using them to compare products, brands and features. Nearly half (45%) are using AI to receive product recommendations and another 43% to find deals, coupons and the best price, according to Attentive.
In addition to markdowns, shoppers want other incentives before buying their holiday items. Beyond discounts, 68% of survey respondents cited free shipping as the top factor that will encourage them to make a purchase, followed by a gift with purchase (42%), a price match guarantee (39%) and additional loyalty points and perks (35%), the report found.
“Consumers are discovering products, comparing options, and deciding which brands they trust long before the holiday rush,” Jema Birkmeyer, vice president of strategic sales at Attentive, said in a statement. “The retailers that win this holiday season will be the ones using AI to understand and deliver on individual customer preferences, serve timely, personalized experiences across every channel, and strengthen relationships well before promotions begin.”
As tariffs constrained consumers’ budgets, off-price stores and retailers offering value fared well during the 2025 holiday season. During Black Friday, retailers offered 28% online discounts on average in the U.S., flat between 2024 and 2025, according to a Salesforce analysis.
Despite economic uncertainty stemming from the U.S. war with Iran, consumers’ attitudes are improving. A consumer sentiment index from the University of Michigan rose 10% in June. Furthermore, consumers’ expectations for inflation in a year’s time declined to 4.6%, down from 4.8% in May but higher than the 3.4% they anticipated prior to the conflict.
