Reasons to Read

Quantify how many US shoppers pulled holiday-season purchases into August 2026, and how much of 2025’s tariff-driven urgency has faded from early holiday shopping.

Read this report to discover answers to these and other questions:

• What proportion of consumers make ultra-early holiday purchases?
• How has that purchase rate changed versus 2025, and what motives have replaced last year’s single tariff trigger?
• Which consumer segments have pulled back the hardest on early shopping?
• Why does scarcity concern persist among 2026 early shoppers, and what does it signal about this year’s holiday inventory levels?

Data in this report include: Percentage of surveyed consumers who have made holiday purchases; reasons consumers cite for starting holiday shopping early; early-shopping rates by age, income, and region, comparing 2025 and 2026.

Other relevant research:

• All of our research on US holiday retailing.