{"id":358800,"date":"2025-09-03T12:21:29","date_gmt":"2025-09-03T06:51:29","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.technologyforyou.org\/?p=358800"},"modified":"2025-09-03T12:21:46","modified_gmt":"2025-09-03T06:51:46","slug":"gartner-finds-u-s-holiday-shoppers-embrace-hybrid-shopping-and-early-deals-amid-economic-uncertainty","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.technologyforyou.org\/gartner-finds-u-s-holiday-shoppers-embrace-hybrid-shopping-and-early-deals-amid-economic-uncertainty\/","title":{"rendered":"Gartner Finds U.S. Holiday Shoppers Embrace Hybrid Shopping and Early Deals Amid Economic Uncertainty"},"content":{"rendered":"
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U.S. Holiday Shoppers are Leveraging Online Resources, and Prioritizing Flexible Shopping and Return Options to Maximize Convenience and Value<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/section>\n<\/div>\n

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U.S. holiday shoppers are increasingly prioritizing convenience, flexibility, and value in response to ongoing economic uncertainty and rising prices, according to a survey by Gartner, Inc., a business and technology insights company.<\/span><\/p>\n

A Gartner Consumer Community survey of 367 U.S. consumers, conducted in August 2025, showed 40% of respondents expect to see fewer discounts (see Figure 1). Meanwhile, 75% of holiday shoppers are citing higher prices as a reason they expect to spend more on holiday gifts this year compared to last.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cConsumers are anticipating higher prices, supply chain disruptions and fewer discounts from retailers this holiday season,\u201d said\u00a0Brad Jashinsky<\/a>, Director Analyst in the\u00a0Gartner Marketing practice<\/a>. \u201cThis challenging environment requires CMOs and their teams to create campaigns that effectively convey value and connect with consumers before and during the holiday shopping season.”<\/span><\/p>\n<\/article>\n<\/div>\n

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The Shopping Experience<\/span><\/strong><\/h3>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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Early holiday shopping is now the norm, with nearly a third of shoppers planning to purchase holiday gifts by October. Retailer websites and apps are preferred over brand-specific sites, and social media is playing an increasingly important role in gift inspiration.<\/span>\u201cBrands should begin promotional campaigns in late summer or early fall at minimum, to align with the consumer shopping timeline,\u201d said Jashinsky. \u201cMany brands should also consider selling through retailer marketplaces such as Amazon and Walmart or social commerce such as TikTok Shop as both channels increase in consumer preference.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Hybrid shopping options\u2014such as buy online, pick up in-store or curbside, and same-day delivery \u2014 continue to gain traction, with consumers valuing the ease and potential cost savings these methods offer.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Extended holiday return policies are also influencing purchase decisions, especially among younger generations, with approximately 70% indicating that flexible returns would encourage them to buy.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/article>\n<\/div>\n

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Figure 1: Expected Frequency of Brand-offered Discounts During Upcoming Winter Holiday Season, By Year<\/span><\/h5>\n<\/div>\n
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Source: Gartner (August 2025)<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/section>\n<\/div>\n

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Consumer Costs Amid Tariffs<\/span><\/h3>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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A quarter of U.S. consumers surveyed expect to spend less on holiday shopping this year; a possible symptom of current economic and pricing uncertainty. Moreover, 69% percent of holiday shoppers expect U.S. trade policies in particular to make their holiday shopping more expensive this year.<\/span>\u201cBrands must emphasize value, deals and competitive pricing throughout the season to address consumer price sensitivity and expectations of fewer discounts,\u201d said Jashinsky.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/article>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/section>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

U.S. Holiday Shoppers are Leveraging Online Resources, and Prioritizing Flexible Shopping and Return Options to Maximize Convenience and Value U.S. holiday shoppers are increasingly prioritizing convenience, flexibility, and value in response to ongoing economic uncertainty and rising prices, according to a survey by Gartner, Inc., a business and technology insights company. A Gartner Consumer Community […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[14083],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-358800","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","6":"category-technology-industry-news"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.technologyforyou.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/358800","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.technologyforyou.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.technologyforyou.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.technologyforyou.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.technologyforyou.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=358800"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.technologyforyou.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/358800\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.technologyforyou.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=358800"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.technologyforyou.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=358800"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.technologyforyou.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=358800"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}