The generation most likely to holiday shop in-store is… 

Baby boomers are the generation second-most-likely to shop in a physical store this holiday season.

According to a new survey of nearly 30,000 users of the Shopkick mobile rewards app, Gen Z consumers defy “digital native” stereotypes by being most likely to they will do the majority of their holiday shopping at brick and mortar locations this year (55%). Baby boomers follow closely (54%).

In other generational trends, millennials are most likely to say they will do the majority of their holiday shopping via mobile phone (32%), while Gen Z are most likely to use their mobile phones in the aisles of a store (76%). Gen Z are also the most likely to factor the effect of tariffs into their holiday spending (57%).

Looking at when consumers plan to start holiday shopping, the survey reveals only 3% of respondents plan to do the bulk of their shopping on Cyber Monday. Instead, shoppers plan to begin before Thanksgiving (35%), between Black Friday and Cyber Monday (23%), and on Black Friday (19%). 

There are also some generational differences in when consumers kick off their holiday shopping efforts. Gen Z are the most likely to shop on Black Friday (74%), while millennials are the most likely to shop on Cyber Monday (68%). Gen Z are also most likely to shop on Thanksgiving Day (41%), with more than four in five of those planning to do so in physical stores (83%).

While the majority of respondents will do most of their holiday shopping at big box retailers like Target or Walmart (53%), one in five plan to find gifts via Amazon. Nearly 30% of respondents plan to shop in-store for their holiday goods because they find better inspiration in person versus online. Others shop physical retail for easy price comparisons (25%), overall convenience (20%), and to browse a wider variety of product options (14%). 

Looking at shopper budgets, 33% of respondents plan to spend $301-$600 on holiday purchases. Another 31% plan to spend $100-$300, and 16% plan to spend $601-$900. 

Forty-two percent of respondents say low prices are the most important incentive, followed by free shipping (31%), rewards programs (10%), and easy returns (6%).

Shoppers will spend more on electronics than any other category, including toys, apparel, and accessories (34%, 21%, 20%, and 8%, respectively).