NIQ: Holiday shoppers to browse, shop evenly between online, in store
Holiday shoppers plan to take an omnichannel approach when finding gifts this year – in addition to treating themselves.
Holiday shoppers expect to browse, either online (66%) or in-store (64%), to seek deals and decide what items to buy when holiday gift shopping this year, according to new seasonal shopping data from NielsenIQ (NIQ). While in-store and online shopping appears to be evenly split, Gen Z (46%) and millennial (38%) consumers will use social media and influencers for inspiration, significantly more than other age groups.
Almost half (47%) of consumers plan to complete their holiday shopping one to two months in advance, and a quarter (26%) of consumers will hit the stores two to four weeks ahead of the holidays. NIQ found that the top categories on shoppers’ lists include clothing and accessories (76%), entertainment (50%), self-care (48%) and tech/electronics (42%).
In addition to buying for others, more than half (54%) of shoppers plan to self-gift this year. While holiday gift shopping for others remains the top reason for shopping during Black Friday or Cyber Monday/Cyber Week overall (66%), Gen Z and millennials will do more shopping during these events, including taking advantage of the discounts to shop for themselves (70% and 66%).
[READ MORE: Black Friday – Cyber Monday spending to grow to almost $80 billion]
“Our data continues to show that uncertainty is a running theme in 2025, and it’s reflected in how consumers are celebrating the holidays with a sense of tradition while fitting into their budgets and lifestyles,” said Rachel Bonsignore, VP of NIQ Consumer Life. “Our goal is to equip retailers with actionable intelligence, from pricing to inventory to omnichannel experiences, that help them capture market share in what’s shaping up to be a highly competitive season.”
In addition to holiday shopping insights, NIQ’s report also shed light on how consumers plan to spend around Thanksgiving:
- Nearly six-in-10 (58%) lower-income consumers indicate “extreme concern” about food price inflation (+3 points since January).
- To manage costs, 25% of shoppers plan to buy more private label items for Thanksgiving, and 65% are comfortable serving them. Only 5% will prioritize name brands.
- A quarter (25%) of households plan to reduce or eliminate alcohol from their celebrations to save money, creating opportunities for non-alcoholic alternatives.
More seasonal insights from NIQ can be found here.
