Survey: Consumers increasingly favor artificial Christmas trees — here's why
More and more consumers are opting for artificial Christmas trees to decorate their homes for the holidays – with convenience and value being the driving factors.
According to the 2026 Consumer Holiday Sentiment survey from National Tree Company, one of the largest importers and wholesalers of artificial Christmas trees, 80% of consumers who celebrate Christmas intend to decorate with an artificial tree this holiday season.
Forty-two percent of consumers cite the ease of set up and take down as a key factor behind purchasing an artificial tree. Similarly, more than half (52%) of artificial tree owners said they plan to spend less than two hours setting up and decorating their tree. This is compared to 66% of real tree owners who plan to spend more than two hours, with 31% citing four hours or more of set up and decorating time.
[READ MORE: NRF: Affordability top of mind for holiday shoppers]
Other top factors influencing tree buying behavior among consumers, according to the survey, include appearance and realism (35%), mess and clean up (30%) and durability (28%).
“We have seen a slow, gradual shift more toward artificial trees,” said National Tree Company CEO Chris Butler in an interview with Chain Store Age ahead of the report’s release. “As real trees have gone up in price due to inflation, farming costs and drought, artificial trees have become a much better value proposition. You're paying $150 to $200 for a real tree that you have to haul out and dispose of at the end of the season, whereas you can buy a great artificial tree for $200 to $300 that will last you five to 10 years.”
Nearly four-in-10 (37%) survey respondents said they will not be buying a tree this year, and 34% of those planning to buy trees say they will spend under $200. However, the survey also saw the average number of trees per household grow from less than 1.5 in 2023 to almost two this year, with nearly a quarter of respondents planning to display three or more trees in their household.
“For those consumers who do buy, they'll be purchasing either a new tree or an additional tree,” added Butler. “We've definitely seen an increase in the number of trees per household, where consumers have a tree in the kitchen, a tree in the dining room, a tree in the kids' room, and so on.”
When asked where consumers will purchase their artificial tree this year, National Tree Company found that 63% of respondents said in a physical store versus online, up from 59% last year. The three physical retailers most cited were Walmart, Home Depot and Target, while for online buyers, Amazon, Walmart, Target and Home Depot were ranked highest.
Physical stores are the top destination for tree purchases, but many consumers are researching online before they buy, with artificial-intelligence tools playing a key role.
“No surprise, there's a huge leap in the percentage of consumers using AI to help inform their decisions,” said Butler. “It used to always be Amazon, Google Search and then shopping around. This year, those two are still fairly prominent, but AI has gone from about 2% last year to roughly 15% to 20% this year, which is a pretty drastic increase.”
Looking ahead, Butler said that he expected the Christmas decor market this holiday season, even as consumers have signaled their plan to scale back on spending.
“The economy is obviously quite tough right now and consumer sentiment is low, but Christmas is the one holiday where people are still going to spend the most,” he said. “Christmas tends to be more resilient and robust than most holidays.”
National Tree Company commissioned its nationwide Consumer Holiday Sentiment Survey in October, surveying 1,074 U.S. residents aged 18 to 65.
