Survey: One-in-six shoppers plan to sacrifice essentials for holiday gifts
Higher prices won’t be stopping many consumers from buying holiday gifts this year.
That’s according to a new survey from invoice template software company Invoice Home, which found that nearly half (49%) of respondents said they won’t let rising costs deter them from purchasing gifts for the holidays.
Despite the commitment to gift giving, 16% will have to sacrifice everyday essentials to afford spending more on gifts this year than in 2025, an increase from 11% in 2025. Twenty percent say they plan on getting a second job to afford holiday expenses, rising to 28% among Gen Z respondents.
Shoppers are also expecting brands to make financial sacrifices, according to Invoice Home. Nearly a third (30%) refuse to shop with retailers that raised prices due to tariffs, while 21% plan to walk away from those that don't offer free shipping and returns.
Survey respondents said they plan to use Black Friday and Cyber Monday to their advantage. Nearly a quarter (22%) only plan to purchase essential goods (grocery items, household goods, etc.) that weekend. Fifteen percent said they never shop on the first day of Black Friday/Cyber Monday weekend in hopes the discounts will increase over the weekend.
If a discount isn’t over 30% during Black Friday/Cyber Monday weekend, over a quarter (26%) of Gen Z and millennial respondents won’t shop with a brand, according to the survey.
“This is the third year we’ve done this survey, and it continues to divulge a strong desire from consumers to spend during the season, even if it means making big financial sacrifices to do so,” says Petr Marek, co-founder and CEO at Invoice Home. “For retail businesses, this means identifying areas of your business that meet customer preferences ahead of the busiest shopping season. This could be offering more diverse payment options, being extra transparent in your return policies, and insisting on additional training for employees to ensure a smooth in-store experience.”
Additional highlights from the survey include the following:
- Buy now, pay later (BNPL) remains a critical option, with more than one-in-seven (15%) consumers planning to leverage BNPL to cover expenses this holiday season – increasing to 21% for millennials (an 11% increase from 2025).
- Too many crowds (34%), price discrepancies from what’s shown online (27%) and lines that take more than five to 10 minutes to stand in to check out (23%) are the top reasons consumers have for abandoning an in-store purchase.
- One-third of respondents (33%) admitted being most likely to be influenced to shop from YouTube ad placements this holiday season, followed by streaming services (Amazon Prime, Peacock, Disney+, etc.) at 23%, Instagram at 21% (35% for Gen Z) and TikTok at 17% (34% for Gen Z).
- Nearly three-in-10 (29%) respondents anticipate making holiday-related returns in January with the goal of saving money.
[READ MORE: Adobe: U.S. online holiday sales will smash records to reach $275B]
Invoice Home’s survey was conducted by Censuswide on a sample size of 2,000 U.S. consumers between August 20-25, 2026. The survey was carried out online. The figures have been weighted and are representative of all U.S. adults age 18-plus.
