Walmart: Here’s when consumers plan to start holiday shopping
New data from Walmart Inc. reveals consumer attitudes and intentions for this holiday shopping season.
First-party data from Walmart customers indicates that close to four-in-10 (38%) intend to begin their holiday shopping from October through the first half of November. Another 20% plan to start shopping for the holidays from Thanksgiving weekend through Cyber Monday and 10% will begin between Dec. 1-15.
The “Walmart 2026 Holiday Trend Report” also indicates 2% will wait until Dec. 16 or later. Close to nine-in-10 Walmart customers plan to kick off holiday shopping before Dec. 1, and 27% say they will start earlier than last year, with the top reasons being skipping the last-minute scramble and spreading out their spending. However, in 2025, half of Walmart shoppers had not completed their seasonal purchases a week before Christmas.
[READ MORE: Walmart to host three early holiday sales — with help from the Muppets]
The study also reveals interesting holiday shopping data points from Walmart customers in several important areas:
Cost
- 44% of respondents say affording the holidays is their top stressor.
- 61% say holiday costs shape their shopping mood.
- 70% say lower prices would make holiday shopping easier.
- 57% say more deals and promotions would make holiday shopping easier.
Other shopping aspects
- 30% of respondents say being able to buy across multiple categories in one place would make holiday shopping easier.
- 20% say faster delivery would make holiday shopping easier.
- 12% say easy pickup would make holiday shopping easier.
- 11% say same-day delivery would make holiday shopping easier.
Hosting/food
- One-in-three respondents plans to spend more on holiday meals.
- 42% of respondents expect to host or attend three to four holiday gatherings this year.
- 41% say keeping it affordable would make hosting holiday events easier.
- 40% say they would like to keep cleaning easy.
- 39% say sharing with potlucks would make hosting holiday events easier.
- 28% say they lean on ready-to-serve meals.
Other findings
- Approximately 66% of 2025 Walmart gift purchases were planned ahead of time.
- More than half of respondents prioritize meaning and turn to friends and family for gift inspiration, while gift cards and toys lead planned gift categories.
