U.S. Household Shopping Behaviors During the Holiday Season

December 16, 2025

Key Points

45% of U.S. households plan to shift more spending online, driven by deal-hunting behavior during the holiday season.

Consumers are entering the holiday season with a cautious, value-driven mindset rather than reduced intent.

Insights are analyzed from 502K+ digital conversations and 10K+ depth surveys, capturing early consumer signals.

U.S. households continue to value the holiday season as a moment of participation and celebration. However, recent consumer insights show that the emotional intent to celebrate is now accompanied by heightened financial awareness. Rather than approaching the season with unchecked optimism, households are entering it carrying a tight financial mood reshaping how, when and where they spend.

These shifts were visible well before the season officially began, emerging across both structured surveys and unprompted digital conversations.

U.S. Household Consumer Expenditure Patterns During the Holiday Season

Consumer expenditure during the holiday season is undergoing a clear recalibration. Results from the study indicate that a significant share of households are actively rethinking spending priorities. Alongside the 45% shifting more spend online, 33% of households report readiness to cut entertainment spending if economic conditions worsen, while 27% are prepared to scale back on gifts and celebrations.

Supporting this cautious outlook, industry-level secondary data also reflects moderation in holiday spending growth. According to projections from the National Retail Federation (NRF), U.S. holiday retail sales are expected to grow at a low single-digit rate, signaling a season shaped more by restraint than excess. This broader context reinforces the report’s findings that households are prioritizing value and control over volume.

Together, these signals indicate that while holiday participation remains important, spending decisions are becoming more deliberate and measured.

Consumer Behaviour Well Before the Holiday Season Kicked In

Consumer analysis from 502K+ digital voices highlights that these shifts were not reactive. Well before the holiday season officially began, consumers were already adjusting routines and expectations. Signals captured from digital conversations show that:

‍52% of consumers believe shifting spend toward essentials feels like the right move, ‍
48% are actively cutting back on luxuries to prioritise necessities. ‍
36% report continuously tweaking shopping routines to make budgets fit.

These early signals translate into clear consumer behaviour patterns observed ahead of peak holiday activity:

Stricter budgeting to stay within tighter financial limits
Delayed purchases as consumers wait for better pricing or promotions
Value-driven swaps between brands, formats, or retailers
Higher price scrutiny across categories before committing to spend

What stands out is the timing. These behaviours emerged before seasonal promotions intensified, indicating proactive decision-making rather than last-minute adjustments.

What This Signals About Holiday Season Consumer Behavior

Taken together, these consumer insights point to a shift that did not emerge overnight. Households were already recalibrating spend and shopping routines well before peak holiday activity began. Rather than reacting in the moment, consumers appear to have entered the holiday season with clearer expectations and spending boundaries, shaped by months of evolving sentiment and economic awareness.

This suggests that holiday shopping behavior today is less about last-minute impulse and more about long-term recalibration. Consumers are still participating, but with clearer priorities and more deliberate choices.

To understand these changes in depth, the U.S. Grand Consumer Study tracks how consumer sentiment and shopping behavior evolved leading into the holiday season by combining large-scale digital signals with structured research. It surfaces the key drivers shaping holiday mindset, the distinct signals influencing spending choices, and the most prominent themes emerging across consumer conversations.

BioBrain Insights analysed 502K+ digital voices alongside 10K+ depth surveys to understand how consumers are entering the holiday season with tighter budgets, sharper price scrutiny and more value-led choices. This approach surfaced 23 prominent themes shaping consumer sentiment and shopping behaviour, connecting large-scale digital signals with structured survey validation to build a more complete view of people and perceptions. If you’d like to pressure-test an idea tailor cuts to your category, or request a rapid signal read, feel free to reach out.

By mapping how these signals formed and intensified over time, the study provides a clearer view of why U.S. households are approaching the holiday season differently and how these patterns may continue to influence consumer behavior beyond it. Download the full report here.

FAQs.

What does “value-driven” holiday shopping actually mean for U.S. households this season?

Value-driven doesn’t simply mean “spending less” - it means spending with stricter rules. Households are actively weighing price against usefulness, delaying non-essential purchases until the best deal appears, and substituting premium choices with more affordable alternatives. In practice, value-driven behaviour shows up as tighter budgeting, more price comparison, more deliberate cart-building, and a stronger preference for essentials-first spending during the holiday season.

What marketplace trends should we expect if shoppers are delaying purchases and scrutinizing prices more closely?

When price scrutiny increases, marketplace trends typically shift toward promotion-led discovery and comparison-heavy buying journeys. Consumers spend more time evaluating options, switching to lower-cost substitutes, and timing purchases around perceived “best deal” windows. This also means that conversion is likely to be driven by clarity - transparent pricing, strong value framing, and affordability cues - rather than brand messaging alone.

How should teams interpret these consumer insights and customer analysis for holiday strategy?

The key takeaway is that intent to participate remains, but conversion is increasingly dependent on affordability cues and perceived value. Customer analysis should focus on where consumers are most sensitive - price thresholds, deal timing, essentials vs discretionary trade-offs, and willingness to delay purchases. Brands and insight teams that track these behavioural lever - rather than relying only on traditional seasonal assumptions - will be better positioned to anticipate demand shifts and respond to changing marketplace trends throughout the holiday season.