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2026 holiday shopping trends: Tariffs, trust and timing

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2026 holiday shopping trends: Tariffs, trust and timing

As the poem goes: “Consumers scour social media with care, knowing that the holidays will soon be here.” Or something like that.

The most wonderful time of the year is fast approaching, and the influence social has on consumer purchasing behavior is undeniable. According to the Q3 2026 Sprout Social Pulse Survey*, more than three quarters (78%) of consumers plan to use social as much if not more to find gifts compared to last year.

Social has evolved into consumers’ favorite holiday marketing resource: a one-stop destination for discovering gifts, finding the latest deals and seeking customer service.

In this article, we’ll uncover key holiday shopping trends on social, including when consumers want brands to kick off their holiday campaigns, where consumers will look for gift ideas, what will make them more likely to buy, and how social media will play a key role in the customer experience.

Holiday milestones (and marketing) are starting sooner than ever. Social users celebrated Summerween in June, Starbucks launched their pumpkin spice latte in August and Hallmark even started promoting their online Christmas shop along the same timeline.

But in 2026, holiday campaigns creeping into the summer months are the opposite of what data shows consumers want: campaigns with a more traditional October start date.

This year, we saw a later shift in when consumers want brands to start their holiday campaigns, with 50% saying brands should start holiday advertising in October. This is a change compared to 2025, where August and September were the preferred months.


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