Online sellers generate approximately 30% of their annual revenue in the final quarter of the year.
Tapping into the seasonal shopping surge is becoming more challenging because eBay and other vast online marketplaces are getting increasingly competitive.
Furthermore, consumer behavior frequently changes, making it challenging to predict which products will be in demand during the winter shopping season and to understand spending patterns across different demographic groups.
According to early projections, the consumer in the US will spend $253.4 billion between November 1 and December 31, or over $12 billion more than during the same period in 2024.
Nonetheless, the uncertainties raised by the de minimis tariff repeal have caused over 70% to believe that holiday goods will be more expensive in 2025 than in previous years.
Read on to learn more about the online shopping trends that will shape the winter holiday season and discover statistics that can help you increase your store’s profits during the crucial part of the year.
Key takeaways
- 41% of consumers expect discounts of 10% to 25% on items priced between $100 and $250 during the winter holiday season.
- Buy Now Pay Later is becoming an increasingly popular payment method as forecasts suggest a 9% to 12% YoY growth over 2024.
- 7 out of 10 online store visits during the holiday sales season will come from mobile devices.
- 75% of online shoppers will utilize AI to find deals, while 67% intend to discover gift ideas through AI.
- The average holiday spending budget in the US is projected at $1,595, down from $1,778 in 2024.
- 49% of US consumers say that getting a great deal is an essential factor in their decision where to shop during the holiday season.
A glance at holiday season statistics
Despite the rising popularity of online shopping, consumer sentiment remains largely in favor of in-store shopping during the holiday season.
According to a recent study, only 8% of shoppers plan to make holiday purchases exclusively online, while 15% of consumers intend to shop for the holidays mostly in-store.
However, 68% of consumers say that they plan to combine in-store and online purchases during the winter holiday season, suggesting that the hybrid shopping habits are taking center stage.
The data also reveals that 64% of consumers turn to social media influencers for holiday gift inspiration and ideas. In comparison, 35% of shoppers distrust influencers because they think they are dishonest or biased.
Additionally, many consumers are turning to AI tools to discover products and hunt for the best offers, as according to Deloitte’s Holiday Retail Survey, 33% of respondents plan to use AI in their shopping journeys.
The early predictions indicate that traffic from AI sources is expected to increase by 515% to 520% compared to the previous year, suggesting that GEO will play a crucial role in sellers’ success this holiday season.
The holiday shopping journey trajectory
The early shopping trend ahead of the winter holiday season on online marketplaces isn’t particularly new. However, in recent years, consumers worldwide have started their holiday shopping as early as September.
In fact, 44% of shoppers will start seasonal spending for Christmas and New Year’s Eve gifts before November, while only 3% of consumers plan to start their holiday shopping a week before Christmas.
The majority of the holiday shopping activities in 2025 are expected to take place during November, culminating in the days between Black Friday and Cyber Monday.
Consumers in the US are citing rising prices, higher costs of living, and economic uncertainties created by the repeal of the de minimis tariff as the primary reasons for reducing their holiday spending.
Furthermore, the average spending on holiday gifts will drop from $536 in 2024 to $505 in 2025. Shoppers intend to spend approximately $211 on electronics products, $240 on clothing, and $164 on health and wellness products.
Moreover, 47% of consumers plan to use their holiday budgets on experiential gifts such as event tickets, spa, or restaurants, which is 8% more than in 2024.
The search for value is a dominant holiday shopping season trend
Online holiday retail sales predictions indicate that, in the US alone, shoppers will spend over a quarter of a trillion dollars. In contrast, the overall worldwide spending is expected to exceed the $1 trillion mark.
Even so, on average, consumers in the United States will spend $1,595 during the winter holiday season, nearly $200 less than they did the previous year.
The average spending on retail categories is also expected to decrease by approximately $150, as shoppers take their time to wait for discounts and last-minute price drops.
49% of consumers add items to their wish list in October or early November and wait for the promotional offers during Cyber Week or the first couple of weeks in December.
So, unsurprisingly, almost 70% of shoppers in the US plan to purchase their holiday gifts during the week of Thanksgiving.
What’s more, over 70% of consumers in major online markets are expected to prioritize value. Most shoppers expect discounts in the 10% to 25% range for items priced between $100 and $250, while 24% of consumers expect discounts up to 40% for items priced over $250.
Getting to know the most active shoppers this winter holiday season
Aside from approaching holiday shopping cautiously, most consumers are also being more intentional in their purchases due to lower spending power.
Hence, they’re more likely to avoid purchasing high-value items this holiday season and opt for lower-priced products.
Low- and mid-income consumers are expected to cut down on their spending throughout the last quarter of 2025, so over 60% of the holiday spending in the US will come from high-income shoppers.
Gen Z’s discretionary dollars are projected to experience the largest decrease, with their budget expected to be 23% lower than in 2024. As a result, many shoppers from this demographic group value conscious choices in their holiday spending more than they did last year.
The expected holiday spending among millennials will decrease by 1% from the year before, while Gen Xers and Baby Boomers plan to increase their spending during the winter holiday season.
Nonetheless, consumers aged over 60 will spend approximately $1,180 between November and December on holiday purchases, while Millennials are expected to spend over $2,000 on average during this period.
Additionally, 77% of shoppers across all age and income groups will make trade-offs, with 50% of consumers opting for more affordable online retailers over the preferred ones.
It’s also worth noting that over 30% of consumers say they are likely to return gifts they receive during the holiday season.
Preparing online stores for the Christmas shopping season
Although most consumers still prefer in-store shopping during the holiday season, an increasing number of shoppers opt to make their holiday purchases online.
Moreover, 56.1% of all online spending in November and December will come from mobile devices, a 2.9% YoY increase from 2024.
36% of consumers plan to spend most of their budget at digital-first retailers, indicating that sellers on online marketplaces must be prepared to meet their expectations.
Consequently, launching promotional campaigns in late October or early November and continuing to run them until the end of the year could give sellers on Amazon, eBay, and other popular online marketplaces a better chance of attracting price-conscious shoppers.
The mobile spend forecast indicates that 56.1% of all online holiday spending in the US will come from mobile devices, and 7 out of 10 site visits, including stores on online marketplaces, will come from smartphones.
Additionally, consumers across all age groups intend to use AI to search for the best prices on specific products, track deals, and monitor price drops, as well as summarize product descriptions.
As a result, sellers must ensure that their product listings are optimized for search engines, mobile devices, and agentic search by creating clear and structured product descriptions and strategically placing keywords in listing titles.
Payment method diversification as a key to increasing holiday purchases
Payment flexibility could turn out to be one of the decisive factors that determine a seller’s success during the winter holiday season.
Debit and credit cards remain the preferred payment options for online holiday shopping, since 74% of shoppers plan to use a credit card for at least a part of their shopping during this period.
What’s more, 46% of shoppers worldwide intend to use debit cards for all their online shopping during the festive season. Even so, digital wallets and local payment methods are slowly gaining traction due to better security and convenience.
However, the Buy Now Pay Later option seems like the biggest winner of the 2025 holiday season.
According to early forecasts, the BNPL payment method will experience a 9% to 12% YoY growth in November and December as it is expected to generate roughly $20 billion during this period.
That’s why diversifying payment options this holiday season may give sellers the competitive edge and help them meet customer expectations and attract more shoppers to their stores.
The most popular Christmas gifts in 2025
Despite economic uncertainties, nearly 50% of online shoppers plan to allocate significant portions of their budgets to gifts for others. Moreover, families with children are expected to spend an average of $33 more on gifts than those without children.
74% of consumers say that purchasing gift cards gives them more control over their budgets. Due to lower budgets and concerns about prices, 46% of Gen Z shoppers are expected to buy gift cards for clothing and accessories instead of physical items.
Despite the growing popularity of gift cards, three product categories are expected to draw 53.7% of all online sales in the US during the festive season.
Electronics, apparel, and toys will be the most popular product categories this holiday season, followed by items from the cosmetics and personal care, as well as home décor categories.
Hence, sellers on online marketplaces should stock up on LEGO sets, gaming consoles, iPhone and Android smartphones, or fragrances to meet the growing demand for these products in the weeks leading up to Christmas and New Year’s Eve.
Refining your strategy to make the most of the holiday shopping season
The final few months of the year are traditionally the busiest for sellers on online marketplaces.
However, the rise of AI, the growing reliance on social media, the popularity of BNPL payment options, and financial concerns are affecting consumer behavior, and they can potentially impact an online store’s sales volume.
To maximize their revenue during the festive season, sellers must adjust to these changes by optimizing their listings for AI search, diversifying the payment options in their stores, and offering excellent deals on trending products that appeal to price-conscious shoppers.
Still, tweaking your peak sales season strategy and implementing the changes in real time can be challenging. Schedule a call to discover how Webinterpret can help you streamline these processes and maximize the benefits of the winter holiday season.
About Webinterpret
Webinterpret supports merchants selling on eBay.
Our AI-based solutions enable more effective selling through automated listing localization, advertising, and returns and ensure all products placed on EU markets are GPSR-compliant.
By giving your international customers a full, end-to-end local shopping experience, Webinterpret improves your conversion and helps establish your business globally.
