Harris Poll: The Holiday Edit: Strategic Shifts for the 2026 Season

The upcoming 2026 holiday season presents a complex landscape for enterprises, marked by consumer financial prudence and a desire to preserve the emotional essence of the holidays without added burden. The Holiday Edit, a study conducted by The Harris Poll in October 2026, surveying 1906 holiday shoppers across the United States, reveals that while consumers are keen to maintain festive traditions, they are actively “editing” their spending, shopping formats, and efforts to achieve this. Senior marketing and CX leaders must recognize these evolving priorities to deliver meaningful experiences that resonate with value, convenience, and genuine connection. This report outlines critical insights and strategic imperatives for navigating the anticipated shifts in consumer behavior.

Protecting the Core: Prioritizing Connection and Ritual

Consumers are deeply committed to the emotional value of the holidays. The Harris Poll study indicates that 76% of shoppers feel grounded by holiday traditions when other aspects of life are changing, and 45% identify meaningful time with loved ones as a top ingredient for a successful holiday. However, this desire for connection is juxtaposed with the pressure of expectations, with 58% indicating they would approach holidays differently if not concerned about disappointing others. The opportunity for brands lies in facilitating these core experiences without exacerbating the perceived workload.

The holiday wallet serves various purposes beyond gifting, encompassing gatherings, creating atmosphere, travel, and personal treats. Shoppers are prepared to make adjustments, such as choosing more local and informal gatherings (28%), simplifying menus (28%), and even asking guests to contribute (25%), all to protect togetherness. Familiar rituals, like cooking seasonal foods (50%) or watching holiday movies (44%), are highly valued as assets for recreating the desired feeling. Parents, in particular, feel greater pressure to make the season special (34% vs 19% non-parents) and balance holiday responsibilities with work/well-being (27% vs 19%).

What to do:

• Enable Connection and Ease: Focus CX initiatives on streamlining activities that foster connection. For example, a telecom provider could offer simplified family group video call plans or co-watching features for holiday content. A grocery retailer could provide ready-made meal kits with clear instructions for traditional dishes, reducing preparation time.
• Support Rituals, Not Redundancy: Develop product bundles or service packages that support cherished traditions. An e-commerce platform could curate “holiday decorating kits” that align with specific cultural rituals, offering seamless procurement rather than requiring shoppers to source multiple items.
• Reduce Logistical Burden: For services, emphasize how they save time or reduce stress. Consider offering enhanced delivery windows, pickup options, or concierge-like services for complex purchases, especially for demographics like parents. Ensure transparent communication regarding inventory and delivery timelines via CRM channels to set accurate expectations and reduce customer effort score (CES).

What to avoid:

• Adding Performance Pressure: Do not promote products or experiences that necessitate excessive effort or create a sense of obligation. Avoid messaging that implies a “perfect” holiday requires substantial investment in non-essential items.
• Over-Complicating Simplification: While personalization is valuable, avoid over-engineered solutions that add complexity to inherently simple rituals. Ensure AI-driven recommendations focus on efficiency and genuine utility, not just more options.

Summary: The emotional core of the holidays remains resilient. Brands must position themselves as enablers of connection and tradition, actively reducing friction and workload.

The Strategic Budget Edit: Optimizing Spend for Core Value

Financial trade-offs are now a default for nearly 3 in 5 shoppers, who anticipate some form of financial constraint. This does not translate to opting out entirely, but rather to a sophisticated “budget edit” where shoppers optimize purchases, concentrate gifting, and simplify gatherings. Younger demographics, including Gen Z and Millennials, are particularly selective, protecting spending on joy, convenience, and self-care more than older generations.

When forced to cut, consumers prioritize protecting meaningful gifts, shared meals, and gifts for children, while self-treats and special outings are often the first to go. Shoppers plan to keep the season manageable by using rewards/loyalty points (59%), waiting for promotions (56%), and concentrating gifting to fewer people or fewer gifts per person (52%). There is also a notable shift in spending momentum, with food, beverages & gourmet, video games & gaming, consumer electronics, travel & experiences, and clothing & accessories expected to see higher spend in 2026 compared to 2025.

What to do:

• Offer Flexible Participation Models: Implement varied price points, smaller product formats, and strategic bundles to allow broader participation. For example, a B2B SaaS company might offer tiered holiday-themed subscriptions or feature add-ons for specific seasonal needs. A retail chain could offer gift options under clear price thresholds (e.g., “$25 and under”).
• Leverage Loyalty and Rewards: Integrate loyalty program benefits seamlessly into holiday promotions. A financial services institution could promote points redemption for gift cards or experiences. Ensure CRM systems are configured to present loyalty options prominently during the purchasing process, tracking redemption rates and customer retention as KPIs.
• Target Younger Demographics Strategically: Develop tailored campaigns that emphasize joy, convenience, and well-being for Gen Z and Millennials. This could include partnerships with wellness brands or showcasing efficient, time-saving products.
• Provide Transparent Payment Options: Offer Buy Now, Pay Later (BNPL) options with clear terms and conditions, adhering to regulatory guidelines and internal risk policies. Ensure payment gateways are integrated with billing and fraud detection systems.

What to avoid:

• Undifferentiated Discounting: Avoid blanket discounts that do not address specific consumer needs or categories. Shoppers are discerning, not just price-sensitive.
• Ignoring Cross-Generational Shifts: Do not apply a one-size-fits-all budget strategy. Recognize the distinct spending priorities of different age cohorts.
• Complex Promotional Structures: Ensure promotional mechanics are clear and easy to understand. Confusing offers can erode trust and increase customer service inquiries, impacting first call resolution (FCR) rates.

Summary: Enterprises must adopt a flexible and value-centric approach to pricing and promotions, leveraging data to understand and cater to selective spending behaviors and evolving category preferences.

Earning Trust Through Thoughtful Gifting and Verifiable Value

While gifting holds significant emotional weight (73% feel a gift shows how well someone knows them), over half (54%) of shoppers wish they could stop exchanging gifts entirely. This highlights a tension: the desire for thoughtful giving versus the pressure and potential for missteps. Consumers increasingly prefer flexibility, usefulness, and shared experiences, with gift cards and cash being the most preferred gift type (34%).

Deal trust is eroding. Despite 56% still waiting for promotions, 79% believe sales are not as good as they used to be, and 72% view Black Friday/Cyber Monday as more hype than genuine savings. This skepticism underscores the need for verifiable value. Shoppers prioritize trusted quality, clear pricing, and convenience when deciding where to purchase. The most appealing promotions are simple to understand and offer obvious value, such as free shipping (34%), percentage-off (30%), or dollar-off discounts (24%).

Discovery remains a hybrid experience, with stores still leading for inspiration (36% browse in-person). However, AI is gaining permission for practical assistance, particularly in saving time and planning. Consumers grant AI high permission for comparing prices (65%) and finding discount codes (64%), but significantly lower permission for making personal decisions like choosing a gift for a close relation (51%) or purchasing gifts on their behalf (41%).

What to do:

• Simplify Gifting Decisions: Implement advanced wish list functionalities within CRM and e-commerce platforms that allow for easy creation, sharing, and integration with inventory. Enable gift receipts and flexible exchange policies with clear, accessible guidelines. Track return rates and customer satisfaction with return processes.
• Promote Choice and Experiences: Actively market gift cards for diverse retailers or services. Highlight experiential gifts that can be shared, or practical items that address everyday needs.
• Ensure Promotional Credibility and Transparency: Implement a stringent policy for pricing and promotions. All discounts should reflect clear, verifiable savings. Show final prices inclusive of all fees. Avoid continuous promotional noise that devalues genuine offers. Use data to segment promotional offers, ensuring relevance.
• Leverage Physical Stores for Discovery: Optimize in-store visual merchandising and experiential elements to inspire gift ideas. Integrate digital tools within stores that provide product information, reviews, and gift-finding assistance.
• Position AI as a Practical Assistant: Integrate AI-powered price comparison tools and discount finders into digital channels. Use AI for personalized recommendations based on purchase history and expressed preferences (with explicit consent), framing it as a curator that narrows choices rather than a decision-maker. Ensure robust AI governance frameworks are in place, including red-teaming for bias detection and clear escalation paths for AI-generated errors or customer complaints.

What to avoid:

• Overly Complex or Misleading Promotions: Do not use promotions with hidden conditions or inflated “original” prices. This erodes customer trust and can lead to increased complaint rates.
• Pushing AI Beyond its Permitted Scope: Avoid deploying AI for highly personal or emotionally sensitive tasks such as writing gift messages or making final gift selections. Clearly define AI’s role and capabilities in customer-facing interactions.
• Neglecting In-Store Experience: Do not solely focus on digital channels for gift discovery. Physical stores remain a critical touchpoint for browsing and inspiration.

Summary: Building trust in the holiday season requires a dual focus on making thoughtful gifting effortless and delivering transparent, verifiable value. Strategic AI deployment and an optimized omni-channel approach will be key differentiators.

Conclusion

The 2026 holiday season will be defined by consumers’ intentional “editing” of their holiday experience. For senior marketing and CX leaders, success hinges on understanding and responding to these core shifts by making the holiday easier and more meaningful for shoppers.

Immediate Priorities (First 90 Days):

1. Refine Value Proposition: Audit current product and service offerings to ensure they align with what consumers are protecting both financially and emotionally. Prioritize ease, connection, and verifiable value.
2. Enhance Gifting Flexibility: Implement robust features for wish lists, gift cards, and frictionless returns/exchanges. Clearly communicate these policies across all channels.
3. Optimize Promotional Transparency: Review all planned holiday promotions. Ensure pricing is clear, savings are verifiable, and offers are easy to understand. Train CX teams on new promotional guidelines.
4. Define AI’s Role in CX: Establish clear guardrails for AI assistance, focusing on time-saving and planning functions. Document roles and responsibilities for AI deployment, monitoring, and human-in-the-loop interventions.
5. Data Readiness for Personalization: Ensure data governance and consent management systems are robust to support ethical personalization efforts. Prepare data pipelines for real-time customer insights to inform dynamic offerings.

Operating Model and Roles:

• CX Leadership: Owns the end-to-end customer journey for holiday interactions, setting service level agreements (SLAs) for response times and resolution rates.
• Marketing & Product Teams: Collaboratively design flexible offerings and transparent promotional strategies, leveraging market insights to inform product development.
• Data & Analytics Teams: Provide granular insights into consumer spending patterns and category shifts, measuring the impact of new initiatives on key metrics like conversion rates, customer lifetime value, and net promoter score (NPS).
• AI Governance Board: Oversees the ethical deployment and performance of AI tools, ensuring compliance with data privacy (e.g., CCPA, GDPR) and internal trust policies.

By strategically addressing these “edits,” enterprises can earn consumer trust, drive participation, and cultivate loyalty in a holiday season where intentional choices dictate success.