Compiled from 6 studies · Reflects the 2025 holiday season · Sourced via The Agile Brand Guide Research
The 2025 holiday season set the benchmark for 2026 planning — record digital sales, and AI agents influencing tens of billions in purchases. Below are 27 holiday shopping statistics for 2026, drawn from 6 studies of the 2025 season and grouped by theme so you can find the number you need fast.
Every statistic links to its source in The Agile Brand Guide Research database, where you can see the full context, the original report, and an embeddable chart. Use them to benchmark performance and shape your holiday strategy for the season ahead.
Jump to a section Holiday sales & spending (10) AI & agents in holiday shopping (8) Shopper behavior, timing & channels (9)
Key statistics at a glance
- $73 billion in sales is expected to be influenced by AI agents during Cyber Week 2025. — Salesforce, 2025
- $35.6 billion in global digital sales on Thanksgiving Day, a 6% YoY increase — Salesforce, 2025
- 28% year-over-year growth in total GMV — Stord, 2025
- 31% plan to start shopping well before Black Friday — Five9, 2025
- In-store traffic across the United States declined by 3.6% compared to the previous year. — RetailNext, 2025
Holiday sales & spending (10 stats)
Digital holiday sales kept climbing across Cyber Week and Thanksgiving, outpacing overall retail.
- 28% year-over-year growth in total GMV — Stord, 2025
- 370% year-over-year increase in orders shipped on Monday — Stord, 2025
- 7,143% year-over-year increase in Health & Beauty orders shipped for Monday — Stord, 2025
- 290% year-over-year growth in B2B GMV by Wednesday — Stord, 2025
- 957% year-over-year lift in DTC AOV for Nutrition & Supplements by Wednesday — Stord, 2025
- $35.6 billion in global digital sales on Thanksgiving Day, a 6% YoY increase — Salesforce, 2025
- 78% of global traffic came from mobile devices — Salesforce, 2025
- 15% of global Thanksgiving traffic originated from social media referrals — Salesforce, 2025
- 32% year-over-year increase in average selling prices for home goods — Salesforce, 2025
- 334 billion projected global online sales during Cyber Week, a 6% YoY increase — Salesforce, 2025
AI & agents in holiday shopping (8 stats)
AI agents and conversational messaging are now shaping a meaningful share of holiday purchases.
- RCS experienced a 144% increase compared to 2024 — Sinch, 2025
- Email volumes for November grew by 32% compared to 2024 — Sinch, 2025
- Total interactions across the Sinch platform reached 27 billion during Black Friday week — Sinch, 2025
- $73 billion in sales is expected to be influenced by AI agents during Cyber Week 2025. — Salesforce, 2025
- AI-enabled retailers achieved a 5% higher conversion rate compared to those without AI. — Salesforce, 2025
- Traffic from AI-powered sources surged 2.5x year-over-year. — Salesforce, 2025
- Mobile orders are projected to account for 70% of total sales during Cyber Week. — Salesforce, 2025
- The share of online e-commerce traffic driven by social media referrals grew 15% year-over-year. — Salesforce, 2025
Shopper behavior, timing & channels (9 stats)
Shoppers are starting earlier, hunting value, and shifting further from in-store to digital.
- In-store traffic across the United States declined by 3.6% compared to the previous year. — RetailNext, 2025
- Footwear experienced a decline of -6.1%, Home declined by -6.5%, and Jewelry saw a -2.0% decline. — RetailNext, 2025
- Traffic declines were consistent across all surveyed regions: Midwest (-3.8%), Northeast (-3.9%), South (-4.0%), and West (-2.8%). — RetailNext, 2025
- The decline in traffic was less severe than the 6.2% drop observed in the days immediately preceding Black Friday. — RetailNext, 2025
- 31% plan to start shopping well before Black Friday — Five9, 2025
- 62% expect to start shopping early to secure better deals — Five9, 2025
- 76% of consumers express financial confidence about the next six months — Five9, 2025
- 65% are planning or considering using AI tools for their holiday shopping — Five9, 2025
- 20% of consumers had already commenced holiday shopping as of November 25 — Five9, 2025
Frequently asked questions
How much are AI agents influencing holiday shopping?
A lot, and growing fast. AI agents were expected to influence about $73 billion in sales during Cyber Week 2025, and AI-powered conversational channels are expanding quickly — RCS messaging alone rose 144% year over year. AI is now a real driver of holiday discovery and conversion, not a novelty.
How big were 2025 holiday online sales?
Record-setting. Global digital sales hit $35.6 billion on Thanksgiving Day alone (up 6% year over year), and total GMV grew 28% year over year across Cyber Week — with online consistently outpacing in-store.
When do consumers start holiday shopping?
Earlier every year. 31% of shoppers plan to start well before Black Friday, spreading demand across a longer season and rewarding brands that launch promotions and value messaging ahead of the traditional peak.
Is in-store holiday shopping declining?
Gradually. In-store traffic across the United States declined 3.6% year over year on Black Friday, continuing the shift toward digital and mobile — though physical stores still play a role in a blended, omnichannel holiday journey.
What matters most to holiday shoppers in 2026?
Value and convenience. Amid ongoing inflation concerns, shoppers are prioritizing deals and starting earlier, while expecting fast, AI-assisted, mobile-first experiences. Brands that combine clear value with frictionless digital journeys capture the most spend.
Go deeper with the research
Every statistic here comes from The Agile Brand Guide Research database — a curated library of corporate-funded research on AI, marketing, customer experience, and consumer behavior, each study summarized with quotable statistics, key takeaways, and embeddable charts.Explore the Holiday Shopping research →
About this data: These 27 statistics were compiled from 6 research reports covering the 2025 holiday season and indexed in The Agile Brand Guide Research database. Each figure links to its source summary and original report. This page is refreshed as new holiday research is added — plan to update it ahead of the 2026 season.
