A 2026 consumer survey from impact.com found that 47% of U.S. shoppers plan to begin researching holiday purchases by the end of October, and 39% plan to time purchases around major sales events, showing the planning window for the season has moved earlier again this year.
What's trending
Impact.com's 2026 holiday shopping report, based on a July survey of 1,046 U.S. consumers, found that 47% plan to begin researching their holiday purchases by the end of October, and only 8% say they don't typically research ahead of time at all. The same report found 39% of shoppers plan to time their purchases around major sales events, meaning much of the season's real decision-making happens well before Black Friday arrives.
Why it's resonating
Economic pressure is part of the story — persistent inflation and higher gas prices have kept shoppers cautious, and stretching decisions out over more weeks gives people more room to compare, wait for a better price, or spread spending across paychecks. But the earlier research window isn't limited to gift shopping. The same instinct — get ahead of it while there's still time to think it through — applies just as much to anyone planning to host something in December, whether that's a family dinner or an office ugly sweater party.
Where early planning pays off for hosts
Hosting has its own version of this timeline problem: menus, guest lists, and shopping lists all get harder to sort out the closer it gets to the actual date. Starting early with a ready-made template instead of a blank page removes most of that friction. The Christmas Menu Template, Ugly Sweater Party Menu, Editable Christmas Dinner Menu Printable comes with a free 18-page party planner built in, so the same "start now, thank yourself later" logic driving holiday shoppers applies just as well to holiday hosts.
The bottom line
Whether it's a gift list or a guest list, the data points the same direction this year: earlier is easier. Getting the planning pieces in place in October instead of December buys back exactly the kind of stress-free lead time most shoppers are already chasing.