RESEARCH & INSIGHTS
AudienceIQ Report 2026 Holiday Shopper Edition
This report breaks down the four waves of the holiday season, the three segments that drive most of the behavior, and the environments where the shortlist actually gets built. You'll get the timing, the signals, and the media decision each one points to.
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What’s inside
Nine pages on how holiday shoppers plan, discover, and decide.
Who is buying
The segments behind the season, and what value means to each one.
When they decide
The waves that close the shortlist long before Cyber Week.
Where to show up
The environments shaping the list, including AI.
What the 2026 holiday shopper is telling us
of holiday shoppers say higher costs will shape how they shop
The share of high-spending households fell from 45% to 33%. Value is not a segment to target. It is the posture of the whole audience.
growth in AI-driven retail traffic on Black Friday, year over year
64% of holiday shoppers plan to use AI to compare prices and hunt deals. The shortlist forms before anyone sees an ad.
more likely than the average shopper to find gift ideas in short-form video
Compared with the average shopper, holiday shoppers are more likely to use:
- 2.4x short-form video
- 2.1x CTV and streaming
- 1.9x retail media search
Build vertical, shoppable video first.