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Most shoppers plan to reduce holiday spending this year: Cost concerns are driving consumers to start their holiday shopping early and look for deals.

Gen Z is ready to spend this season. Millennials may be a bit cautious. YouTube is the place to go if brands want to get on Gen Alpha鈥檚 radar. And for older consumers, trust is the key to getting them to spend. Here鈥檚 how retailers can appeal to each generation as the holiday season readies for Cyber Five.

Consumers spent $211.7 billion online over the 2022 holiday season (from November 1 to December 31), growing 3.5% year over year, per Adobe Analytics.

Holiday retail sales will grow by approximately 4.5% in 2023, a slight increase from the previous year鈥檚 3.9% growth, according to our June forecast. While this growth may not seem significant, it would represent the sixth-fastest growth rate in holiday sales in the past 15 years, according to our forecast.

Holiday season creep is here to stay: Half of shoppers plan to start shopping before November.

Gen Zers and millennials are more likely than older generations to do their holiday shopping in-person at the mall, whereas Gen Xers and baby boomers are more likely to shop online via retailer websites, per The Harris Poll.

Amazon is on track for its first-ever $100 billion holiday season, boosted by its unbeatable delivery speeds, while click and collect gives Walmart an omnichannel edge, and Temu draws in price-conscious consumers. Plus, TikTok and mobile apps help retailers connect with consumers and stand out among the competition.

The 2023 holiday shopping season鈥檚 top performers will come from the categories aligned with current growth trends. And the brands that outperform their categories will do so by delivering the products shoppers want.

Deal-seeking shoppers spent $222.1 billion online this holiday season: Elevated discounts drove spending across the electronics, apparel, furniture, and toy categories.

鈥淒espite lingering inflation, relatively sluggish consumer confidence, and shrinking excess savings, people still pulled out their wallets for the holidays,鈥� our analyst Zak Stambor said on an episode of the 鈥淏ehind the Numbers: Reimagining Retail鈥� podcast. Because it鈥檚 never too early to start planning for the biggest retail period, here are four predictions for the 2024 holiday season.

On today's podcast episode, in our "Retail Me This, Retail Me That" segment, we discuss how the Thanksgiving numbers look, why folks are online shopping more this season, and where the ecommerce ceiling is. Then for "Red-Hot Retail," our analysts give us four spicy predictions about the remaining few weeks of holiday shopping. Join our analyst Sara Lebow as she hosts director of Briefings Jeremy Goldman and analyst Zak Stambor.

On today's episode, we discuss the most interesting numbers that help outline what happened this past holiday season. Then for "Pop-Up Rankings," we rank the top items to look out for from the upcoming Q4 retailer earnings. Join our analyst Sara Lebow as she hosts analysts Suzy Davidkhanian and Andrew Lipsman.

In fact, 39% of US holiday shoppers cited the fear of rising prices due to tariffs as the key reason for increased purchases before the holidays, according to CreditCards.com. Our take: Marketers should track economic shifts, prioritize high-ROI channels, and stay agile to seize emerging opportunities.

Our take: There鈥檚 no time for retailers to waste this holiday season given that there are only 27 days between Thanksgiving and Christmas. Merchants need to get shoppers to spend as early as possible to avoid excess inventory eating into their margins. Go further: Read our US Holiday Shopping 2024 report.

Mattel is banking on in-store retail to uplift holiday sales, while Kimberly-Clark is building its profile through storytelling-driven ads. McDonald鈥檚 drawing customers to its loyalty program thanks to gamified features in its mobile app. Here are three insights from each company鈥檚 most recent earnings and what marketers can learn.

Retailers must continually test and adapt their strategies to find what resonates with consumers ahead of the holidays. An extended holiday season requires a dynamic approach to promotions, while brands aiming to reach Gen Z should use creators and video ads. Here are three pieces of advice on a successful holiday ad campaign from Meta and two of its advertising partners, 鈥嬧�婳gee Beauty and AS Beauty.

Though the remaining 30% duty is still substantial, the agreement signals both sides are seeking to de-escalate鈥攁 welcome development for retailers ahead of the back-to-school and holiday shopping seasons. Yet, the 90-day window leaves significant uncertainty, complicating long-term planning for brands and retailers. The Impact of the Temporary Rollback Will Be Limited.

There鈥檚 good reason to expect strong growth this holiday season: With consumer confidence ticking up, consumers are spending more money than ever before.

On today's episode, we discuss how this year's Amazon Prime Day will be different, how competitors can maximize the sales holiday's impact, and an uncanny link between Prime Day and the end-of-year holiday season. "In Other News," we talk about the significance of NBCUniversal and Walmart Connect bringing targeted ads to live sports and Amazon's AI initiatives. Tune in to the discussion with our vice president and analyst Andrew Lipsman.