• by Maria Bailey , Columnist, Yesterday

A five-year comparison of holiday studies shows moms are discovering products differently, using more digital tools to make decisions, and beginning their holiday shopping well before the traditional Black Friday kickoff.

For brands, the implication is significant. The holiday path to purchase is becoming longer, more fragmented and more influenced by social video, creators, retail platforms and, increasingly, artificial intelligence.

In 2021 holiday stats, just 6% of respondents said they expected to begin holiday shopping in September. By comparison, 45% identified October as their starting point.

In the 2026 study, 18.75% say they expect to begin shopping in September, while another 13.89% plan to begin before September. An additional 12.73% say they shop for holiday gifts throughout the year.

For marketers, this means holiday planning can no longer begin in October or November. By then, a meaningful portion of consumers may already be researching, comparing and purchasing.

Social Video Is Rewriting Holiday Discovery

What has changed even more dramatically is how consumers discover what to buy.

In 2021, Pinterest influenced 43.56% of respondents’ gift ideas, while TikTok influenced 18.81% and Instagram Reels influenced 28.71%.

By 2026, Instagram Reels have become a holiday gift discovery source for 56.28% of moms, TikTok for 40.58%, and influencers or content creators for 41.55%. Amazon also emerged as a dominant discovery channel, cited by 76.33% of mom respondents.

The lesson for brands is not simply that social media matters more. It is that discovery has become interconnected.

A consumer may see a product in a Reel, watch another creator demonstrate it on TikTok, check reviews on Reddit or Amazon and then compare prices before making the final purchase. The marketing funnel has become less linear, and brands need content that can support consumers at multiple points in that journey.

AI Has Entered the Holiday Shopping Process

Perhaps the most important new development is the arrival of AI as a consumer shopping tool.

In the 2026 study, 19.57% of respondents said they already use AI for shopping. Another 30.43% have used AI for other purposes and would consider using it for shopping, while 24.40% have not used AI but would consider doing so.

That means nearly three out of four respondents either already use AI for shopping or are open to using it.

What they want AI to do is particularly relevant to marketers.

More than half of moms, 55.31%, said they use AI to find gift ideas. Another 46.62% use it to compare prices, 39.61% to compare products, 38.65% to find gifts for someone difficult to shop for and 36.71% to find deals.

Brands increasingly need to consider whether their products are represented clearly enough online to be surfaced when consumers ask AI tools questions such as, What is the best gift for a 7-year-old? or What is a good holiday gift under $50?

Economic Pressure Is Making Moms More Strategic

The research also shows that consumers are entering the holiday season under considerable financial pressure.

Food and grocery prices are expected to affect holiday spending for 65.99% of respondents, followed closely by higher everyday household expenses at 64.85%. Higher gift prices, fuel costs and travel expenses are also significant concerns.

Yet those pressures do not necessarily translate into lower holiday spending.

More than 43% of respondents expect their holiday spending to be somewhat or significantly higher than last year, while 38.55% expect it to remain about the same.

And when cuts do need to be made, children’s gifts remain relatively protected. Only 12.47% say they would cut back on gifts for their children, compared with 65.53% who would reduce gifts for adults and 53.06% who would reduce gifts for themselves.

For brands, the 2026 holiday consumer is not necessarily spending less. She is shopping earlier, comparing more, seeking greater value and using more tools to validate her decisions.

That may be the biggest shift of all. Holiday marketing is no longer just about being visible when consumers are ready to buy. It is about being discoverable, credible and useful throughout a much longer decision-making process.