Holiday Trends in 2025
The twinkle of holiday lighting is just about ready to flicker on, and with it comes another exciting (and competitive) holiday season. But 2025 is shaping up to be quite a bit different from years past: shoppers are smarter, timelines are longer, and the rules of engagement are shifting, seemingly by the day. If your e-commerce brand wants to stand out this season, here are the key trends you absolutely need to lean into.
Trend 1: Holiday Shopping Starts Earlier
If you’re still waiting until November to launch your holiday campaigns, you’re likely already behind. In 2025, shoppers are getting a head start, much earlier than ever before. According to CivicScience, 21% of U.S. consumers had already started holiday shopping by July 1, up from 16% the previous year.
What’s fueling the hurry? People want to avoid shipping delays, spread out purchases, and lock in deals when inventories are still widely available.
What you can do:
● Launch “soft-start” holiday promos in late summer or early fall.
● Build “teaser” campaigns that hint at later holiday offers, so you cultivate anticipation.
● Segment “early bird” shoppers and offer perks (exclusive bundles, early access discounts) to grab their attention before the noise peaks.
Trend 2: Value Rules the Day
This year, consumers are more cautious with how and where they spend. With inflation pressures, tariffs, and economic uncertainty, many are scrutinizing every purchase. Retail ecommerce growth this holiday is expected to be modest, and some downside risk exists under tougher trade conditions.
But “value” in 2025 isn’t just about slashing prices. It’s about removing friction, essentially making the experience feel smooth, transparent, and tailored. Free shipping, easy returns, flexible payments (like Buy Now, Pay Later), and no surprise fees all contribute to perceived value.
What you can do:
● Promote and highlight features like free returns, transparent shipping estimates, or installment payments.
● Bundle complementary products (e.g., “Cozy candle + throw set”) to increase perceived value.
● Use urgency tactically: “limited stock,” “ends tonight,” but pair it with value messaging (“get free returns”) to reassure.
Trend 3: Mobile & Social Are Coming Into Their Own
In 2025, mobile and social commerce don’t just participate, they lead. Smartphones are projected to drive 56.5% of U.S. holiday ecommerce sales. Meanwhile, 18% of consumers plan to buy gifts directly through social platforms like Instagram, TikTok, or Facebook.
What’s the catch? These channels demand top-tier performance: fast-loading pages, frictionless checkout, and social-native content that hooks attention instantly.
What you can do:
● Audit your mobile experience: one-thumb navigation, speed, and checkout simplicity.
● Invest in product content built for feeds, such as a vertical video or carousel, and focus on clean visuals.
● Use shoppable posts or in-app storefronts to reduce the click gap between discovery and purchase.
Trend 4: Omnichannel Isn’t a Nice-to-Have, It’s the Standard
In 2025, the lines between “online” and “in-store” are blurring. Shoppers might see a product on TikTok, check local store inventory from their phone, add it to their cart via your app, and pick it up in person.
You can’t afford disjointed experiences. Inventory must synchronize, messaging must stay consistent, and product data must be unified across your channels and partners.
What you can do:
● Deploy a unified commerce platform or feed management tool (like Feedonomics) to sync product listings and inventory.
● Enable buy-online-pick-up-in-store (BOPIS), click-and-collect, or ship-from-store options.
● Ensure your brand identity and messaging feel cohesive across your website, apps, marketplaces, and physical presence.
Trend 5: Personalization & AI Become Non-Negotiables
With infinite choice at shoppers’ fingertips, relevance is king. AI-powered tools are becoming fundamental in shaping how people discover, evaluate, and complete purchases. And globally, AI-enabled shopping experiences are projected to drive over $260 billion in holiday e-commerce volume.
These tools don’t just improve experiences — they help reduce marketing waste, forecast demand, and scale tailored journeys from lean teams.
What you can do:
● Use dynamic product recommendations (based on behavior, purchase history, or trends) to upsell or cross-sell.
● Offer curated gift guides and wishlists personalized to user profiles or past behavior.
● Implement AI chat or conversational agents to assist shoppers in real time — e.g., “Looking for a good gift under $50 for mom?” and instantly guide them.
● Make your product data AI-ready: accurate descriptions, clean metadata, consistent schema (title, tags, categories).
Wrapping Up: Be Ready, Be Human, Be Flexible
The bottom line? The 2025 holiday season is less about “peak week” and more about peak readiness. Customers are buying earlier, expecting seamless experiences, and rewarding brands that feel helpful, transparent, and tuned in.
Start now:
Audit last year’s high-performers and bottlenecks.
Polish your mobile site, speed, and checkout flow.
Plan your creative pipeline and campaign calendar from now through New Year’s.
Lean into AI & personalization to deliver relevance at scale.
Stay agile; adjust offers, inventory, and messaging as shopper behaviors shift in real time.
If you lean in early, stay customer-first, and lean on smart tools, you can still light up holiday sales even in a more cautious year. And in doing so, you’ll build loyalty that lasts well past December.
Photo by Tamanna Rumee on Unsplash