![\"Figure](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/Figure_1_Expected_Frequency_of_BrandOffered_Discounts_During_Upcoming_Winter_Holiday_Season_by_Year-.png\")
<\/p>\nThe 2025 holiday season won\u2019t be business as usual. Consumers are bracing for higher prices, fewer discounts and continued supply chain hiccups. Add that one in four plans to spend less overall, according to a Gartner report, and the challenge for marketers is clear: value and trust will be the deciding factors.<\/p>\n
Consumers expect bad news at the cash register this season. Three out of four U.S. shoppers expect to pay more, according to Gartner\u2019s report, \u201c2025 Holiday Advertising and Consumer Trends Marketing Must Address,\u201d and 40% expect fewer discounts \u2014 that\u2019s about 25% more than in 2024.\u00a0<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Who do they blame for higher prices? In a word, everybody.\u00a0<\/p>\n
While Gartner found 69% say U.S. trade policies will make the holidays more expensive, that doesn\u2019t mean consumers are letting businesses off the hook. A July 2025 Harris Poll found that 63% of Americans believe companies are taking advantage of the economic climate to boost profits. And who can blame them when they see stories like this from yesterday\u2019s Wall Street Journal: \u201cJob Cuts, Price Hikes Fueled This Season\u2019s Bumper Earnings.\u201d<\/p>\n
Price transparency and brand authenticity<\/p>\n
That means transparency around pricing, paired with strong value messaging, is essential. Do everything you can to make paying for purchases easier. Flexible payment options such as Buy Now, Pay Later continue to grow in popularity, particularly among millennials. That gives shoppers a sense of control over constrained budgets. Loyalty programs and personalized deals let consumers feel they are getting smarter and more exclusive value.<\/p>\n
Shoppers won\u2019t wait until Black Friday or even the start of November to buy gifts. Nearly two-thirds say they\u2019ll start buying gifts before then, and more than half notice holiday ads as early as summer. Seasonal sales and October events like Prime Big Deal Days shape these habits. For marketers, waiting until fall to launch campaigns risks missing out. Starting in midsummer is becoming the smart move to capture momentum.<\/p>\n
Dig deeper: Holiday shopping is starting earlier in the year<\/a><\/p>\n With the economy in flux, long-term campaign plans aren\u2019t realistic. Marketers must monitor strategies and use real-time data and sentiment to guide decisions. Transparency is key: consumers want transparent pricing and consistent value messaging. Last year\u2019s data tells the story \u2014 average discounts deepened by 13% late in the year, but first-time customer offers dropped 11%, according to Gartner. That gap highlights the need for sharper promotions and communication that builds confidence.<\/p>\n Where shoppers are heading<\/p>\n Multibrand retail sites and apps are now the go-to for holiday shopping. Consumers see them as more reliable for deals and inventory, and preference for brand-specific websites has dropped from 61% in 2023 to just 40% this year.<\/p>\n Younger shoppers, especially Gen Z and Millennials, are also wary of higher in-store prices and empty shelves. Flexibility is essential: services like curbside pickup, same-day delivery and extended return policies play a significant role in purchasing decisions. Gartner found that for nearly 70% of younger consumers, a longer return window makes them more likely to buy.<\/p>\n Dig deeper: AI is ringing in big\u00a0holiday\u00a0shopping changes<\/a><\/p>\n Here are the keys to success:<\/p>\n Start earlier. Aim for early fall promotions to align with consumer behavior.<\/p>\n Keep the focus on value. Make pricing transparent and offers competitive, reinforcing trust throughout the season.<\/p>\n Invest where shoppers are. Direct spend toward multibrand retail platforms and retail media networks.<\/p>\n Stay flexible. Use real-time data to adjust quickly as consumer sentiment shifts.<\/p>\n Bottom line<\/p>\n Winning this holiday season requires more than discounts and advertising volume. Holiday 2025 will reward brands that stay close to consumer behavior and adapt quickly. Shoppers are cautious but also looking for moments of joy and convenience. Marketers who move early, emphasize value, keep human empathy at the forefront, and meet customers where they\u2019re shopping can still drive growth \u2014 even in an uncertain season.<\/p>\n \n MarTech is owned by Semrush<\/a>. We remain committed to providing high-quality coverage of marketing topics. Unless otherwise noted, this page\u2019s content was written by either an employee or a paid contractor of Semrush<\/a> Inc.\n <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The 2025 holiday season won\u2019t be business as usual. Consumers are bracing for higher prices, fewer discounts and…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":1352,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[11],"tags":[138,219,111,139,69],"class_list":["post-1351","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-economy","tag-business","tag-economy","tag-new-zealand","tag-newzealand","tag-nz"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1351","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1351"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1351\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1352"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1351"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1351"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1351"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}