Why retailers can’t wait until Black Friday to win over holiday shoppers

Consumers will be headed back to stores this holiday season, as we’ve previously reported. Now, Pinterest’s tvScientific has released its 2026 holiday and seasonal shopping trends report, which offers more insight into the upcoming season.

The leading understanding among retailers and marketers seems to be that the prep for the holidays needs to start early; 62% of marketers, in fact, said that they were launching their holiday campaigns earlier because of increased pressure to prove revenue and ROAs.

Black Friday and Cyber Monday also no longer mark the official start of holiday shopping. Just 15% of the 600 consumers surveyed hold off on gift purchases until the promotional weekend, while 33% start researching gifts before October, and 21% are already making purchases by then.

Meanwhile, 76% of the 487 US marketers surveyed, believe it is “very critical” to reach shoppers before they start looking for or comparing products.

The “moments” consumers pay most attention to in the seasonal cycle are Black Friday/Cyber Monday (65%), the broader holiday season (56%), and October Prime Day (35%).

The findings come as shoppers continue to hunt for discounts and deals even beyond the holiday season as the economic environment remains uncertain.

“Consumers have faced several years of rising costs, and what we’re seeing now is resilience turning into strategy,” Magali Darling, chief commercial officer at RetailMeNot, a company that offers discount coupons and cash-back options on some purchases, previously told the New York Times. “It’s a long-term shift in how consumers approach spending, with a stronger focus on making every dollar work harder.”