Walk down a busy city street in early October and the signals are already mixed: a hint of tinsel on a display, a “holiday preview” email pinging a phone, a parent quietly starting a gift list on the train home. For many people, it still feels early—like the holidays have shown up uninvited—but the peak shopping season has undeniably begun.
Over the next 15 weeks, shoppers will continue to buy gifts—for themselves and others—but with different emotional triggers and motivations guiding the way.
This is the most important thing for marketers to understand about today’s holiday season: it no longer moves in one big arc. There is no monolithic “holiday season”. In fact, as revealed in our new report, Holiday Shopping Unwrapped, the holiday season actually unfolds in seven distinct phases—each bringing with it a different kind of shopper, with unique motivations, to the foreground.
Keep reading to understand this new rhythm every marketer should plan for…
The season starts sooner than you think
For many people, October is still too early to think about holiday shopping. And yet, in our research, 43% of shoppers during this Early Lead-Up phase of the season already made a purchase tied to an October sales ‘Moment’—and in the US a striking share of Amazon’s ‘Prime Big Deal Days’ shoppers were buying for others, not just themselves.
Julian Givi, a marketing professor who studies gifting, told us that while October makes plenty of people uneasy precisely because it feels premature, there’s also a cohort who love getting ahead and take pride in telling everyone they’re done. We call these early-bird planners Gift-Giving Lifers. Marketers can smartly target this cohort—but remember: overly festive marketing in October often backfires.
A few weeks later, the tone changes. In Pre-Peak Sales (early November), seasonal cues start doing their work. Red cups. Familiar songs. The first wave of gift guides. As semiotician Dr. Rachel Lawes put it, once those cultural signals arrive, shoppers shift how they decide: they’re no longer purely price-driven—the importance of price for holiday gifts actually drops by 35% during this phase compared to the rest of the year. Instead, they’re buying for meaning. These are the Joyful Shoppers.
Neuroscientist Dr. Thomas Ramsøy describes this period as a sensory switch. Brands that own a seasonal cue effectively turn the lights on for the category.
Peak sales are still huge, just more layered
November’s Peak Sales window still commands massive attention: three in four shoppers worldwide have made a Black Friday purchase in the past two years. This is the moment shoppers really start ticking off their lists. Miya Knights, a strategic consultant and the owner and publisher of Retail Technology Magazine, explains that fear of missing out is still a powerful lever; scarcity and time limits create the social momentum that turns a sale into an event.
It’s also a practical moment for families: parents over-index during Black Friday compared to non-parents, using the sales to knock out multiple gifts at once. The shopper in the spotlight here—Discount Devotees—isn’t just hunting the lowest sticker price; they’re optimizing timing, stacking perks, and bragging rights.
December has two different heartbeats
Then there’s December, which doesn’t behave like one month so much as two moods.
Early December’s Festive Phase is when tradition and thoughtfulness take center stage. In Germany and Benelux, St. Nicholas Day alone nudges nearly half of shoppers into a purchase. We see the rise of Curators—shoppers who value a backstory, craft, or provenance as much as the product itself.
Dr. Jason Pallant, a senior lecturer of marketing at RMIT University and a global retail expert, told us many people first clear the “Christmas admin”—the guaranteed-wins from family wishlists—then switch into discovery mode, looking for something that surprises.
By mid-month, the Last-Minute Sprint takes over. The vibe flips from contemplative to kinetic. Two forces collide: people wanting to lean into rituals and traditions—think: closing laptops, drinking hot chocolate, or beach barbecues—and other people who realize the clock is ticking. These are the Last-Minute Listers—and the messaging that wins for them isn’t poetic; it’s reassuring.
They’re stressed, after all. Carefully-laid plans often lead to last minute panic: “Items might be out of stock, online orders may arrive too late, and people are racing against the clock,” explains Julian Givi.
Shoppers tend to pivot to in-store when they doubt on-time arrival for ecommerce purchases, which is why clear cut-offs, local inventory, and pickup options outperform clever creative. On Super Saturday, the last Saturday before Christmas, the majority of considerers follow through—proof that urgency, when navigable, converts.
After Christmas, the story isn’t over
Between Christmas and New Year, Betwixtmas brings a soft reset. The shopping continues—but the motive changes. In markets like Australia, Canada, and the UK, Boxing Day remains a draw, and the balance tips toward Self-Gifters. Dr. Rachel Lawes described it as sanctioned indulgence—“you’re off the hook now”—which is why messaging that says “get what you really wanted” resonates.
January’s New Year phase is different again: optimistic, forward-looking, and surprisingly self-focused. In Europe, nearly two-thirds of January-sale shoppers are buying for themselves, often tied to goals and routines. For these Self-Improvers, it’s all about future-self purchasing—fitness, wellness, organization, and learning.
Behavioral scientist Nancy Harhut calls this phase a “temporal landmark,” the kind of moment when people are more open to trying new brands and new habits because it signals a clean slate.
The seven shoppers you’ll meet along the way
Over the course of the holiday season, you’ll meet seven distinct types of holiday shoppers:
- Gift-Giving Lifers. The ultra-prepared planners who finish before the rush—and make sure everyone knows it.
- Joyful Shoppers. Motivated by meaning more than deals, and happy to shop early to find the perfect gift.
- Discount Devotees. Love the thrill of a bargain, especially when it feels like an exclusive win.
- Curators. On the hunt for gifts with a great backstory, craftsmanship, or something that feels one-of-a-kind.
- Last-Minute Listers. Working right up to the wire and craving reassurance that their gifts will arrive in time.
- Self-Gifters. Once the chaos is over, they treat themselves to the gift they didn’t get.
- Self-Improvers. Come January, they’re using sales to kick-start goals and fresh starts.
And here’s the twist: these aren’t rigid boxes. The same person can shift from one type to another as the season moves on—from a meticulous Curator in early December to a Self-Gifter before New Year’s.
Why this matters now
If your holiday plan is one big push, you’re leaving attention—and revenue—on the table.
The opportunity is to match message to Moment: know which phase your audience is in, understand the mindset that comes with it, and show up accordingly. The brands that win are the ones that understand where shoppers are—physically, emotionally, and culturally—at each stage, and adjust the story (and the offer) to fit.
In the full Holiday Shopping Unwrapped report, you’ll find the four steps we recommend for making the most of every phase—plus region-by-region nuances, more expert analysis, and the data behind each finding.
