Black Friday isn’t the holiday shopping event it once was
A little over ten years ago, Black Friday was the definition of a shopping event. Shoppers lined up before a store opened, often long before they even considered waking up another day, in hopes of landing a good deal.
These days, hardcore bargain hunters may still do it, but the majority of consumers do their holiday shopping differently. And it threatens Black Friday’s status as the biggest shopping holiday of the year.
New research from Quantum Metric reveals that 45% of consumers started their holiday shopping before Black Friday, and one in four will finish before Thanksgiving. This means that the willingness to go to malls and fight for the best price on a big screen TV has diminished.
But perhaps more surprising is the finding that October holiday sales are also not proving effective. Only 15% of consumers took advantage, Quantum found. Instead, shoppers purchase gifts in a time frame that suits them, rather than being guided by one-off retail events.
In other words, holiday shopping has become a year-round event.
Additionally, buyers rely on AI to help them find the best deals. Some 33% of people surveyed by Deloitte in its 2025 Holiday Retail Survey said they plan to use AI in their holiday shopping, double the number who did so last year.
“Consumer adoption of the AI generation shows that expectations are shifting toward personalization and efficiency,” the company wrote last month. “Shoppers now expect instant recommendations tailored to their preferences, budgets and recipients, raising the bar for digital experiences for retailers.”
To meet these expectations, Deloitte suggested retailers integrate tools such as AI-based gift finders, styling assistants or deal co-pilots directly into their sites or apps.
