CHICAGO, Illinois, October 28, 2026 — Retailers prepare for a holiday season no longer dominated by doorbuster discounts, but thoughtful consumers. Shoppers are entering November with budgets that are a bit tighter and eyes looking for better value than in years past. It’s a shift that has retailers rethinking how they will compete for attention this winter. Retail industry trends and consumer shopping behavior data are evaluated in economic reports published by the National Retail Federation.
Consumers Are Shopping Around More Than Ever
Price only is now a factor in where 13 % of shoppers decide to spend their money, according to a recent consumer survey. Instead, consumers weigh return policies, delivery speed and overall shopping experience before hitting that ‘submit’ button. Therefore, this quarter I also asked how many shoppers are going to employ artificial intelligence tools to assist them with the comparison process — more than 80% of study participants answered “yes”! Digital commerce market research published by Digital Commerce 360 tracks online consumer preferences and retail technology adoption.
The classic Black Friday weekend no longer serves as the anchor for the entire season as it once did. Retailers say that holiday shopping this season spans a fixed few weeks, as opposed to clustering around one major promotional event. Many chains have started discounting earlier than in years past thanks to that longer window.
AI Tools Are Redefining the Shopping Journey
The latest industry data reveals that nearly 37% of consumers are intending to use AI with their holiday shopping this year. Among those shoppers, 53% said they would use the technology to compare prices between retailers. A large minority intends to use it as an inspiration for gifts rather than price comparison alone.
Retailers have responded by investing in solutions that help both shoppers and AI systems to consume product information. With more buying decisions beginning with an algorithm and not browsing a storefront, precise and comprehensive product listings have become a competitive advantage. More than half of all online holiday sales this year also will come from mobile.
Retailer Pricing Trust at A Low Point
In the last year, consumer trust in retail pricing has become increasingly complex. Third-party survey data found that less than 1-in-3 shoppers fully trust retailers to have prices that are fair or competitive. Almost sixty per cent of shoppers revealed they try to compare prices between different retailers before buying. Consumer protection and market transparency guides published by the Federal Trade Commission review deceptive retail pricing practices and consumer trust.
This has raised fears about personalized pricing, and many consumers claim they would distrust a retailer if prices changed because of personal shopping data. Such skepticism has sent shoppers in the direction of price-comparison tools and browser extensions that monitor a product’s price history over time. Gap confidence retailers across the board are now under pressure to offer transparent, consistent pricing over the course of the season.
