2026年旺季：零售营销者战略指南

Peak season 2026:A retail marketer'sstrategic guide on purchase intent, brandengagement, and shopping trends The shift INTRODUCTION While inflation continues to shape purchasing decisions, it has not reduced consumers' willingness tobuy. Instead, it has raised the standards customers use when deciding where to spend. Shoppers areplacing greater emphasis on value, trust, convenience, and the overall brand experience when decidingwhere to spend.To better understand how these expectations are evolving, we surveyed consumers across the US and How consumer expectationsare reshaping peak season UK about their shopping intentions, purchase drivers, and interactions with brands during peak season.The findings reveal a shift in how consumers discover, evaluate, and buy from brands, and what organizations need to do to earn consideration, build trust, and convert demand during the mostcompetitive retail period of the year.DID YOU KNOW Peak season is no longer defined bya single moment. Consumers areentering the market earlier, movingbetween more discovery channels,and taking a more deliberateapproach to spending. 9 in 10consumersplan to spend the sameor more this peak season 62%of purchasesare directly through a socialmedia platform 49%of consumersstart thinking about peak seasonshopping before November actionand which simply become adirect driver social commerce arereshaping changing consumer tomove from consideration of purchase decisionsexpectationsduring peak season meet expectations the customer journey to purchase brands think What you will find inthis survey report CHAPTER 01:TIMINGStart early or start behind brands think Consumers are motivated by more than price This report examines top-line data from asurvey of U.S. and UK-based social mediausers across a wide range of ages anddemographics to understand their behavior,preferences, and expectations for brandinteractions on social media. Consumers are choosing quality over quantity Free shipping is the baseline; everything Social is where discovery meets customer service How Mango manages social •All respondents aged 18 to 65 •Active on at least two major social media platforms at least twice per week Peak season starts earlierthan most brands think Most consumers begin their holiday shopping journey before Black FridayConsumers start planning and purchasing months in advance. purchases before November arrives. For brands that activatelate, a significant portion of the consideration journey hasalready begun.The idea that peak season starts with Black Friday no longer reflects how consumers shop. Many consumers begin researching products, comparing options, and buildingpurchase intent weeks before the promotional period begins.The data highlights just how early this process starts. One in five consumers beginsthinking about holiday shopping before September, while more than a third start purchasing before Black Friday. These consumers are actively evaluating optionsand identifying the brands they trust long before peak promotional activity begins. interests through conversations, searches, and engagement long beforethey purchase.Brands that can identify those signals and automatically activate relevant content and experiences gain an advantage before peakseason competition intensifies. CHAPTER 02:TRIGGERS Discounts, inspiration, and planning are nearly equally influential Consumers need morethan discounts to buy trigger for peak season shopping, cited by 55%of consumers. But gift ideas and inspirationtrigger 51%, while budget planning contenttriggers 48%. for guidance, ideas, and planning support before they are ready tobuy. The gap between all three triggers is just 7 percentage points,suggesting that discounts alone are not enough to engage the fullrange of holiday shoppers.The consumers who respond to inspiration and planning content arenot a niche segment. They represent a substantial share of the market and often begin their shopping journeys earlier, creating opportunities forbrands to build consideration before promotional competition intensifies.Social media trends are also a stronger trigger in the US than in the UK,influencing30%of US consumers compared with25%of UK consumers. inspiration builds consideration. Explore nowwith Emplifi AI-PoweredSocial Listening. strongly to social discoverySocial media trends:30% US vs 25% UK Brands creating content aroundconsumer interests influence decisionsbefore peak season demand hits. For brands targeting American shoppers, social discovery should playan important role in peak season activation. THE BASELINE Free shipping is the baseline;everything else is the differentiator 89%FREE SHIPPINGConsumers expect it 58%Percentagediscounts 46%Loyaltyrewards 73%GUARANTEED DELIVERYConsumers would payextra for it 42%access Beyond delivery, promotional mechanics continue to influenceimportant factors influencing peak seasonpurchases, with 89% of consumers rating it a