Adtaxi surveyed 1,029 US adults on 25 August and published the results on 29 September. 65.7% plan to start their holiday shopping before Thanksgiving, and 39.8% plan to begin by the end of October. 77% expect to spend as much as last year or more.
Starting early does not mean being ready to buy. An October visitor is often comparing, saving ideas and checking prices for a purchase they will finish in November. The survey's figures point to several kinds of shopper. Here are four you are likely to meet this month, the question each one brings, and what to have ready.
The list-maker with a fixed budget
27% of respondents say their goal is to stay within budget without giving up the purchases that matter. This shopper arrives with names on a list and an amount next to each one.
Their question is rarely "is this good?" It is "is this the right gift for my sister at $60?" A product page cannot know the sister. A person can ask two questions and suggest the version that fits, or a cheaper item that does the same job. Brief your team on the gifts in each price band, so the answer comes quickly.
The shopper who wants the lowest price
35% say they are looking for the lowest prices, and 59% say higher prices will influence their holiday decisions. This shopper has three tabs open and will leave for a few dollars.
You may not win on price, and matching every discount can cost more than it brings in. What you can do is make the difference easy to see. Is the cheaper one the same size, the same material, with the same warranty? When someone can explain that live, a higher price can still be the one that makes sense.
The shopper on a phone
Among people who buy online, smartphone use reaches 80.7%, far ahead of laptops at 48%. Most of your October visitors are reading your size chart on a small screen, often in a spare minute.
Long tables and detail tabs are hard to read there, and typing a question with two thumbs is a chore. Open your ten most likely gifts on your own phone this week. Note every place you have to pinch, zoom or scroll back, and fix those first. Then check that asking for help takes a single tap.
The shopper who asked an AI first
Half of respondents have already used AI for shopping decisions, mostly for product research (43%) and comparisons (39%). Yet only 2.3% rank AI recommendations among the top influences on which brand they choose.
The assistant brought them to your page, but it did not make the choice for them. They arrive with a summary and a doubt the summary could not settle. The shopper an AI assistant sent you still has a question follows one of these visits step by step.
What all four need from you in October
Each of these shoppers is still deciding. Many will save the product and come back in November, when your team is at its busiest. An answer given now costs less than one given on Black Friday.
Pick the products most likely to be bought as gifts, list the questions each of the four would ask about them, and make sure someone can answer those questions this month. Live shopping lets that person show the product while the shopper is still on the page, and 5 signs a shopper may need help before buying shows when to offer it.
