Holiday shopping trends for 2026, and more

Christy Strawser (0:00)

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I'm Christy Strawser. You're listening to Audacy's On Deadline. If you're one of those people who thinks we should enjoy fall apple picking and Halloween and even Thanksgiving before we start the holidays, you're not alone. And yet here we are. Here's what to expect from the holiday shopping season from Tommy Tucker in New Orleans.

Tommy Tucker (0:23)

We're on a man perched on the precipice of holiday shopping.

Yeah, we are. I don't know if he got you shopping done or not, but we're getting ready to talk about that now. Are there some deals to be had? Asha Milden, CNET Senior Consumer Insights Editor. Good morning, Asha. How are you? Tell me about CNET.

Asha Milden (0:40)

So CNET is currently focused on everything holiday. How much we're planning on spending this holiday season. But also, where can you really find the best deals? What do you need to know before you start shopping? And our holiday survey really dives into that to figure out exactly how much are we going to spend and what are we looking at buying? So, yeah.

Tommy Tucker (1:01)

What did the survey find? How much are the average? First of all, when does the average person start shopping? Did the survey discern that?

Asha Milden (1:08)

Yes. So when we look a little closer into when people actually plan on shopping, we are seeing that people are planning on doing the bulk of their shopping. Most adults plan on doing that shopping before November. So that's something to think about is that we're not waiting for Black Friday and Cyber Monday anymore. Nearly one-third plan to start shopping before next month. And when we start breaking it down a little bit more, 27% plan to shop during sales. And to go back to that question of exactly how much people plan to spend, when it comes to tech products and services, the average US adult plans to spend about $808. So that's a slight dip from our findings from last year. That was closer to over $900.

And that comes also at a really odd time where more tech devices are costing more than they have in the past. So that's something that you're going to want to be aware of when you do your holiday shopping for some of those newer models.

Tommy Tucker (2:02)

Sounds like it's going to be maybe a less filled stocking.

Asha Milden (2:07)

It depends. There are a couple of ways that you can make sure that you're finding deals and you still can get the tech that you want. So there are two big tips that I have here. Number one is making sure that you are being open to different alternatives, looking for the deals and the sales. We heard a lot about Amazon's sale and sales from other retailers, but we have to think that we're really just getting started with holiday, Black Friday and Saturday, Monday or next month. You could even see some sales in between. So still make sure you're comparing prices, keeping an eye out for that laptop or following you're interested in. But more importantly, maybe being open to different models, retailers, brands to get the best deal without sacrificing the specs and the features that you really need.

Tommy Tucker (2:49)

See, that drives me crazy, Dasha, because, man, when you start comparing models with features and specs, do you have any advice for people, even when it comes to either, say, just a phone or a laptop?

Asha Milden (3:05)

Well, we have a lot of experts at CNet who do a really good job of testing these products throughout the year, even from when they first launch all the way to even looking at some of how the older models compare to the newer models to see, is it really worth buying that newer model or not, right? So I definitely recommend looking at CNet to see what deals are coming up for the holidays, what deals are still around even after sales earlier this week, but more importantly to get the best recommendation for the device that you might be looking for.

Christy Strawser (3:34)

If your gift list includes a trip to Disney, well, it'll be expensive. We'll just say that. Here's Bob Rose in Gainesville.

Bob Rose (3:44)

Trip to Disney, boy, I gotta tell you, and I learned a long time ago, that is not a cheap trip. But a lot of people go and they very much enjoy it, and it is a special, special kind of a place in many ways. But fans apparently are outraged after Disney raised admission prices again on Tuesday for what they call the happiest place on Earth with a premium Disney World Ticket, premium, nearing $500.