Consumers plan to spend $890.49 per person on average this year on holiday gifts, food, decorations and related seasonal items while seeking value, according to the National Retail Federation’s annual holiday survey.
The total is the second-highest in the survey’s 23-year history, NRF noted, and it is only 1.3% below last year’s $901.99 record.
Of consumers responding to the survey, conducted by Prosper Insights & Analytics for the NRF, 91% of adults in the United States said they plan to celebrate winter holidays such as Christmas, Hanukkah or Kwanzaa in 2025, consistent with recent years. Of the total spend, $627.93 will go toward gifts for family and friends. The remaining $262.56 will purchase seasonal items such as food, including candy, decorations and greeting cards.
NRF maintained that early holiday shopping remains popular. This year, 42% of shoppers plan to start holiday shopping before November. The leading reasons to shop early, consumers indicated, include spreading out their budget (54%) or avoiding the stress of last-minute shopping (41%). Even with the early start, 60% said they don’t plan to finish their holiday shopping until December, and 63% stated that they plan to wait until Thanksgiving weekend to do most of their holiday shopping, up from 59% last year.
As in recent years, consumers said they plan to shop across multiple retail channels this holiday season. Online continues to be the top holiday shopping destination, with 55% of consumers planning to make digital purchases, followed by grocery stores (46%), department stores (44%) and discount stores (42%).
Tariffs remain a significant issue for most holiday shoppers, with 85% anticipating higher prices due to duties.
In the survey, the gifts consumers said they would most like to receive include gift cards (50%), clothing or accessories (46%), books and other media (27%), personal care or beauty items (23%) and electronics (22%).
“Time and again, Americans prioritize spending on loved ones for holidays despite economic uncertainty,” said Katherine Cullen, NRF vice president of industry and consumer insights. “With more consumers planning to seek out sale events this year, retailers are prepared to deliver on deals and value to ensure consumers have everything they need to make the holiday special.”
Phil Rest, Prosper executive vice president of strategy, added, “Despite consumers’ economic concerns, the winter holidays remain an important occasion to celebrate with loved ones. This is particularly true for those families with children who are expected to increase their gift budgets by more than $30 on average.”
