With Thanksgiving here and the holiday season in full swing, what’s on the table when it comes to holiday shopping, travel plans, and more? Check out three key insights below – and get a full helping of the latest detailed findings from the CivicScience Consumer Holiday Tracker (linked at bottom).

1. Inflation concerns are still stalling holiday shopping for some. 

Holiday shopping kicked off early this year but showed signs of slowing down this month when compared to last November. Current data reveal that 46% of U.S. adults say they’ve started their holiday shopping (versus 52% this time last year). However, current shoppers are still outpacing those in 2020 and 2019, with young Millennials (25-34) the most likely to be ahead of the game.

It’s likely that inflation (as well as recession) concerns play a role – 6 out of 10 adults who haven’t started their holiday shopping are likely to be very concerned about inflation in the U.S.

2. What do shoppers want? More deals and promotions, please.

As the shopping season kicks into high gear, shoppers are the most likely to say deals and promotions are the deciding factor when choosing where to shop this year – and a whopping 50% say they are more important this year than last year. That may be driving the YoY increase in the percentage of Americans (26%) who plan to shop Black Friday this year (more Black Friday insights included in the Holiday Tracker linked below). Retailers should note that free shipping and product availability also rank high on the list when it comes to where shoppers will spend. 

3. Holiday travel plans bounce back after a slowdown. 

The latest numbers show that 57% of people who typically travel for the holidays are planning to travel this year, climbing seven percentage points after falling to a low point earlier this month. It’s clear intent began diverging from 2021 numbers in October and has stayed lower overall, but consumers may be shifting their travel plans, as intent appears to be on the up-and-up. 

Want more holiday insights? Go deeper with the CivicScience Consumer Holiday Tracker. Get started here.