Holiday Shopping Now Starts in Summer and Lasts 3 Months, Research Reveals

Broader Amazon Shopping Trends Shape the Season

Before diving into holiday-specific strategies, recent research from Remazing and Appinio’s Amazon Shopper Report 2025 reveals fundamental shifts in how customers shop on Amazon—insights that directly impact holiday planning.

95% of consumers cite price as the main purchase factor. Right behind it comes content quality. 92% of customers need detailed product descriptions. 91% rely on reviews. Price attracts attention, but content converts interest into purchases.

Purchasing power is declining. Consumer confidence has dropped, leading to lower average monthly spending on Amazon. British shoppers most commonly spend less than £50, while the US and Germany maintain higher spending levels above $100 and €100, respectively.

Temu and Shein Face Conversion Challenges

Awareness of Temu and Shein platforms has grown rapidly. However, conversion lags behind actual awareness.

52% for Temu and 48% for Shein have not yet made a purchase, even though they’ve heard of these platforms. The challenge is converting awareness into actual sales.

Amazon’s AI assistant Rufus isn’t playing a major role yet. 72% of respondents haven’t heard of it. Only 17% of those who know it say it helped with their purchase. It serves more for product discovery than conversion.

For Amazon Prime members, delivery remains the greatest value. 78% appreciate free delivery and 68% fast delivery. The key value proposition still connects to logistics, not content or AI features.

Season Stretches to Nearly Three Months

Amazon Ads’ holiday marketing guide points to a major shift in timing. 14% of shoppers start their holiday shopping during summer. Another 42% plan to shop before Thanksgiving.

In 2025, Thanksgiving falls on November 27. The result? Higher concentration of sales in December. 31% of customers will complete purchases between Cyber Monday and New Year’s.

Campaigns focused only on Black Friday week will miss a large portion of customers. The purchase window has stretched to nearly three months, with spikes around cultural moments.

Split Campaigns Into Phases

Amazon Ads recommends breaking strategy into three parts:

• Lead-up
• Peak
• Lead-out

For each event separately.

The last three months of the year are packed with shopping moments. A detailed calendar helps plan when to launch which campaign. Sponsored TV can build early awareness, Sponsored Display can reach customers outside the store.

Remarketing through Views in Sponsored Display captures those who browsed but didn’t buy. They may convert later in the season.

Beauty and Food Are Now Gifts

Gift cards and vouchers lead at 54%, followed by toys and games at 48% and clothing and footwear at 47%. But positions below them have changed significantly.

Beauty and personal care reached 37%, food and beverages climbed to 34%, and health and wellness now holds 25% of the gift basket share. Categories not traditionally considered holiday gifts are now firmly part of holiday shopping.

How to Turn Everyday Products Into Gifts

Simply change positioning. Instead of “Daily hydration,” use “Gift-worthy glow.” Creatives in Sponsored Products and Sponsored Brands should reflect gifting themes even for everyday products.

Keywords need expansion. For a blender, don’t just add “blender,” but also “kitchen mixer,” “food processor,” “juicer,” “meal prep tools.” Broad match in keyword targeting or in-market audiences in Sponsored Display helps reach new customers.

Brand Store should get a seasonal update. Add “Gifts by Price” or “Gifts for Him/Her/Them” sections even for daily essentials. Lifestyle photos or seasonal A+ content showing products as gifts, not just in use.

During Black Friday and Cyber Monday, sales through Sponsored Products, Sponsored Brands, and Sponsored Display grew 121% compared to average category growth.

Customers Seek Value

59% of consumers actively look for ways to save on everyday expenses. The reason is clear: rising inflation and economic uncertainty.

Multi-packs or bundles with better pricing than competitors work. Better ratings at similar prices also matter.

Deals need clear communication. Brand Store with active deals automatically displays the All Deals page. You can also create a custom page with deal-eligible products and the Featured Deals widget.

One Season, Many Celebrations

The holiday season isn’t just one moment or one country. Black Friday and Cyber Monday, which started in the US, are now anticipated by customers in multiple countries.

Diwali or Singles’ Day boost sales where local communities mark these occasions. Amazon now operates in 23 countries.

Selling across regions allows tapping into different cultural moments. While the season ends in one country, it’s just starting in another.

Localize and Expand

Campaigns for multiple countries need planning with local events in mind. Amazon-built audiences help reach those browsing holiday products.

When creating manual keyword campaigns in Sponsored Products and Sponsored Brands, Amazon offers relevant translations. Generative AI can quickly create localised versions of ad copy or gift headlines.

Brands that utilise European and other markets beyond the US can grow faster and more cost-efficiently.