In-Store Expected to Top Online Shopping this Holiday Season, According to New Alchemer Study

2026 Holiday Shopper Report finds U.S. consumers have tighter budgets, growing AI influence and high customer experience expectations heading into the holiday season

LOUISVILLE, Colo.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Alchemer, a leader in technology for feedback and customer experience and intelligence, today released its 2026 Holiday Shopper Report. Based on a survey of more than 1,000 U.S. consumers, the report examines the behaviors, expectations and frustrations expected to shape the 2026 holiday shopping season. Among the findings, the report reveals that more consumers plan to shop in person at brick-and-mortar stores than make purchases online this year.

“Our research shows that shoppers don't expect retailers to reinvent the shopping experience, they just want them to get the basics right,” said Brian Henley, Vice President of Research Services, Alchemer. “Consumers are spending more carefully, using AI more often and expecting every interaction to be seamless. Retailers that offer a great experience in store and online while delivering good value will have a clear advantage this holiday season.”

Key findings include:

In-store Will Top Online Shopping this Holiday Season

• 35.8% of shoppers plan to shop in physical stores
• 31.1% expect to shop online (retailer sites/apps)
• 19.2% anticipate an even mix of online and in-store shopping

Inflation Continues to Influence Shopping Decisions

Economic pressures set the stage for holiday shopping in 2026, as consumers carefully evaluate every purchase.

• 38.2% of shoppers say tighter budgets will have the biggest impact on their holiday spending
• Another 27% expect rising prices to influence their purchasing decisions
• Nearly seven in 10 shoppers (69%) rank price and value among the most important factors when deciding what to buy
• Significant price increases are the leading reason shoppers say they would abandon a retailer they otherwise like

Store Operations Significantly Impact Customer Satisfaction and Loyalty

Consumers have little patience for operational failures from retailers this holiday shopping season.

• 41% say out-of-stock items are their biggest shopping frustration
• 32.3% cite hidden fees at checkout
• 30.6% point to slow checkout experiences
• 47.7% never provide feedback after a poor experience, often because they don't believe it will lead to meaningful change

AI Is Becoming Part of the Shopping Journey, with Limited Trust

Artificial intelligence (AI) is becoming a regular part of how consumers research products, but confidence in AI-generated recommendations hasn’t yet caught up with adoption.

• 48.5% of shoppers say they used an AI tool to research a purchase during the past year
• Only 35.4% trust AI-generated shopping recommendations
• 42% believe online reviews may be fake or influenced by AI

The full 2026 Holiday Shopper Report: 7 Key Loyalty Insights explores seven priorities retailers should address before the holiday season, including pricing strategy, service recovery, AI adoption, frontline employee experience management, customer reviews and closing the feedback loop.

Download the report: https://www.alchemer.com/resources/benchmark-report/2026-holiday-shopper-report-7-key-loyalty-insights/

Survey Methodology

Alchemer surveyed 1,002 U.S. consumers across age groups, genders and shopping preferences to understand the attitudes and behaviors expected to shape the 2026 holiday shopping season.

About Alchemer

Alchemer gives organizations the power to transform customer and employee feedback into meaningful business action. Combining enterprise experience management, feedback collection, workflow automation, AI-powered insights and deep integrations, Alchemer helps organizations uncover what matters most and act quickly to improve customer experiences and business outcomes. Serving more than 11,000 customers across more than 100 countries, Alchemer empowers organizations to make the voice of the customer a priority.

For more information, visit www.alchemer.com.