Due to tariffs and inflation, the winter holidays are expected to be less of a growth season for brands than past years. As shown in the August 2025 Resonate Consumer Trends Outlook: Holiday Edition, 24.1% of consumers are postponing vacation plans due to the economic volatility. Another 20.1% will put off any major home appliance or technology upgrades. The same report also demonstrates shifts in gift-buying behavior. Over the last two years, opting out of buying presents has become increasingly popular, rising 38% since 2023. Just 59.2% of consumers who are shopping for presents will do so in-store, compared to 62.4% last year, and only 34.3% will shop online directly through a manufacturer’s website, compared to 37.1% last year.
Despite the downshift in consumer holiday shopping, there are still growth opportunities for brands, especially those that are using the right data. Resonate’s AI-powered, continuously updated data goes beyond demographics and reveals consumer sentiments, behaviors, and intent to empower your brand to craft marketing strategies that engage the right people at the right time with the right message. Speaking to customers in a way that truly resonates with them will be crucial to clinching those holiday sales and driving ROI.
This blog will use Resonate’s high-performance data to examine how you can craft successful marketing campaigns that target Gen-Z Winter Holiday Shoppers.
What are Gen-Z Winter Holiday Shoppers’ Consumer Preferences?
Price and brand are nearly equal when it comes to their influence on Gen Z: 40% of these customers prioritize how much something is, while 37% prioritize the brand name over other considerations. Convenience is a concern for just 23% of this audience. When it comes to retailer selection traits:
Easy return policies aren’t a huge priority for Gen-Z Winter Shoppers, and remarkably, only a minority use coupons. Instead, 28% look for retailers that have enjoyable, clean stores, and 17% want a company’s staff to be fast and responsive.
While the total number of customers shopping for gifts online—either through the manufacturer’s site or a third-party one—has been steadily declining over the last two years and is under 60% for both, Gen-Z Winter Shoppers are one segment of customers that’s still heading to the internet to buy gifts. 60% of this audience shops online. What’s more, 16% of them are drawn to retailers that offer loyalty programs.
What are the Gen-Z Winter Shoppers’ Personal Values?
Resonate data gets to the heart of what drives consumers, like their personal values. You can use this information to craft messaging and creative that engages Gen-Z Winter Shoppers and other audiences.
The Gen-Z Winter Shoppers’ personal values include:
When you’re crafting your creative and messaging, consider using themes of being admired, successful, having adventures, being exciting, and prestige and power to better engage with this audience.
Whether you’re marketing to Gen-Z Winter Shoppers, a wider range of customers encompassing more age groups, or a niche, hyper-specific audience of US consumers, Resonate can help you gain a holistic understanding of your target audience and craft a winning strategy that opens opportunities and drives growth, no matter what the 2025 holiday season throws your way.
Read the Consumer Trends full report for more data!
