Americans are embracing the holiday spirit and focused on spreading cheer to others, however widespread uncertainty and personal financial strains are prompting consumers to plan for the holidays with greater precision, according to results of the 16th Annual Holiday Shopping Survey from Accenture.

The survey of more than 1,500 US consumers found that the majority (84%) are looking forward to the holidays. Just over half (53%) are looking forward to spending time with loved ones this season and to treating themselves and others (39%).

'The Organized Consumer'

Faced with higher costs and a sharpened focus on getting what they need for the holidays, a group of “organized consumers” is emerging and strategizing how to stretch their shopping dollars. Just over one-third (35%) of all consumers said they will try to stick to a holiday budget and 45% are shopping at different times this year in search of the lowest prices.

The survey also shows that many “organized consumers” pulled out their holiday shopping lists early, with 45% saying that they had already started shopping in August. A small percentage (16%) bought some items in early 2022 to take advantage of last year’s post-holidays sales and discounts.

When asked why they are shopping at these times, One-third (34%) of consumers said to spread the cost of holiday shopping over a longer period, whereas 42% said they shop as and when promotions and discounts are offered. In addition, ongoing concern for product availability is worrying 44% of consumers, who are shopping earlier to ensure they get what they need in time for the holidays.

“In times like this — when prices are rising and merchandise stock levels are fluctuating — consumers feel the volatility and take a long view of the gift giving season to ensure they can enjoy the holiday celebrations,” said Jill Standish, a senior managing director at Accenture who leads its retail industry practice globally. “To succeed in this market, retailers must pay close attention to data and analytics to identify areas that require increased marketing efforts, as well as targeted and highly customized offers to the different customer segments without eating into profits. Shoppers will reward retailers that focus on delivering a personalized and enjoyable experience when it matters most.”

Winning Consumers’ Share of Wallet

A parallel Accenture survey of 150 retail executives in the US found that retailers are responding by taking steps to win consumer spend. Almost all executives said that increased promotional activity (cited by 99%) and availability guarantees (98%) form part of their company’s plans for the season. Furthermore, 37% said their company is stockpiling goods to ensure supply. A similar number (35%) said their companies are taking special measures or deep discounting to offload surplus stock, and 32% are re-optimizing pricing and promotions.

“Many retailers have excess inventory they need to sell, which will come as welcome news to consumers in search of promotions and deals,” said Lori Zumwinkle, a senior managing director at Accenture who leads Accenture’s retail industry group in North America. “As the relevance of stand-alone sales events continues to dwindle, retailers must take a long view of the season. This should include a dynamic marketing and promotions plan anchored around existing inventory and then adapted as the crucial trading season ebbs and flows.”

Spreading Holiday Cheer to Others

Despite personal finances being squeezed, consumers are looking for ways to spread holiday cheer through charitable giving. More than a quarter (27%) of consumers intend to donate more to charity this year than they did last year. In addition to donating time and money, 31% of consumers expect to make non-cash gifts such as donating products to a food bank or toys to a charity campaign.

As in years past, gift cards will be the most popular gift to give this holiday season, with 72% of consumers saying they plan to spend the same or more than last year. There are also signs that consumers are taking the time to get crafty, with more than half (54%) intending to spend the same or more on ingredients or materials for homemade gifts this holiday season compared with last year.

Deck the Malls

The survey also highlights how providing additional services could help retailers drive footfall to stores and contribute to positive holiday shopping experiences. For instance, two-thirds (68%) of all consumers — and 88% of older millennials (ages 32-39) — said that services such as an in-store restaurant or beauty salon would entice them to shop with one retailer over another.

Another thing that would entice consumers to shop with one retailer over another is a dedicated in-store area for picking up online orders, which was cited by two-thirds (68%) of consumers overall and 90% of older millennials. This is not particularly surprising, given that one-third (32%) of consumers said they are seeing an increase in delivery prices.

Technology is helping deliver a positive in-store experience. For instance, the majority of consumers said they are pleased to see retailers making technology such as self-checkout (cited by 87% of respondents) and self-scan (77%) available in-store, especially if it makes their shopping experience quick er or easier.

“Retailers with physical stores could be set to gain this holiday season as consumers go in search of the perfect gift, the experience of seeing Santa, or the peace-of-mind of picking up items in-store themselves to ensure that have the product in their hands,” Standish said. “Innovative retailers are applying creativity to the store layout to maximize the sales for each square foot of their allocated selling space. One example is creating a live-stream studio to support e-commerce sales or dedicating an area to collect orders. Retailers are also looking for ways to combine staff and technology to ensure that shoppers’ in-store experiences are easy, enjoyable and efficient to navigate.”

Workforce Challenges Top of Mind for Retailers

Alongside navigating global supply chain strains and rising costs of doing business, retail executives are under growing pressure to have a workforce in place to deliver the holiday season while being mindful of profits.

Among the key findings:

• Nine in 10 respondents said the challenge of recruiting and retaining staff has influenced this year’s holiday planning activities
• More than a third (36%) report challenges in attracting candidates
• Just under a half (48%) report that interviewing and progressing candidates through the recruitment process is not quick enough a
• 43% report challenges training new joiners
• 47% report an increased demand for higher rates of pay
• 42% report increasing levels of attrition
• 38% report challenges in upskilling existing colleagues

In response, almost all (99%) of the executives said that their company has undertaken additional measures to address the workforce challenge, with more than half (57%) describing the measures as “extraordinary”.

Some of the steps retailers are taking to address the labor challenge include:

• Just over half (51%) have re-designed their training and recruitment process
• 42% have offered retention bonuses to existing employees
• 41% have offered new joiner bonuses to new recruits

Accenture examples of this playing out. Just last month, Amazon announced it is investing in increasing wages for frontline workers, along with access to more career advancement and development programs. This follows the news that Target plans to hire up to 100,000 seasonal workers in stores and supply chain facilities nationwide to help keep stores stocked and organized. Similarly, Walmart announced it is hiring approximately 40,000 workers across its U.S. business, as well as bringing on an additional 1,500 drivers to ensure its Walmart Private Fleet is prepared to deliver this holiday season and beyond.

This will come as welcome news to consumers who appear to be feeling the effects of the labor shortages. In a parallel survey of more than 1,500 US consumers, the impact is being felt in stores. Among the findings:  

• A third of consumers (33%) said they have experienced longer waiting times when shopping in-store
• 29% said that they have experienced less helpful employees
• 27% said they have experienced less knowledgeable employees
• A quarter (25%) noticed fewer employees to assist them in-store

Furthermore, the survey highlights the potential negative consequences for retailers. For instance, 86% of consumers said they would shop with one retailer over another if the staff were knowledgeable and provided help or advice. In addition, 82% said attentive and friendly staff to make them feel special would entice them to shop with one retailer over another.

“For the past few years, retailers have been faced with a workers’ market, where a surge in people moving between jobs, raised costs and impacted the level of customer service, noted Standish. “With the number of global active retail job openings growing by 174% year on year, retailers recognize the dynamic between employee and employer has shifted and focusing efforts on improving recruitment processes, increasing salaries, and adjusting contracts, is only part of the equation. It’s a big challenge, but forward-thinking retailers can use this as an opportunity to make changes that will help with its long-term growth while ensuring a truly diverse, dedicated, and adaptable workforce.”

She continued “Going forward, digital technologies will be more important than ever, not just to attract and train employees but to provide more interesting and rewarding jobs. For instance, investments in artificial intelligence (AI) can help retail workers spot trends and make decisions faster, and robotics can automate highly manual tasks so that frontline workers can spend more time interacting with consumers. And as employees gain more retail knowledge and tech expertise, they will have the opportunity to fill roles such as data-driven marketer or brand ambassador.”

According to Zumwinkle, as retailers gear up for the holiday season —and beyond— they’ll think beyond monetary incentives to attract and retain retail workers.

“A growing number of employees aren’t only motivated by the benefits package on offer, they’re looking for something more fundamental such as flexibility, greater job satisfaction and meaning. Innovative retailers are turning to technology to engage and empower employees who are increasingly tech-savvy. For example, using virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR) to provide immersive training and development, or employee-facing mobile apps store employees can manage their shifts and view their schedules, use a voice-activated personal assistant to answer common questions, such as where certain items are located throughout the store, and eventually, use the app to scan merchandise in the backroom,” she said.


The Accenture 16th Annual Holiday Shopping Survey offers insights into consumer buying patterns during the holiday time period, providing an indication of retail performance expectations both on the high street and online at a key time for the sector. For this year’s study, Accenture surveyed a representative sample of 1,508 U.S. consumers online, each of whom had purchased an item for personal use either online or in a store within the previous six months. Respondents were split between gender and across age groups, with 13% of Generation Zers (aged 18-24), 17% younger millennials (25-31), 17% older millennials (32-39), 19% Generation Xers (40-55), 20% baby boomers (56-69) and 15% aged 70+.

The parallel survey of 150 US retail executives was also conducted to explore actions taking by retailers in the run up to the 2022 holiday season, and contrast with consumer expectations.  All respondents were US-based and worked at VP level or above (26% CEO/C-suite, 48% SVP or EVP and 26% VP) for retail companies with annual turnover of more than $1Bn (57% $1-5B, 35% $5-20B, 8% $20B+).

Both surveys were conducted in August and September 2022.