PR Newswire·Oct 29, 2026, 9:00 AM ET

Bank of America Study: Early December Could Overtake Black Friday as the Peak Holiday Shopping Window This Year

29% of U.S. consumers plan to do most of their holiday shopping in early to mid-December, surpassing the 17% planning to shop primarily on Black Friday.
The Bank of America 2026 Holiday Spending Survey indicates a shift from Black Friday (25% in 2025 to 17% in 2026) toward later December dates (19% in 2025 to 29% in 2026).
87% of shoppers expect their holiday spending to remain steady or decline, while only 12% plan to spend more.
48% of consumers anticipate spending the same amount as last year, 39% plan to spend less, 63% base spending strictly on personal budgets, 30% shop during sales events, 27% set per-person limits, 21% use credit card rewards, 72% do not plan to use AI tools, 14% intend to buy via social media, 37% have encountered shopping scams, phishing emails are the most common scam, 49% prefer credit cards for payments, 67% of higher-income consumers favor credit cards, 33% of millennials 38% of Gen Z prefer debit cards, 2,062 adults were surveyed by Ipsos from Sept. 10–12, 2026, the margin of error is ±2.2 percentage points, 74% shop via e-commerce, 54% visit brick-and-mortar stores, 62% say viral content does not affect their decisions, \& Bank of America advises pausing before clicking links to avoid scams.