The traditional holiday shopping rush is evolving into a longer, more segmented cycle, according to new research from Intuit Mailchimp. The company’s latest report, Holiday Shopping Unwrapped: Marketing Strategies for the Moments That Matter, outlines how the end-of-year sales season now unfolds across seven distinct phases, beginning as early as October and stretching through January.
The report, created with research consultancy Canvas8 and cartoonist Marketoonist, is based on a survey of more than 9,300 shoppers across ten international markets, including the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, and several European countries. It identifies emotional and behavioral trends shaping when and why people shop during the holidays, and offers guidance for marketers hoping to connect with consumers throughout the extended cycle.
Jillian Ryan, Mailchimp’s Senior Manager of Content Strategy, said the research gives marketers a closer look at the motivations that drive different kinds of shoppers. “The key to effectively reaching holiday shoppers is understanding where consumers are, physically, emotionally, and culturally, during every phase of the holiday season,” she noted.
A Longer and More Emotional Shopping Season
Mailchimp’s findings suggest that the familiar “Black Friday to Christmas Eve” window no longer captures the full picture. Instead, shoppers are spreading their spending across a wider range of moments influenced by regional customs, emotional triggers, and digital retail events. The report’s data shows that 43% of consumers made a purchase linked to a major sales moment as early as October, while 75% participated in some form of shopping during the late November “peak sales” period.
Emotional drivers remain central to these behaviors. Over half of respondents said their main reason for buying holiday gifts was to bring joy to others, while traditional deal-hunting appeared to be less important than in previous years. This aligns with broader consumer trends suggesting that shoppers are prioritizing meaningful purchases and brand values over simple discounts.
From “Christmas Creep” to “New Year Renewal”
The study’s seven-phase framework spans from the “Early Lead-up” period in October to a “New Year” phase in January. Each stage is associated with distinct consumer archetypes—from early planners motivated by pride in finishing their lists, to “Self-Gifters” indulging during Boxing Day sales, and “Self-Improvers” using January promotions to pursue new goals.
This pattern reflects broader shifts in global retail behavior. E-commerce platforms have normalized frequent sales events, Amazon’s Prime Big Deal Days in October being one example—while supply chain concerns and inflation have encouraged earlier shopping. Analysts across the retail industry have also pointed to the growing importance of micro-moments and cultural personalization in digital marketing campaigns.
Implications for Marketers
For marketers, the Mailchimp report underscores a challenge and an opportunity. Extending campaigns across multiple “holiday moments” requires more nuanced audience segmentation and creative planning, but it also opens new windows for engagement. Mailchimp positions its own tools—ranging from audience analytics to automated campaign scheduling—as resources to manage this complexity.
Ryan added that the data highlights the variety of consumer mindsets marketers will encounter during the season. “There are all kinds of shoppers, and a single consumer can embody different archetypes as the season ebbs and flows,” she said.
While the report’s insights lean toward reinforcing Mailchimp’s platform capabilities, its underlying message aligns with a wider marketing trend: brands are moving away from short-term sales bursts and toward sustained, emotionally informed engagement strategies. For marketers, the expanded holiday cycle represents a longer, more competitive, and more emotionally driven calendar that may define how retail seasons are approached in years to come.