Black Friday and Christmas shopping is far from a quick succession between discovery and conversion. The abundance of products, promotions, recommendations and content available is leading many consumers to do more research, consult different sources and look for signs of trust before deciding. In this process, other people’s experiences take on a particularly relevant role.

This is reflected in the “Holiday Consumer Survey”, a study prepared by Emarketer and Reddit based on a survey conducted in May 2026 among 1.00 American adult consumers who had made a purchase between Black Friday 2025 and the first week of January 2026. The analysis studies how they investigated and made their decisions during this period of high commercial intensity.

43.5% of respondents say they spend more time researching before purchasing than they did two years ago. In addition, 28% buy more based on recommendations from people who are in similar situations to theirs and 22% use conversations between users and communities more frequently.

At the same time, symptoms of greater caution appear towards some sources traditionally linked to the purchasing process: 25% are more skeptical of the reviews present on the retailers’ pages; 18% trust less in brand advertising and 15% have reduced their trust in influencers and creators.
The study thus points to a Christmas buyer who does not necessarily have less confidence, but rather seems to distribute it among more sources and subject the information to greater contrast.

The purchasing decision is divided between different sources

Google continues to play a central role in holiday shopping research, with 58% of consumers saying they use it often or always. They are followed by Amazon reviews, with 45% and recommendations from friends and family, also with 45%; and YouTube, with 39%.

But behavior is especially revealing when the economic importance of the purchase increases. When faced with expensive products or more important decisions, 23% indicate that they combine several sources and need a certain consensus between them before deciding.
Behind them are price and convenience (18.5%), reputation and familiarity with the brand (18.5%), opinions of experts and professional reviewers (15%), recommendations from friends and family (13.5%) and conversations in online communities (11%).

The consideration is configured, therefore, as a fragmented journey. A product can be discovered through a creator, then researched on Google or YouTube, compared through reviews, and ultimately validated through other people’s experiences.

Minda Smiley, senior analyst at Emarketer, also points out that economic pressure and the search for discounts and better prices can prolong this process during the holidays, multiplying the moments in which the consumer comes into contact with new recommendations, opinions and brand messages.

The data also clarifies the situation of influencers and creators during the Christmas season. Their ability to introduce products to the consumer’s consideration does not necessarily imply that they are the source that ends up providing confidence in purchasing them. 19% say they trust their recommendations more than a year before and 32% maintain approximately the same level of trust. At the opposite extreme, 10% trust less, another 10% actively avoid purchases based on influencers’ recommendations and 29% say they do not pay attention to them at all.

The contrast with other sources is significant. When asked what made consumers feel confident about their latest holiday purchase, 42% cite a recommendation from a friend or family member, compared to 13% who cite a recommendation from a creator or influencer.

A less prescriptive type of information also gains weight: 26% point to an honest conversation that exposes both the advantages and disadvantages of the product and 19% mention an expert review or a publication. Additionally, 58% say they trust friends and family a lot or completely when making decisions during the holidays.

The results suggest an important distinction between discovery and validation. A creator can get a product on the consumer’s radar, while the security needed to buy it can be built later by other voices.

Negative opinions also build credibility

The report finds an apparent paradox in conversations between consumers: an exclusively positive opinion is not always more persuasive. The presence of criticism, disagreements, and different experiences can increase the perception of authenticity.

Thus, 74% agree or strongly agree that they trust a Reddit conversation more when it contains both positive and negative opinions. Likewise, 73% consider that the anonymity of the platform makes people more willing to share their real experiences.

Among those who consult Reddit to learn about products, 43% especially value finding concrete real-world experiences; 41%, honest reviews along with the positive aspects; and 30%, being able to find disagreements and different perspectives in the same space.

This logic intensifies with larger purchases. 32% prefer a detailed conversation in which several people discuss the product, while 18.5% place greater value on a single detailed recommendation from a source they trust.

Another Reddit study included in the report, carried out among 1,004 adult monthly users of the platform in the United States, indicates that 84% feel more confident about their decision after researching products on Reddit.

For brands, the absence of criticism is not necessarily the optimal condition for building trust. A conversation explaining advantages, disadvantages, comparisons and circumstances of use can offer the buyer more elements to decide than a uniform succession of favorable evaluations.

Artificial intelligence joins Christmas research

Artificial intelligence tools also appear in this journey. 24% of consumers say they use them to research and make purchasing decisions more frequently than two years ago. However, the data collected in the report does not yet point to a replacement of previous sources. AI is incorporated into a process in which the consumer continues to contrast information.

Emarketer cites a Horizon study according to which 60% of American AI users would be willing to share their online purchase history with a purchasing agent if it allowed them to receive more accurate recommendations. But another Reddit study included in the document indicates that 48% of monthly users of social networks, language models and e-commerce verify the recommendations received from AI on Reddit.

The usefulness of an automated response and the trust necessary to act on it thus appear as two different issues. AI can facilitate the search and comparison of alternatives, while human experiences continue to provide context for decisions where the consumer perceives greater risk.

Other people’s experience gains value when the need is specific

The study also analyzes how this search for information works in different categories during Black Friday and the Christmas campaign.

In health and wellness, 34% researched supplements, vitamins or wellness products; 21%, products related to colds, flu or seasonal illnesses; and another 21%, issues related to mental health and sleep. For this last category, Reddit was the second most consulted source after Google.
In technology, 54% bought consumer electronics for themselves and 46% did so as a gift. Among these consumers, 28% indicated that Reddit had played some role in their decisions.

Fashion was especially relevant as a gift: 67% bought products in this category for other people. Beauty and personal care followed, with 59.5%. Among Reddit users, 27% said the platform had influenced a fashion purchase, and 25% said the same about beauty products.

Digital communities also appear in more sensitive areas, such as financial decisions. 24% investigated issues related to budgeting, savings or debt management during the period analyzed and 18% were evaluating important financial decisions.
40% say they feel comfortable or very comfortable using an anonymous community to obtain financial information. The percentage exceeds that recorded by social networks, 33%, although it remains clearly below the 63% corresponding to professional or medical advice.

A Christmas campaign no longer ends in the advertising impact

The results have implications for brands precisely because the Black Friday and Christmas period concentrates advertising investment, promotions and high competitive pressure. Gaining visibility can introduce a product to consideration, but the subsequent decision depends on a network of sources that companies do not fully control.

Emarketer raises the need to assume longer consideration paths and ensure that information about products is consistent between the different places that the consumer consults. It also points out the convenience of thinking about who is best authorized to answer certain questions: when faced with specific questions, a voice with technical knowledge may be more useful than a spokesperson coming explicitly from marketing, advertising or public relations. The report gives as an example the possibility of a cat food brand organizing regular question sessions with a creator who is also a veterinarian.

It also invites us to reconsider the relationship with critical opinions. If consumers find credibility in conversations where positive and negative experiences coexist, the strategy does not necessarily involve obtaining a perfectly favorable story; It is about offering accurate information, responding with transparency and building relationships capable of being sustained when the product is subjected to comparison by other people.

The photography left by the studio is especially significant at a time of year commercially designed to accelerate the purchase. During Black Friday and Christmas, a significant portion of consumers are doing precisely the opposite: spending more time researching, consulting more voices, and seeking confirmation before deciding.