K-SHAPED HOLIDAY /2026
Who’s holiday shopping in the K-shaped economy?
We studied 100 brands and 5,500+ posts and comments to decode the four types of shoppers still spending.
Get tactical takeaways in this FREE playbook, a 34-page SIGNAL report, with research by Merciv.
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See where brands miss the mark in offers for consumers this holiday.
100 retailer and brand homepages. Five snapshots from 5,500+ posts, comments and captions. We connect what people say with what brands offer.
Four reasons to keep spending.
Know which shopper your next offer needs to win. Conversation shares describe the research sample, not all US consumers.
Is your campaign missing its customer?
See how brand positioning and shopper conversation pull in different directions—and where to close the gap.
100
retailers and brands
tracked across homepage snapshots
Are your holiday offers speaking to the right shopper?
Gift guides and pricing urgency dominate holiday campaigns. But shoppers want different things: proof of a real deal, the thrill of a haul, a gift with meaning, or a well-timed upgrade. We mapped brand behavior against shopper conversation to see where the two meet—and where they miss.
Even for shoppers who can afford to spend, they need to see value for every dollar spent.
The Age of Autonomy & Sovereignty: the collapse of consumer trust meets the retailer on AI autopilot.
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Prepare for the Age of Autonomy
Past predictions →Four types of shoppers are still spending this holiday. Discover what earns their next purchase in The K-Shaped Holiday, our free 34-page report with research by Merciv.
Read the research →Topics+
Read & Watch+
Events+
Inside The K-Shaped Holiday
01
Meet the four holiday shoppers
The Curator. The Haul Hunter. The Price Auditor. The Splurger. Learn what each one values, what earns the purchase, and what sends them elsewhere.
02
See where brand tactics miss
Explore homepage offers, advertising and shopper conversation to understand the distance between the customer brands court and the customer who is listening.
03
Plan for the season ahead
Get a strategy check for each shopper type, a read on AI, social commerce, BNPL and nostalgia, and six Holiday 2026 predictions we’ll publicly grade.
One holiday campaign. Four very different shoppers.
Make your next holiday offer count.
The K-Shaped Holiday is a free 34-page report for brand, marketing and commerce leaders. Research across 24 sources connects shopper conversation, brand campaigns and transaction data to the decisions you’re making this season.
Published by Future Commerce.
Research conducted using Merciv.
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