%20(29).png?width=752&name=Insights%20Inbox%20LinkedIn%20Newsletter%20Template%20(752%20x%20423%20px)%20(29).png "Insights Inbox LinkedIn Newsletter Cover")
Retail consumer attention this holiday season is sky-high. More than 4 million mentions and 3.2 million posts from November to December 2025 reflect a marketplace where shoppers are very much here, very much talking, and very much comparing deals.
A 60% net sentiment score tells retail brands that despite cost concerns, shoppers are still hopeful and actively looking for reasons to click "buy." Videos make up almost 22% of the conversation, underscoring a clear platform priority for brand visibility.
The timeline shows enormous spikes around November 16–30. This is when consumers:
Brands that wait until mid-December to push incentives are already behind, but not out of luck. Early-access events, loyalty perks, and front-loaded bundles are the starting line, and we’re going to help you finish strong.
Gender split shows women generating more conversation volume, while age indexes reveal highest engagement from younger shoppers (16–24), followed closely by adults 25–44.
Retailers that target families, young professionals or (of course) gifting shoppers have the best options this season.
Interests skew toward shopping, beauty, tech, gaming, and outdoors, aligning perfectly with the categories already driving Black Friday and Cyber Monday promotions.
Behaviors Reveal an "Efficiency Mindset"
Behavioral data shows verbs like buy, shop, check out, offer, look for, save, and track dominating. This is a season of high-intent, low-patience shoppers.
Consumers are:
Quid Agent insights show consumers keeping core items and cutting extras. They are getting fewer toppings with pizza orders and grocery shoppers are avoiding premium chocolates, for example.
And we saw it with guests who brought dishes to Thanksgiving to offset rising costs.
Quid Agent Insights:
Spending intent: most consumers will celebrate, but many feel cost pressure
Consumers intend to celebrate holidays but are cost-sensitive; many plan to keep traditions while trimming or reallocating spending to manage higher prices. Expect steady participation (holiday gatherings, turkey) but with selective adjustments to control budgets.
Trading down and cutbacks on extras: consumers keep core purchases, drop add-ons
Across sectors (restaurants, pizza, casual dining, holiday sides), customers maintain core items but reduce extras — fewer toppings, fewer sides, smaller portion choices, or pick lower-tier SKUs. Retail promotions that reinforce value can win back discretionary spend.
For retail, this is the moment to bundle strategically and message value relentlessly.
Emotionally, the conversation splits into two. There are positive emotions that dominate. Words like best, love, happy, enjoy, perfect time cluster heavily. Shoppers still crave the magic.
Negative emotions remain loud enough to matter though. Terms like scam, terrible, not impressed and worst reflect deal fatigue and skepticism, especially after last year’s AI-generated pricing glitches and uneven fulfillment experiences.
For retailers, this means:
The map reveals strong activity across the Midwest, Southwest, and East Coast. These regions show the highest concentration of conversation volume, correlating with dense retail footprints and heavy e-commerce adoption.
If brands want geographic targeting guidance, the signal advises allocating paid and organic spend in markets with the loudest planning conversations.
Amazon dominates the brand conversation landscape, with Target, Walmart, Best Buy, Samsung, Apple and Nintendo close behind.
The takeaway here is that holiday influence is earned through visibility, trust and fulfillment reliability. Amazon’s grip is powered by convenience and bundled value, which are the exact behaviors the Quid Agent dataset highlights as core consumer priorities this year.
People are still celebrating. They’re just recalibrating to what matters most.
“89% plan to celebrate Thanksgiving… but 21% will ask guests to bring part of the meal.”
Consumers will buy, but they’ll trim everything around the edges.
Value-Seeking & Deal Urgency Means Memberships Rule
Instead of camping outside stores, shoppers camp in loyalty apps, waiting for early access notifications and stacking rewards like it’s a competitive sport.
Consumers are keeping the heart of their holiday purchases and quietly trimming everything around it.
• They drop the premium extras, not the core items.
• A pizza order becomes “medium, no toppings.”
• A chocolate gift becomes a smaller box.
• Restaurant takeout shrinks to just the entrée.
People still want to celebrate. They just want to feel responsible while doing it.
Shoppers are leaning hard into whatever feels simple, predictable, and safe for their budgets.
• Same-day pickup is a lifesaver for last-minute needs.
• Meal bundles under $30 make holiday hosting feel doable again.
• In-store bundle promos help shoppers stretch a dollar without feeling deprived.
If it removes stress, it gets chosen.
Make-A-Wish hotlines, Santa meet-and-greets, and classic brand throwbacks still spark real warmth. But sentiment alone does not move shoppers like it used to.
People want heart, but they also want a deal. Emotional campaigns need a value tether or they fall flat.
Holiday shoppers in 2025 are trying to build joyful moments without blowing their budgets. They’re not giving up their traditions, they’re editing them.
Retailers need to meet that emotional and financial reality head-on to own the season. They must keep clear value, low friction, familiar warmth and messaging that respects how people actually shop right now all top of mind.
Brands that align with this emotional-economic landscape will capture not just purchases, but lasting trust. Reach out, and we can help you with the emotional core of your consumers this holiday season and beyond.