77% of consumers usually feel frustrated while holiday shopping online
As gift-buying season gets underway, 58 per cent of shoppers admit they feel stressed looking for presents and leaning on digital channels isn’t helping, based on research produced by Deloitte.
The consulting firm gathered feedback from nearly 4,300 consumers to produce its 2025 Deloitte Holiday Retail Survey. This is the 40th edition of the annual report.
While it’s tempting to assume older consumers get more frustrated with navigating online shopping channels, Deloitte found negative sentiment was higher among 83 per cent of Gen Z and 82 per cent of Millennials. Only 69 per cent of Baby Boomers said they get frustrated shopping online.
The top frustrations included common culprits such as delayed shipping and items being out of stock, but 19 per cent also complained “too many choices, hard to decide what to buy” and “hard to filter, sort or find items.”
This relates to the top area where consumers said retailers could alleviate their stress: 45 per cent are looking for help finding “thoughtful and meaningful” holiday gifts. More than a quarter said they would particularly like help finding gifts for people they don’t know.
Overall, the average expected holiday spending is down about 10 per cent year over year. Deloitte also noted that 26 per cent of consumers say they plan to use loyalty points for purchases this year, up from 20 per cent in 2024.
“Many shoppers across all income groups remain highly attuned to value, with promotions and deals shaping when and where they
spend. But it’s not just about price,” the report’s authors wrote. “Surveyed shoppers also report seeking quality, trust, and meaningful experiences from the brands they choose.”
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Shopping online may be a pain for many consumers, but it’s still where they’re gravitating to the most. Deloitte found that 37 per cent said their holiday gift-buying would mostly happen through digital channels, compared with 24 per cent who said it would be 50-50 between online and in-store. Ten per cent said all their holiday shopping would happen online.
Recommending products has long been a key use case of artificial intelligence (AI), and given consumers want more help with ideas, this could be a year AI’s expertise is put to the test. Some brands many want to up the ante with human associates who can work virtually with clients, or even create more “Employee Picks” boards for various product categories.
Another simple strategy the research suggested is letting those being shopped for curate their own ideas. For example, 72 per cent said wish lists make holiday shopping easier for everyone, a sentiment that rose to 79 per cent among Gen Z. Sixty nine per cent also said they like getting gifts from a wish list because they’re certain they will use them.
Deloitte’s ungated 29-page report is chock-full of helpful stats and data. Some of the other highlights include the rise of experiential gifts amid the holidays, how much consumers are spending hosting holiday get-togethers and how much big-box retailers are expected to see in terms of market share this year.
