Consumers Plan to Spend Less This Holiday Season and Turn to Social for Entire Shopping Journey

Sprout Social’s Q3 2026 Pulse Survey shows tighter holiday budgets, heavier reliance on social platforms, and rising concern about AI deepfakes around elections.

Rhea-AI Summary

Sprout Social (SPT) released Q3 2026 Pulse Survey data showing many consumers plan to cut holiday spending and lean on social media throughout their shopping journey.

Amid tariff concerns and rising prices, 56% of consumers expect to reduce holiday spending, while 69% are worried about tariff-related price increases and 36% plan to shop earlier to avoid them. Social ties physical stores as the top gift discovery channel at 46% of all consumers, and is the leading discovery source for Gen Z at 54%. In addition, 57% of consumers are open to buying directly within social apps.

Promo codes from brands or influencers and product demonstration posts rank as the strongest purchase drivers, while targeted social ads are the least effective. For customer service, shoppers use TikTok (50%), Facebook (46%) and Instagram (44%), with 55% preferring direct messages, and 70% are comfortable with brands using AI tools for faster responses.

Beyond shopping, the survey shows social as a primary election news source for Millennials (38%) and Gen Z (33%), with 84% of voters concerned about AI-generated deepfakes.

News Explained

This release presents survey research from 2,286 social-media users in the United States, United Kingdom and Australia, surveyed from August 11 to August 18, 2026; its findings describe reported consumer intentions rather than Sprout Social’s own operating results.

Key Figures

Consumers reducing holiday spending: 56% Concern about tariff-related price increases: 69% Shopping earlier to avoid tariff-related increases: 36% +5 more

Consumers reducing holiday spending

56%

Q3 2026 Pulse Survey

Concern about tariff-related price increases

69%

Q3 2026 Pulse Survey

Shopping earlier to avoid tariff-related increases

36%

Q3 2026 Pulse Survey

Social media and physical stores tied for gift discovery

46%

All consumers

Gen Z product discovery on social media

54%

Gen Z consumers

Open to purchasing within social apps

57%

All consumers

Comfortable with AI-powered customer-care tools

70%

All consumers

Concern about AI-generated deepfakes

84%

Voters during the election cycle

Key Terms

social intelligence, deepfakes

2 terms

social intelligence technical

"a leading AI-powered Social Intelligence platform"

The ability to read, understand, and respond effectively to other people’s emotions, motivations, and social cues; it’s like having a reliable compass for navigating conversations, relationships, and group dynamics. For investors, social intelligence matters because it influences how company leaders handle negotiations, public statements, employee morale, and stakeholder trust—factors that affect execution, reputation, and ultimately a firm’s financial performance.

deepfakes technical

"concerned about encountering AI-generated deepfakes on social platforms"

Deepfakes are audio, video or image content created or altered by artificial intelligence to make people appear to say, do, or be somewhere they did not. They matter to investors because a convincing fake can trigger sudden market moves, enable fraud, manipulate sentiment, or harm a company’s reputation—similar to a counterfeit document or forged signature sparking real financial consequences and regulatory scrutiny.

AI-generated analysis. How Rhea-AI works. Not financial advice.

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Amid rising prices, holiday shoppers are tuning out ads and turning to social earlier for savings, according to new data from Sprout Social

CHICAGO, Sept. 16, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- According to new research from Sprout Social (NASDAQ: SPT), a leading AI-powered Social Intelligence platform, holiday shoppers are taking a more intentional approach to seasonal spending this year and relying on social media throughout their shopping experience. Amid tariff concerns and rising prices, Sprout Social's Q3 2026 Pulse Survey finds consumers are shopping earlier, seeking discounts, and prioritizing useful social content over targeted ads.

With more than half of consumers (56%) planning to reduce holiday spending because of broader economic conditions, shoppers are looking to make their budgets go further. Nearly 7 in 10 consumers (69%) are concerned about tariff-related price increases, and 36% say they plan to start shopping earlier specifically to avoid them. For brands, that doesn’t mean simply moving holiday campaigns up; it means earning shopper consideration sooner.

Social media is increasingly influencing purchasing decisions, which makes it a critical place to earn attention this holiday season. It has caught up to physical stores, tying as the leading destination for gift discovery among all consumers (46%) and emerging as the clear #1 place for Gen Z to discover products (54%). Social’s role extends beyond discovery and into a purchase platform, as 57% of consumers are open to purchasing directly within social apps.

The research also shows that consumers are looking for more useful content, like a deal or a product demonstration, rather than an influx of brand messaging. Promo codes shared by a company or an influencer are the top driver of holiday purchases followed by posts showing a product in action, while targeted social ads are the least effective driver.

"Because of a tighter economic climate, every purchase carries more weight, making it critical for brands to refine their messaging to ensure it is thoughtful and grounded," said Scott Morris, CMO at Sprout Social. "As marketers conduct final check-ins on their holiday campaigns, there is a real opportunity to bring alignment across every channel. Brands can support creator partners by encouraging them to keep education and utility at the forefront of their content, while preparing care teams for fast responses. Our data shows shoppers are using social for their entire holiday journey, and delivering genuine utility across that total presence helps brands maximize their ROI while building lasting trust."

Consumers are closing out their shopping journey on social by heading to platforms like TikTok (50%), Facebook (46%) and Instagram (44%) for customer service, and using direct messages as their preferred way to contact a brand (55%). To meet high expectations for customer care speed, 70% of consumers are comfortable with brands using AI-powered tools to deliver faster responses.

Beyond seasonal shopping, the Q3 2026 Pulse Survey highlights social media’s role in other timely events like upcoming elections:

• A new newsstand: Ahead of the 2026 midterms, social media serves as a primary news source, standing as the #1 channel for Millennials (38%) and Gen Z (33%).
• Politicians as influencers: Social posts from politicians have real influence with 55% of all consumers citing that a social post has informed or changed their opinion, while over half of Gen Z report actually changing their mind on an issue.
• Candidate followings: 45% of social users say they do not follow any politician on social media. Just over a quarter (26%) follow 1-2 politicians.
• Deepfake concerns: During the election cycle, 84% of voters are concerned about encountering AI-generated deepfakes on social platforms.

For more, including sentiment towards AI disclosure and how brands show up alongside online culture, access the full Q3 2026 Pulse Survey here.

About the data

This consumer survey was conducted online by Glimpse, a global market research firm, on behalf of Sprout Social. Participants included 2,286 social media users across the US, UK and Australia. The survey was conducted from August 11 2026 to August 18 2026.

About Sprout Social

Sprout Social is a leading AI-powered Social Intelligence platform, built on the belief that All Business is Social℠. Powered by Trellis, Sprout’s proprietary AI agent, the platform transforms real-time social media signals into actionable insights that drive business forward. Consistently recognized as a top software by G2, Sprout enables brands to deliver smarter, faster business impact through a suite of solutions including comprehensive publishing and engagement, customer care, influencer marketing, advocacy and predictive media intelligence. Sprout’s software operates across all major social networks and digital platforms. For more information about Sprout Social (NASDAQ: SPT), visit sproutsocial.com.

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Media Contact
Kaitlyn Gronek
Email: pr@sproutsocial.com
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FAQ

AI-generated questions and answers. How Rhea-AI works. Not financial advice.

What was the scope and timing of Sprout Social’s Q3 2026 Pulse Survey?

The consumer survey was conducted online by Glimpse on behalf of Sprout Social. It included 2,286 social media users across the US, UK and Australia, and was fielded from August 11, 2026 to August 18, 2026.

How engaged are consumers with politicians on social media, according to the survey?

The survey shows 45% of social users do not follow any politicians, while 26% follow 1–2 politicians. Overall, 55% of consumers say a social post from a politician has informed or changed their opinion, and over half of Gen Z report actually changing their mind on an issue based on such posts.