Holiday Audiences 2026: Reach Shoppers Before AI Builds Their Shortlist

This post was written by  Ofer Livne, Senior Director of Strategic Partnerships at Start.io.

The 2026 holiday season presents a substantial opportunity for advertisers across an extended shopping window, with U.S. online spending expected to reach $275.1 billion between Nov. 1 and Dec. 31, up 6.7% from last year. With October promotions already drawing shoppers into seasonal planning and purchases, earning consideration requires a presence well before Black Friday.

At the same time, how shoppers make their holiday shopping decisions will be substantially different this year compared to past holiday seasons. AI assistants are now being trusted to help shoppers find gifts, compare options, and plan celebrations before they ever visit a retailer’s site—if they do at all. For advertisers, that makes audience understanding and mobile app advertising increasingly valuable for reaching prospective customers while their choices are still taking shape.

Reach shoppers before the recommendation

AI assistants and platforms have solidified their place within the buyer journey, prompting a need to reconsider holiday campaign planning. For example, Google’s conversational shopping features bring product comparisons, prices, and buying options into AI Mode and the Gemini app. Shoppers can complete more research within a conversation, arriving at a retailer’s site with a shortlist already formed.

Furthermore, some research may never generate a website visit. A recent study found that Google AI Overviews were associated with a 58% lower average click-through rate for the top-ranking organic result, reinforcing the need to reach shoppers beyond search.

Make app advertising part of discovery

In-app advertising is becoming more important as AI reshapes search and the website visits that support traditional display advertising. When shoppers can research products and compare options within an AI response, brands have fewer opportunities to reach them through those visits. In-app media offers another point of connection during everyday mobile activity, including gaming, checking the weather, and using utility apps.

That shift gives in-app advertising a larger role in holiday discovery and consideration. Advertisers should use relevant audiences to introduce products before shoppers narrow their choices, with messages that connect each offer to a specific holiday need. Audience relevance and app context should guide placements; an app does not have to be about shopping to reach a shopper.

Those placements should lead to a simple next step on mobile. Gift ads should link to relevant products, and local offers should link to store details so shoppers can act while their interest is still fresh.

Build audience strategies around distinct shopping needs

In 2026, “holiday shoppers” is far too broad a description to guide audience investment. Advertisers need to distinguish among Thanksgiving grocery shoppers, seasonal decor and party supplies shoppers, Black Friday and Cyber Monday shoppers, broader discount shoppers, and mall visitors. Each group represents a different opportunity, with its own timing, shopping behaviors, and relevance to the advertiser’s business.

Mobile insights can provide a starting point for understanding those audiences and prioritizing the segments most likely to become customers. Advertisers should also account for overlap: a Thanksgiving host may be a discount shopper and a mall visitor, making coordinated reach and frequency management more valuable than treating every segment as a separate pool.

Extend audience planning across the channels that matter most

An audience strategy that begins with mobile insights should inform investment across the channels where shoppers continue to discover brands and consider purchases. CTV deserves particular attention as an opportunity to extend audience reach beyond mobile into a channel where decisions are still being shaped prior to the moment where consumers start asking their AI assistants for recommendations. 

Web and search should remain part of the campaign, with investments right-sized to their role in the changing shopping journey. A more holistic approach connects those channels with in-app and CTV advertising, balancing demand capture with opportunities to reach shoppers earlier. As the season progresses from Thanksgiving hosting to major sales events and last-minute purchases, advertisers should reassess audience priorities, channel allocations, and incremental reach.

Put your holiday audience plan into action: Lay the right foundation for your seasonal campaigns with Start.io’s holiday audiences: 132M Thanksgiving Grocery Shoppers, 16M Black Friday and Cyber Monday Shoppers, 106M Discount Shoppers, 113M Mall Visitors, and 12M Seasonal Decor and Party Supplies Shoppers. Contact Start.io here or reach out to marketing@start.io to identify the audiences that fit your objectives and build a holiday campaign around the people you want to reach, the needs you can meet, and the moments that matter for your business.