Canadian holiday shopping is starting earlier than ever. Accenture’s 20th annual holiday survey finds 81% of Canadian shoppers plan to start buying before Black Friday and Cyber Monday — up dramatically from 47% last year. Average gift spending is about C$717, down nearly 4%, with 44% planning to buy at mass merchants or warehouse clubs.
The early start is a budgeting strategy: spreading purchases across months softens the December hit.
The Early-Bird Economy
The jump from 47% to 81% early shoppers in a single year is staggering — and it changes the retail calendar. Accenture’s data shows 16% of consumers had already started shopping before August, nearly double last year’s share. The holiday season no longer begins in November; it begins in summer.
Generative AI is now part of the hunt: 39% of shoppers using AI expect it to find deals, and 31% use it to compare options. Value, savings, and effort reduction top the wish list — retail loyalty ranks far behind at 8%.
Where the Money Goes
Gift cards and vouchers lead at 54% of shoppers, followed by food and beverage treats (51%) and clothing (47%). The tilt toward mass merchants and warehouse clubs shows price calling the shots.
For retailers, the message is blunt: an assortment that goes live in December is already late. For shoppers, the early start is permission to buy the good gift when you see it — waiting for Black Friday may mean missing it entirely.
Technology is rewiring the hunt. Accenture found 39% of AI-using shoppers expect the tools to find deals and 31% use them to compare options — with value and savings ranking far above retail loyalty (just 8%) as the expected benefit. That means retailers are increasingly competing inside someone else’s chatbot, where clear pricing and detailed product pages win. Gift cards remain the resilient choice at 54% of shoppers — the ultimate hedge when budgets are tight and tastes are uncertain. For shoppers, the 2026 playbook writes itself: start early, let AI do the comparing, and when in doubt, give the gift card. For retailers, the window to be discovered is now, not December.
Related: Black Friday 2026 — Nov. 27 Dates and When Deals Really Start
Related: Holiday Spending 2026 to Top $1 Trillion, NRF Forecasts
