n=1,025 U.S. adults · Fielded October 6–9, 2026
69% of holiday shoppers plan to shop online on Black Friday 2026 (Nov. 27th), and 28% plan to shop in stores, according to the Drive Research survey of 1,405 U.S. adults. The Black Friday shoppers in our survey are working with smaller budgets, starting later in the day, and questioning whether the deals are real.
We’ve tracked Black Friday plans since 2020. Here’s how this year’s Black Friday shoppers are approaching the day, from what they’ll spend to where they’ll shop.
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69% of holiday shoppers plan to shop Black Friday deals online this year, down from 71% in 2025 and 75% in 2024. That ends a long climb: online Black Friday participation rose 21 points between 2020 and 2024 before slipping two years in a row.
28% of holiday shoppers plan to shop in stores on Black Friday, within a point of the 27% to 29% range we’ve seen since 2023. In-store shopping bounced back after 2020 and has stayed remarkably stable since, even as online participation has risen and fallen.
32% of Black Friday shoppers say online Black Friday offers the best deals of the year, and another 17% pick in-person Black Friday. That puts Black Friday well ahead of Amazon Prime Day (26%) among the people who actually plan to shop it, and slightly ahead of 2025, when about 44% chose a Black Friday option.
Event with the best deals of the year | % of Black Friday shoppers |
|---|---|
Online Black Friday | 32% |
Amazon Prime Day | 26% |
In-person Black Friday | 17% |
Cyber Monday | 12% |
Walmart Holiday Deals | 8% |
Target Circle Week | 3% |
18% of Black Friday shoppers typically spend $1,000 or more on holiday shopping, down 6 points from last year. The lower end is growing: 35% now spend less than $400, up from 29% in 2025.
41% of Black Friday shoppers expect to spend less on holiday shopping than they did last year, up from 31% in 2025. Another 37% plan to spend about the same, and 19% expect to spend more.
68% of Black Friday shoppers who are cutting back point to rising grocery costs, up from 57% in 2025. Rising living costs remain the top reason at 76% (up from 70%), followed by inflation at 61% (up from 54%). Job uncertainty is also on the rise, cited by 26% compared with 20% last year.
59% of Black Friday shoppers plan to put holiday purchases on a credit card, followed by debit cards (53%) and cash (47%). 22% plan to use Buy Now, Pay Later services like Affirm, Klarna or Afterpay. Among those using a credit card, 48% expect to pay the bill in full when it’s due, while 18% expect to need one to two months and 14% three to five months.
34% of Black Friday shoppers feel pressured to spend more on holiday gifts than they can comfortably afford. For 19%, last year’s holidays still haven’t paid off: they say they’re still feeling the financial effects of last year’s spending.
78% of Black Friday shoppers say they shop Black Friday weekend to take advantage of special discounts, and 67% want to buy items they’ve been waiting on at a lower price. Another 41% use it to start or finish their holiday shopping, and 39% want to avoid the rush closer to Christmas.
32% of Black Friday shoppers plan to use the weekend to buy big-ticket items that are usually expensive, down from 39% in 2025. It’s the largest drop among the reasons shoppers give, and it fits the tighter budgets above: shoppers still want deals, just on smaller purchases.
21% of Black Friday shoppers say they take part for the excitement and tradition of the shopping events. For most people, Black Friday is a practical errand now, not an outing. They show up for a specific deal on a specific item, and the thrill of the doorbuster is a much smaller draw.
64% of Black Friday shoppers believe retailers raise prices ahead of Black Friday so the discounts aren’t real discounts, and 72% say the deals aren’t nearly as good as they used to be.
Shoppers’ instincts aren’t far off: during Cyber Week 2025, peak online discounts topped out at 31% for electronics, 28% for toys and 25% for apparel, while furniture and appliances peaked at 19%, according to Adobe Analytics.
“Black Friday used to sell itself on the date alone. Now shoppers show up with a price tracker in one hand and a healthy dose of doubt in the other. The retailers who win will be the ones who show their math: what the item sold for last month and what the customer actually saves today.”
50% of holiday shoppers who plan to skip every Cyber Week shopping day say they don’t like crowds, about the same as 52% in 2025. Others say there’s nothing they want to buy (25%) or they don’t want to spend money (23%). Only 10% call the shopping events a scam, compared with 12% in 2025.
29% of in-person Black Friday shoppers plan to start shopping on Thanksgiving Day, down from 33% in 2025 and 35% in 2024. The biggest drop is Thanksgiving night: 12% plan to start between 6 p.m. and midnight, compared with 19% in each of the past two years.
27% of in-person Black Friday shoppers plan to start between 5 and 10 a.m. on Friday, more than any other window, though down from 30% in each of the past two years. Overall, 44% will be out before 5 a.m. Friday.
28% of in-person Black Friday shoppers now plan to start after 10 a.m. on Friday, up from 21% in 2025. That includes 21% starting between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. and 8% waiting until the afternoon. Black Friday is becoming a more relaxed, daytime trip for a growing share of shoppers.
31% of Black Friday shoppers say they usually have all of their holiday shopping done by Black Friday: 10% finish before Thanksgiving and 21% wrap up right after Black Friday. For nearly a third of these shoppers, Black Friday isn’t the start of the season. It’s the finish line.
71% of in-person Black Friday shoppers plan to shop at Walmart, the same share for the third straight year. No other retailer comes close in stores, and Walmart’s lead over second place has widened from 4 points in 2024 to 16 points this year.
55% of in-person Black Friday shoppers plan to visit Target, down from 67% in 2024. Most of that drop happened last year, and Target has held at about 55% since. Kohl’s has kept sliding, from 39% in 2024 to 37% in 2025 and 33% this year, and Marshalls has fallen from 28% to 19% over the same period.
“Walmart has held the same share of in-store Black Friday shoppers for three years while nearly every competitor has lost ground. When budgets are tight, shoppers stick with the stores they already trust to have low prices, and they’re less willing to make extra stops.”
71% of in-person Black Friday shoppers plan to shop at Walmart, the same share for the third straight year. No other retailer comes close in stores, and Walmart’s lead over second place has widened from 4 points in 2024 to 16 points this year.
55% of in-person Black Friday shoppers plan to visit Target, down from 67% in 2024. Most of that drop happened last year, and Target has held at about 55% since. Kohl’s has kept sliding, from 39% in 2024 to 37% in 2025 and 33% this year, and Marshalls has fallen from 28% to 19% over the same period.
93% of Black Friday shoppers buying online plan to shop on Amazon, essentially unchanged from 94% in 2025. Walmart remains a distant second at 60%, followed by Target at 44%.
44% of online Black Friday shoppers plan to shop at Target, down from 49% in 2025. Macy’s fell further, from 25% to 19%, and Old Navy, Sephora and Kohl’s each lost 4 to 5 points. Best Buy (up 3 points to 28%) and Sam’s Club (up 3 points to 16%) are the notable gainers.
12% of online Black Friday shoppers plan to buy from TikTok Shop and 11% from Temu, on par with Home Depot and ahead of Lowe’s (8%) and Wayfair (7%). Etsy (11%) and Shein (10%) are close behind. These marketplaces still trail the big retailers, but they’ve become a real part of the Black Friday shopping list.
80% of in-person Black Friday shoppers plan to buy clothing and accessories, unchanged from 2025. Electronics hold second place at 70%, also flat. Online Black Friday shoppers have similar priorities, with 74% planning to buy clothing and accessories and 63% electronics.
38% of in-person Black Friday shoppers plan to buy health and beauty products, down from 45% in 2025. Online, the drop is the same size: 36% of online Black Friday shoppers plan to buy health and beauty, down from 43%.
63% of online Black Friday shoppers plan to buy electronics, down from 69% in 2025, and toys fell from 45% to 39%. Clothing held up better online, slipping just 3 points to 74%.
38% of in-person Black Friday shoppers plan to buy household appliances, compared with 29% of online Black Friday shoppers. The same in-store edge shows up for furniture (26% vs. 18%), fitness equipment (24% vs. 15%) and household necessities like groceries and cleaning supplies (38% vs. 31%).
74% of Black Friday shoppers say free shipping influences where they shop, and another 74% say promotions and sales do. Product availability rounds out the top three at 59%.
47% of Black Friday shoppers want guaranteed delivery before the holidays, compared with 43% who care about fast shipping, which fell 7 points from 50% in 2025. Shoppers don’t need their order tomorrow. They need to know it will arrive in time.
40% of Black Friday shoppers say loyalty programs or membership benefits help decide where they shop, more than cite online reviews (37%). For retailers with a membership program, Black Friday is a natural time to remind shoppers what it’s worth.
4% of Black Friday shoppers say AI-powered shopping assistance affects where they buy, down from 9% in 2025. Shoppers may use AI to look for deals, but very few let it decide where they spend.
53% of online Black Friday shoppers prefer to shop on a smartphone, compared with 36% who prefer a desktop or laptop. Retailer apps are gaining: 30% prefer shopping in an app, up from 27% in 2025, while 23% prefer a mobile browser, down from 26%.
57% of Black Friday shoppers find deals on retailer websites and 53% through promotional emails. Websites, social media ads, blogs and organic social posts each fell 6 points from 2025. AI tools like ChatGPT and Gemini are the only channel to grow, edging up from 10% to 12%.
Survey Methodology
Drive Research surveyed 1,405 U.S. adults about their 2026 holiday shopping plans. Fieldwork was conducted October 6 to 9, 2026. At a 95% confidence level, a sample of this size carries a margin of error of approximately ±3 percentage points.
Black Friday shopper results are based on the 1,025 respondents planning to shop Black Friday in person or online, including 383 in-person shoppers and 961 shopping online on Black Friday or Cyber Monday. Comparisons to 2025 use the same Black Friday shopper group from our 2025 survey (n=956).
69% of holiday shoppers plan to shop online on Black Friday in 2026, and 28% plan to shop in stores. Online participation peaked at 75% in 2024 and has dipped each year since, while in-store shopping has stayed near 28%.
$400 to $599 is the most common holiday budget, chosen by 24% of Black Friday shoppers. 18% typically spend $1,000 or more, down from 24% in 2025, and 41% expect to spend less than last year.
The busiest start time is 5 to 10 a.m. on Friday, chosen by 27% of in-person Black Friday shoppers. Another 29% start on Thanksgiving Day, down from 35% in 2024, and 44% are out before 5 a.m. Friday.
In stores, Walmart leads with 71% of in-person Black Friday shoppers, followed by Target at 55%. Online, 93% of Black Friday shoppers plan to buy from Amazon, with Walmart second at 60%.
Clothing and accessories top the list for 80% of in-person Black Friday shoppers and 74% of online Black Friday shoppers. Electronics come second at 70% in stores and 63% online.
Nearly half of Black Friday shoppers say Black Friday, online or in stores, has the best deals of the year, compared with 26% for Amazon Prime Day. Still, 64% suspect retailers raise prices beforehand, so it pays to check an item’s recent price history before buying.
Crowds are the top reason. Among holiday shoppers skipping every Cyber Week shopping day, 50% say they don’t like crowds, 25% say there’s nothing they want to buy and 23% don’t want to spend money.
Suggested citation: Drive Research, 2026 Black Friday Survey (n= 1,025 Black Friday shoppers, fielded October 6–9, 2026).
Media contact: Emily Rodgers, Director of Marketing | [email protected]
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