For retailers and gift-card distributors, that is a useful indication of demand before the peak selling period. It is also a reminder that a popular product category does not automatically deliver a sale for any particular brand. The buyer still has to choose whose card to purchase, where to buy it and how much value to load.

The research arrives as the industry prepares its holiday ranges and distribution campaigns. Its central argument is that the commercial opportunity begins while consumers are deciding what to buy, rather than only when they reach the checkout. [S02]

What the 2026 gift-card figures actually measure

The Statista series, updated on September 16, reports purchase intentions collected in July 2026. Alongside gift cards and clothing, 46% of respondents selected toys or games, 38% electronics and 31% beauty supplies. Respondents could select more than one category. The figures therefore describe overlapping shopping plans, not competing shares of a single spending total. [S01]

Source

[S01] InMarket via Statista, September 2026

Multiple responses were allowed. These percentages describe purchase intentions, not completed purchases or shares of holiday spending. Only the five verified categories shown here are included.

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What US consumers plan to give for the 2026 holidays (%)
Category	Respondents planning to purchase
Clothing	65%
Gift cards	57%
Toys and games	46%
Electronics	38%
Beauty supplies	31%

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That distinction changes the business interpretation. A household can plan to buy both a gift card and clothing. The survey cannot be read as a revenue split between the two categories.

The more useful question for an issuer is whether it can convert category interest into preference for its particular card. For a distributor, the question is which brands, denominations and delivery options will match those preferences when the shopper is ready to pay. Those are different commercial decisions even when they draw on the same headline statistic.

Why the timing matters to gift-card sellers

InMarket divides the season into a period of planning and consideration, the Thanksgiving-to-Cyber-Monday promotion window, and the final days before Christmas. Its report pairs a new consumer survey with earlier transaction evidence. The survey was fielded in July 2026 with sample support from Kantar; the separate commerce analysis covers June 2025 through February 2026. Those historical transactions are context for this season, not observations of Christmas 2026 sales. [S02]

The practical implication is a two-stage selling problem. An

Gift cards are heading into the 2026 US holiday season with broad consumer interest, but the commercial contest is about more than a last-minute purchase. InMarket 's latest holiday research, released in September and published by Statista , puts gift cards on the planned shopping lists of 57% of respondents, behind clothing at 65%. [S01] For retailers and gift-card distributors, that is a useful indication of demand before the peak selling period. It is also a reminder that a popular product category does not automatically deliver a sale for any particular brand. The buyer still has to choose whose card to purchase, where to buy it and how much value to load. The research arrives as the industry prepares its holiday ranges and distribution campaigns. Its central argument is that the commercial opportunity begins while consumers are deciding what to buy, rather than only when they reach the checkout. [S02] What the 2026 gift-card figures actually measure The Statista series, updated on September 16, reports purchase intentions collected in July 2026. Alongside gift cards and clothing, 46% of respondents selected toys or games, 38% electronics and 31% beauty supplies. Respondents could select more than one category. The figures therefore describe overlapping shopping plans, not competing shares of a single spending total. [S01] What US consumers plan to give for the 2026 holidays Five reported gift categories from a July 2026 consumer survey, published in September 2026. Respondents planning to purchase Clothing: 65 % Gift cards: 57 % Toys and games: 46 % Electronics: 38 % Beauty supplies: 31 % Multiple responses were allowed. These percentages describe purchase intentions, not completed purchases or shares of holiday spending. Only the five verified categories shown here are included. [S01] InMarket via Statista, September 2026 Download the chart data as CSV That distinction changes the business interpretation. A household can plan to buy both a gift card and clothing. The survey cannot be read as a revenue split between the two categories. The more useful question for an issuer is whether it can convert category interest into preference for its particular card. For a distributor, the question is which brands, denominations and delivery options will match those preferences when the shopper is ready to pay. Those are different commercial decisions even when they draw on the same headline statistic. Why the timing matters to gift-card sellers InMarket divides the season into a period of planning and consideration, the Thanksgiving-to-Cyber-Monday promotion window, and the final days before Christmas. Its report pairs a new consumer survey with earlier transaction evidence. The survey was fielded in July 2026 with sample support from Kantar ; the separate commerce analysis covers June 2025 through February 2026. Those historical transactions are context for this season, not observations of Christmas 2026 sales. [S02] The practical implication is a two-stage selling problem. An

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