Meta has published new festive shopping insights for 2026, based on a survey conducted with Ipsos in November 2025 of 14,473 festive shoppers across 18 countries in North America, Latin America, Europe and Asia-Pacific. The findings reveal that social commerce is accelerating, AI is changing how shoppers search and creators have become trusted shopping advisors, although triggers, timelines and channels vary dramatically by region.

Social is a main shopping channel

• Across all 18 markets, 37% of festive shoppers use social media for gift discovery and inspiration. That puts it on a par with search engines (41%) and ahead of TV advertising (27%). The figure rises to 44% in Latin America and 50% in APAC.
• Festive shoppers turn to social media to generate ideas rather than to find a specific product they already have in mind. They discover products through unboxings, creator reviews or seeing items used in a real context.
• “Social shoppers” are more commercially engaged than the average festive shopper. 49% intend to increase spending year-on-year, compared with 36% overall. They shop across more product categories (5.4 vs 4.3 on average) and are more likely to self-gift (83% vs 67%).
• Social shoppers also place greater value on product quality, brand reputation and online reviews than the general population.

From inspiration to transaction: how social drives in-store purchases

• 78% of global festive shoppers who use Facebook, Instagram or WhatsApp have purchased products directly on those apps.
• 85% of social shoppers have bought something in-store after seeing it on social media, and 29% do so frequently.
• The most influential content types for driving store visits are high-quality product photography and video (47%), ads for in-store promotions (46%) and user-generated content (39%).
• Shoppers use social media to verify quality (46%), check whether a product lives up to expectations (42%) and examine specific features (31%).

Creators have become shopping companions

• 94% of social shoppers look to creators for festive shopping guidance, and 57% say creator content is likely to influence their actual purchases.
• What shoppers want from creators is practical rather than aspirational: product reviews (44%), help finding the best deals and discounts (44%), exclusive promo codes (35%) and product demos (34%).

AI is already part of the shopping journey

• Nearly one in four (23%) global shoppers use AI for festive shopping, rising to 30% in APAC. That puts AI ahead of established channels such as coupon websites and email newsletters for promotional discovery.
• Shoppers turn to AI when festive shopping feels most overwhelming: generating gift ideas, comparing products across categories, processing reviews at scale and choosing for people whose preferences they don’t fully know.
• 59% of shoppers wish they didn’t have to spend as much time finding the right product.

Messaging is both a commerce channel and a support tool

• Globally, 59% of social shoppers have messaged a business directly. Their primary channels are Messenger (33%), Instagram (33%) and WhatsApp (16%).
• Shoppers message businesses for convenience (35%), faster response than other methods (20%) and reliability (13%).
• Messaging is used across the entire purchase journey, from discovering products (33%) to adding to basket (27%) and paying for a purchase (26%). Customer service ranks only fifth.
• In Latin America, WhatsApp is where shoppers browse, ask questions and complete purchases. APAC shoppers are the most likely to message businesses overall.

Key recommendations for brands

• Invest in discovery, not just conversion – Reach social shoppers both when they are finding products and when they are buying them.
• Visibly signal quality – Surface customer reviews, ratings and third-party endorsements directly in ad creative rather than burying them on a product page.
• Design for cross-category shoppers – Use consistent creative systems and shoppable catalogues to reduce the friction between “that looks interesting” and “I’m buying this”.

For more information, visit facebook.com.