Curated News
By: NewsRamp Editorial Staff
September 22, 2026
Holiday Shopping Spikes Beyond Black Friday, Mailchimp Study Finds
TLDR
- Intuit Mailchimp's study shows first-time holiday buyers spend more, giving brands an edge by targeting new customers and optimizing SMS for higher returns.
- The report analyzes 44 billion emails and 83 million texts, revealing weekend order rates double weekday rates and SMS yields higher click and order rates.
- Understanding holiday shopping patterns helps businesses connect with new customers, fostering lasting relationships that benefit both consumers and brands beyond the holiday rush.
- Intuit Mailchimp's research found that weekend shoppers order twice as often despite fewer marketing messages, and texts get more clicks than emails.
Impact - Why it Matters
This research matters because it challenges the conventional wisdom that holiday shopping is concentrated on a few major promotional days. For businesses, it reveals that consumer activity peaks on weekends even when marketing messages drop, that SMS can drive outsized engagement, and that first-time customers are both valuable and likely to return. By understanding these patterns, companies can optimize their marketing strategies, allocate resources more effectively, and build lasting relationships with new customers acquired during the holidays. In a competitive retail landscape, these insights can mean the difference between a one-time sale and a loyal customer.
Summary
New research from Intuit Mailchimp, developed with Datalily, reveals that holiday shopping extends well beyond Black Friday and Cyber Monday. The Breaking Through Peak Season Noise report analyzed over 44 billion emails and 83 million text messages sent globally through Mailchimp from Halloween through New Year’s Eve 2025, uncovering surprising patterns in consumer behavior. One key finding: weekend order rates were twice weekday rates, even as brands sent roughly 60% fewer messages. On the Sunday between Black Friday and Cyber Monday, brands sent 59% fewer emails and 82% fewer text messages than on Black Friday, yet shopping activity remained strong. Text messaging also stood out, averaging a 15.7% click rate during BFCM weekend compared to 1.4% for email, and generating up to six times higher order rates at peak points. First-time customers played a major role, accounting for 59% of email-attributed orders and nearly 70% of SMS-attributed orders during BFCM weekend, with higher average order values than repeat buyers. Notably, 16.6% of these new customers made another purchase in the first quarter of 2026, with a median gap of 26 days. For businesses, these insights underscore the importance of strategic communication beyond major promotional days. To explore the full findings and interactive charts, visit Mailchimp’s Breaking Through Peak Season Noise report.
Source Statement
This curated news summary relied on content distributed by NewsUSA. Read the original source here, Holiday Shopping Spikes Beyond Black Friday, Mailchimp Study Finds
