In-person and online holiday shopping tips

The 2025 holiday season was a record-breaker, with $257.8B spent online from Nov. 1 through Dec. 31, representing a 6.8% increase over the previous year.¹ If you’re part of this group, following the helpful holiday shopping hacks can help you cut through challenging aspects of finding the perfect gift for your family, friends, and coworkers.

Holiday shopping tips pointing you in the right direction can mean the difference between frustration and freedom from worry.

• To get the most out of in-store holiday shopping, download retailer apps for access to coupons, sale notifications, and cashback programs, and check for exclusive online sales before buying in person.
• If you’re holiday shopping online, check price history, holiday gift guides, and customer reviews online before making purchases.
• If you favor online shopping, optimize your experience with a separate email account for special offers, spend more on one site to take advantage of free shipping, and refer to recommended product lists from retailers. 

Tailored in-person and online shopping tips will equip you with the tools you need to pull off a successful holiday season.

In-store holiday shopping tips

The thought of going into a physical store over the holidays can be enough to stress you out, but it doesn’t have to be. In fact, you can find some of the best deals in-store, and you can make them even better with these hacks.

Store apps

Many stores have smartphone apps that can offer some significant benefits that aren’t widely advertised. These perks include cashback programs, coupons, and sale notifications. The catch is that, in many cases, you can only use these advantages in-store. It’s a way to draw customers in, and if you’re planning to do some of your shopping in person this holiday season, you should check around and see what perks the stores near you offer via their apps.

Also, look out for store loyalty programs and apps which can offer you freebies, sales and benefits just for being a customer.

Check a store’s online prices before buying

This tip might seem a bit odd. After all, wouldn’t a store’s in-store and online selections be the same price? Nope. Often companies have online sales and special pricing for online shopping.

When making a major gift purchase this holiday season, check both the retail and online stores to find the best price, especially if you’re budgeting for the holiday season. Also, if you’re traveling for a family gathering, you may want to have your gift delivered, especially if shipping is free.

Online holiday shopping tips

If you’re shopping online, getting the item to your door may take less energy. However, finding and purchasing it can be a nightmare. There are thousands of online retailers and figuring out how to get what you want at the lowest price is a challenging prospect. Shopping with these hacks in mind will make things a lot easier and help knock some cash off those gifts.

Check price history sites

There are services available that track the prices of online items over time. By checking these price history sites, you can see when you’re actually getting a deal and when you’re not. Most of them also have the option for you to set up alerts for when an item hits an all-time low price, which is extremely helpful.

Make a separate email account just for holiday shopping

Many sites offer coupons, exclusive deals, and other perks for signing up to their websites or newsletters. The catch is that you then get thousands of emails you don’t necessarily want. If you make a separate email just for holiday shopping, you can get these special offers without having to spend an hour unsubscribing to everything they send.

Having a separate email also centralizes all your receipts and shipping info. This tactic makes it easier to keep organized, especially if you’re ordering from multiple retailers.

Spend a bit more to get free shipping

Many sites offer free shipping if your purchase is over a certain amount. Sometimes it’s worth it to hit that amount, and sometimes it’s not depending on the shipping costs.

Before you commit to buying, go to your cart and check out your shipping costs. Say you’re buying an item that’s $34, and you need $35 for free shipping. It’s almost always going to be more cost-effective to buy a cheap thing to get over $35. Some sites will even let you search by price, so consider searching for “items under $2,” or whatever amount you need to qualify for free shipping.

Holiday gift guides

Online holiday gift guides can be a good way to find holiday tech gifts and other specialties. These guides often provide insight into what’s trending among hobby enthusiasts and for different relationship types. Even if you don’t find exactly which present you want, a good guide might give spark ideas for the perfect gift.

Use recommended product lists

Many online retailers have a helpful section on product pages that lists things like:

• People who bought this product bought…
• If you like this item, you’ll like…

These lists can help you connect the dots to find a great gift, even if you’re not going to buy from that particular website. Just find the product page for something you know someone likes and check out what is recommended. These features are meant to hook people who love the item on the product page. As such, they should point you in the right direction.

Pay attention to what people say

When it gets close to the holiday season, people are going to start to drop hints about what they want. Sometimes finding the best gift is as simple as listening. If someone close to you says they’re interested in something or they need something, jot down a note on your phone.

Holiday shopping FAQs

When should I start holiday shopping?

Start looking for deals in early October. For tech deals, like electronics and new smartphones, keep an eye out for new device launches, which may offer great deals.

When is the peak rush for holiday shopping?

The Saturday before Christmas is the busiest day for in-store shopping.

How long before Christmas can I ship an item?

Many online retailers stop offering delivery-before-Christmas guarantees between Dec. 20 and Dec. 23. If you need to wait to make your purchase, check well in advance to know when a retailer stops shipping for Christmas.

If you’re shipping through USPS or another shipping service, check for cut off times to where you’re shipping to.

What’s the return policy window for most purchases?

It depends on the retailer and, for some items, on the type of purchase and whether it was purchased on sale or clearance. Clearance items often cannot be returned.

The peak return period is the day after Christmas through January 2. And some retailers may require a restocking fee for certain items, so review return policies before you buy.

Get your holiday shopping done early. Check out our wireless deals, holiday gift guide, and great gifts in Black Friday and Cyber Monday shopping for everyone on your list.

Connecting changes everything, and we’re here to help keep you connected.

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¹Adobe for Business. “Winter’s here — and so are the holiday retail trends.” Accessed September 24, 2026. https://business.adobe.com/resources/holiday-shopping-report.html.