New Jersey Ranks in Top 1.5% in Early Holiday Shopping
Right about the time you begin to pack away your Halloween decorations and costumes, the holiday focus will move to a merry one. In fact, in the state of New…
A man walks through a Christmas store with tree decorations, nut crackers, train sets, toys, and life-size Christmas figures.
(Photo by Joe Raedle/Getty Images)Right about the time you begin to pack away your Halloween decorations and costumes, the holiday focus will move to a merry one.
In fact, in the state of New Jersey, that focus is already starting to take shape. According to a new study by Gourmet Gift Baskets, New Jersey’s interest in early holiday shopping is ranked high among other states in the analysis.
The Garden State ranks third in the nation for early gift shopping interest. Surprisingly, we followed right behind our commonwealth neighbors, New York and Pennsylvania, first and second on the list, respectively.
Their findings revealed that last year’s gift search interest across the country peaked 38 days before Christmas in 2024. That’s about ten days earlier than in 2023.
If that trend continues, the holiday shopping interest will kick in about November 1st. The day after Halloween, and the day before we fall back from Daylight Saving Time.
When Early Shoppers Begin Their Holiday Shopping
According to company CEO Ryan Abood, “We’ve known anecdotally for years that consumers all over the country are starting their holiday shopping earlier each year. Taking a close look at the data proves that searching for a great holiday gift might soon be a year-round quest.”
The report states, “Early shoppers kick off in September with personalized gift categories like 'Gifts for her,' 'Gifts for him,' and 'Fruit baskets,' starting in mid-September.”
It's true, many people not only start their holiday shopping early, but some shop year-round. I’m guilty of it. If I see something for a friend or family member as early as the Spring, I’ll grab it and save it for a Christmas gift.
Sometimes my clever plan will backfire because I forget about the gift and buy them another one. Then I’ll discover it long after the holiday. One gift I planned for my mom seemed like a good idea, but once the holidays rolled around, it wasn’t.
States rounding out the top ten in earliest holiday shopping interest are Ohio, Michigan, Missouri, Wisconsin, Tennessee, Virginia, and Georgia.
Check out the full study here.
