Black Shoppers approaching holidays with side-eye toward businesses that don’t support like-minded causes

By Arkansas Black Vitality Staff

Nov. 25, 2025 — As a record number of shoppers are expected to hit retail venues this extended Thanksgiving and Black Friday weekend, black consumers are blending celebration with self-care, indulgence, and value-driven decision-making.

Earlier this year, Global measurement company Nielsen released its annual report, Engaging Black Audiences: How brands impact, grow and win with inclusion, noted that since 2000, the Black Americans’ buying power has grown 2.4 times since 2000 to $2.1 trillion. That buying power has more than doubled as diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) measures are under attack as top companies, including Walmart, Target, Amazon, and McDonald’s, have walked back initiatives implemented in 2020 after the murder of George Floyd.

Making matters worse, hours after President Donald Trump’s inauguration on Jan. 20, he delivered another significant blow to DEI initiatives by signing executive orders that ceased funding and disbanded staff within federal agencies. DEI changes aside, companies shouldn’t take policy changes as a cue to slack on attracting and retaining Black consumers, says Charlene Polite Corley, VP of Diverse Insights and Partnerships at Nielsen.

According to Nielsen, more than two-thirds of the nation’s 48.2 million Black shoppers will seek out alternatives if a brand doesn’t align with the causes they care about, including supporting Black businesses and DEI.

“It’s not necessarily business as usual,” said Corley. “But there are opportunities to still do business.” For a consumer base set to control $2 trillion in buying power, she adds, “It’s worth continuing to deepen our understanding of how to connect with Black folks in this country.”

Meanwhile, a record 186.9 million people are planning to shop from Thanksgiving Day through Cyber Monday this year, according to the consumer survey released today by the National Retail Federation and Prosper Insights & Analytics. The figure is up more than 3 million total shoppers from the previous record of 183.4 million last year.

“The holidays are an important part of many consumers’ budgets, and that trend is especially true this season,” NRF Vice President of Industry and Consumer Insights Katherine Cullen said. “As a record number of shoppers are expected this Thanksgiving weekend, retailers are prepared to meet the needs of consumers with great value and convenience.”

While promotions will span the entire five-day holiday weekend, Black Friday remains the most popular day to shop, with 70% of shoppers (130.4 million). The second most popular day remains Cyber Monday, with 40% (73.9 million) of consumers expected to shop the Monday following Thanksgiving. Of the 36% (67 million) of potential Saturday shoppers, 80% say they are considering shopping in order to support local businesses and Small Business Saturday.

“Many Americans consider shopping to be an important part of their Thanksgiving holiday and one of the best ways to get deals on gifts,” Prosper Insights & Analytics Executive Vice President of Strategy Phil Rist said. “Of those planning to take advantage of sales, over half say it’s because the deals are too good to pass up. Others point to the tradition or simply say they like to start their holiday shopping during the long weekend.”

As of early November, 58% of consumers said they have already started their holiday shopping, in line with the last five years. On average, holiday shoppers have completed around one-quarter (26%) of their planned purchases.

The top items consumers plan to gift are clothing and accessories (50%), gift cards (43%) and toys (32%). The leading sources of inspiration continue to be online search (41%), friends and family (35%), within a retail store (28%) and wish lists (23%).

Total gift card spending is expected to reach $29.1 billion, up from $28.6 billion in 2024. Consumers plan to purchase between three to four gift cards and expect to spend an average of $171.32 per person. Restaurants remain the most popular gift card type (27%), followed by bank-issued cards (25%), department stores (25%) and coffee shops (20%).

For the fifth consecutive year, debit cards (44%) remain the most popular payment method for purchasing holiday gifts, followed by credit cards at 37% and cash at 16%. Fifty-nine percent of consumers plan to use digital wallets and apps, in line with recent years.

About two-thirds (67%) plan to embrace the spirit of giving and engage in at least one charitable activity, with the top ways to give including donating financially to a charity or cause (32%), donating items to a charity or cause (31%) or purchasing from retailers or brands that donate to social causes (20%).

The survey asked 8,000 adult consumers about their holiday shopping plans. It was conducted Oct. 31-Nov. 6 and has a margin of error of plus or minus 1.1 percentage points.

Earlier this month, NRF forecast that holiday spending is expected to surpass $1 trillion for the first time during November and December, with sales predicted to grow between 3.7% and 4.2% over 2024. The amount translates to total spending between $1.01 trillion and $1.02 trillion.