October 2, 2025
3 read min
45% of Respondents Are Extremely or Very Concerned That Global Trade Issues Will Affect Their Ability to Find the Products They Want to Purchase During the 2025 Holiday Season
Approximately a Quarter of Americans Have Not Recently Purchased a Clothing, Electronic or Grocery Item They Need to Want Due to Current Economic Conditions
DALLAS, Oct. 2, 2025 – o9, a leading enterprise AI software platform provider for transforming planning and decision-making, today released a new survey at its Growth Leaders Summit 2025 that reveals how American consumers’ perceptions of tariffs and the current economic climate may impact their 2025 holiday season purchasing behavior.
The U.S. Shopper Spotlight: o9 Consumer Survey 2025, in collaboration with TEAM LEWIS, found that 45% of 1,000 Americans surveyed between Aug. 18-22, 2025 are extremely concerned or very concerned about global trade issues affecting their ability to find the products they want to purchase during the upcoming holidays. Across the board, about one out of five Americans said they have not recently purchased a product they need or want from the following categories due to the current economic climate: clothing (24%), groceries (22%), and electronics (21%). When they do make a purchase, 75% of Americans agree that they are more likely to buy based on a need and 55% will usually wait until the product is on sale.
Regarding overall holiday spend, nearly one in three (32%) of survey respondents said they plan to cut back due to tariffs or trade restrictions, while 31% indicated they will switch to lower-cost brands or products. More than two in five (42%) of Americans said quality or durability would make them purchase a more expensive item from one brand over one that’s less expensive from another brand.
Imported goods will also be impacted during the holidays, according to the survey. Half of the respondents believe the rise in prices for everyday items within the last six months is a result of new or ongoing tariffs, and that the products most impacted by tariffs or trade-related supply chain issues are electronics (36%), food and beverage items (35%), and cars and automotive goods (31%). Just over a quarter (26%) of Americans plan to buy fewer imported goods this holiday season, while 43% said their decision to buy imported products depends on the price difference. Twenty-seven percent say they’d still purchase the product even if it’s more expensive due to tariffs.
Overall, the o9 survey demonstrated that American spending habits are shifting in response to rising costs and uncertainty, with consumers looking to adopt more value-driven shopping habits that balance affordability with quality ahead of the 2025 holiday season. While the survey focused on U.S. shoppers, consumers across other markets are facing similar challenges. To cater to these evolving demands while maintaining profitability, brands everywhere must understand price sensitivity across various product categories and consumer segments. Those that embrace technology, data analytics and agile decision-making will be best positioned to thrive in a changing trade environment. AI-powered platforms like the o9 Digital Brain offer real-time scenario planning, advanced price sensitivity analysis and supply chain optimization, allowing companies to transform market challenges into opportunities.
“Tariffs in their current form are being used more unpredictably and aggressively than in decades past, and our new shopper spotlight survey reflects the impact of that among American consumers,” said Adam Ben-Yousef, Senior Vice President, Revenue Growth Management, o9. “Despite today’s uncertain economic environment, brands that can connect pricing, promotions and portfolio strategy with real consumer behavior are better equipped to navigate tariff volatility with clarity and control. With the right data, tools and collaboration in place, companies can make smarter tradeoffs, strengthen brand equity and deliver value in ways that last far beyond the 2025 holiday season, regardless of what the market throws their way.”
To learn more about o9, visit www.o9solutions.com.
About the authors
o9
The Digital Brain Platform
o9 Solutions is a leading Enterprise Knowledge and AI-powered platform helping companies build Agile, Adaptive & Autonomous Planning & Execution Models for transforming enterprise decision-making in environments of rising volatility and uncertainty. Whether it is improving forecast accuracy, matching demand and supply and driving collaboration across the multi-tier supply chain to improve resilience at optimal costs and inventory, or optimizing new product and commercial initiatives to drive revenue growth and margins, decision-making processes from long-range to tactical to execution horizon can be made faster and smarter and connected on o9’s Digital Brain Platform.
o9 brings together game-changing technology innovations — such as innovative enterprise knowledge graph modeling, big data analytics, advanced algorithms for forecasting, demand/supply balancing, scenario planning, real time learning, collaboration, generative and agentic AI, easy-to-use interfaces and cloud-based delivery, and innovative management methods — as well as organization, process and change management best practices to transform decision-making speed and intelligence.
