What consumers say they’ll do and what they actually do aren’t always the same.
In The Reality Check: 2025 Holiday Lookback, Attain connects consumer sentiment surveys with verified transaction data to reveal where holiday spending intentions aligned—and where they diverged.
Inside, you’ll uncover how discretionary categories remained resilient despite claimed cutbacks, why essentials saw unexpected pullbacks, how optimism outperformed income as a predictor of spend, and what steady in-season buying patterns mean for media planning. Most importantly, you’ll get clear, practical takeaways to help you validate intent, refine targeting, and ground your strategy in real consumer behavior—not assumptions.
