The Christmas tunes may start in November, but some shoppers have the holiday spirit as early as October.
More than half of holiday shoppers start to research gift ideas before Thanksgiving, and 26 percent of shoppers start before they even carve their pumpkins for Halloween, according to a Google's 2014 Holiday Shopper Intentions research. The earlier shopping season has retailers stretching their Black Friday deals through the month of November.
The time for shopping has also shifted into the later hours of the night. One third of shoppers searched Google for gift ideas between the hours of 10 p.m. and 4 a.m.
Google-owned YouTube also helps shoppers with product review videos and "haul" videos, which show what others bought or received for the holidays. Videos with "haul" in the title have received more than 1.1 billion views on YouTube and were up 1.7 times in 2014 compared to 2013. "Haul" video views spike on Black Friday and Christmas.
"Shoppers are going online for inspiration at all points of their day, not just to research specific products but to see what their friends and favorite influencers are wearing," Google said. "Sites like YouTube and Pinterest have become the new window displays."
The convenience of smartphones has changed the shopping experience for customers and retailers. Shoppers use their smartphones to educate them about products they see in stores and 75 percent of smartphone shoppers will use their phones in-store this holiday season. One in three shoppers will refer to their smartphones for product information rather than finding a sales associate.
The increased use of mobile devices won't discourage shoppers from making in-store purchases. Research found 46 percent of shoppers who use their phone will still buy items at the store.
The biggest in-store shopping days occur on Black Friday, the two weekends before Christmas and the day before Christmas Eve, according to Google. Online shopping spikes in the days around Cyber Monday and on Free Shipping Day.
