Global research indicates festive consumption will be defined by gifting and enjoying meaningful experiences that start with a robust checkout

Shoppers are changing holiday traditions this festive season, with a new focus on enjoying and gifting meaningful experiences, according to global consumer research issued today by Paysafe (NYSE: PSFE), a leading payments platform. The ‘Inside the Wallet: Holiday Edition’ report also indicates that consumers gravitate towards merchants offering a flexible range of payment options, including digital wallets, and robust transactional security.

Surveying 8,500 consumers across the U.S., Brazil, the U.K., Germany, Canada, Bulgaria, and Ecuador, Paysafe’s latest research suggests strong demand for travel during the holidays. Shoppers are just as sophisticated when it comes to their holiday purchases, with growing appetite for omnichannel retail and social media shopping, even as their support for small and local businesses remains high.

The experience economy takes center stage

• Around half of consumers (49%) prefer gifting an experience – especially food, drink, travel, concerts and live entertainment – rather than a physical item, and 50% would like to receive an experience themselves.
• Video gaming gifts go digital: 64% of respondents agree that gift cards, such as PaysafeCard, are the most convenient way to treat a gamer.
• 44% of global consumers plan to travel during the holidays, including 16% internationally, signaling a strong return to seasonal mobility and experience-driven celebrations.
• A busy sports schedule is driving interest in online sports wager: almost a quarter (23%) of consumers plan to place a bet, with soccer the dominant sport worldwide (68%), American football leading in the U.S. (60%) and ice hockey topping Canadian preferences (53%).

Shopping habits shift

• 47% of consumers plan to shop well ahead of the season, while 20% intend to shop during the upcoming Black Friday weekend.
• Payment preferences are evolving - when asked about the payment methods they’d primarily use for festive holiday gift shopping, debit cards (46%) and credit cards (37%) are the top payment methods, but digital wallets (27%) and cash or eCash (27%) have gained traction, as well as local payment methods (LPMs, with 10%).
• Consumers are also embracing omnichannel retail experiences, with 34% splitting their purchases between online and in-store purchases, and, while online marketplaces are popular (19%), niche channels like social media are increasingly being used by younger demographics like Gen Z (11%).
• There is solid support for small businesses and independent retailers, with 69% of global consumers planning to buy from small businesses.

Security and convenience at the checkout

• Ease and assurance are non-negotiable: 49% of consumers have abandoned a cart because their preferred payment method wasn’t available and 46% have done the same due to concerns about the safety of their financial information.

"The holidays are shifting from shopping lists to memorable experiences," said Rob Gatto, Chief Revenue Officer at Paysafe. "From gifting a dream trip to the latest game, shoppers want every moment, from payment choice to enjoyment, to be seamless, secure, and meaningful."

From early shopping and travel plans to evolving payment preferences, the festive season is becoming more diverse and brings opportunities for merchants to connect with consumers in new ways. For additional takeaways from the research, as well as further guidance on how businesses should respond, download the full report here: Inside the Wallet: Holiday Edition | Paysafe

About the research

Paysafe’s ‘Inside the Wallet: Holiday Edition’ research report is based on a survey conducted on behalf of Paysafe by Sapio Research. The online survey, conducted September 2025, included responses from 8,500 consumers across Brazil, Bulgaria, Canada, Ecuador, Germany, Peru, the U.K., and the U.S., to examine how holiday shopping, payment preferences, and the experience economy are changing, focusing on online shoppers and the trends shaping their festive experiences.

The report can be downloaded here: Inside the Wallet: Holiday Edition | Paysafe

About Paysafe

Paysafe is a leading payments platform with an extensive track record of serving merchants and consumers in the global entertainment sectors. Its core purpose is to enable businesses and consumers to connect and transact seamlessly through industry-leading capabilities in payment processing, digital wallet, and online cash solutions. With 29 years of online payment experience, an annualized transactional volume of $152bn in 2024, and approximately 3,000 employees located in 12+ countries, Paysafe connects businesses and consumers across 260 payment types in 48 currencies around the world. Delivered through an integrated platform, Paysafe solutions are geared towards mobile-initiated transactions, real-time analytics and the convergence between brick-and-mortar and online payments. Further information is available at https://www.paysafe.com.

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