The path to purchase just got significantly shorter | MarTech

Every year, marketers analyze performance data from the holiday shopping season to understand how consumers buy and where marketing strategies are working. While sales growth always draws attention, the most valuable insights often come from how purchases are made rather than the amount spent, which contradicts last year’s pessimistic forecasts.

Despite persistent concerns about inflation, tariffs and broader economic uncertainty, consumer demand remained resilient. Retail sales from Thanksgiving through Cyber ​​Monday rose 4.1% year over year, while online sales grew 10.4% compared to the previous year, according to Mastercard details.

These results reinforce a known pattern: external pressures have not significantly slowed consumer spending. What has changed is the way consumers go from interest to purchase. Holiday data confirms that purchases are shifting to the top of the funnel, compressing discovery, consideration and conversion into one moment. This shift will change the way brands need to think about spend, effort and efficiency by 2026.

Purchasing ends up earlier in the funnel

In previous years, most holiday revenue was generated by bottom-of-the-funnel activities. Brands relied heavily on retargeting, email follow-ups, and repeat exposure to convert buyers who had been researching products for weeks.

This year, a larger proportion of purchases took place with fewer contact moments. For thousands of our ecommerce customers, conversions increasingly occurred at or near first exposure, without buyers having to conduct the kind of research that extends decision-making.

Facebook and Instagram saw strong growth in customer investment compared to other channels, largely because discovery and conversion happen in the same environment. Improved targeting reaches high-intent buyers earlier, and familiar checkout options reduce friction, enabling instant purchases.

Meanwhile, e-commerce platforms have amplified this behavior. Standardized checkout experiences have reduced the hesitation that once slowed early-stage conversions. Consumers no longer need to build trust over time before completing a purchase, when the purchasing experience feels familiar and low-friction.

Dig deeper: How AI agents shaped the record-breaking 2025 holiday season

Your action plan for the first quarter of 2026

Historically, marketers have been hesitant to move up because of inefficiencies. Acquiring high-funnel buyers required significantly more ad spend, reducing return on ad spend.

Today, advanced targeting and near-universal checkout experiences have created an environment where the top funnel is profitable. Here’s how marketers can adapt in early 2026.

Step 1: Ensure mobile readiness

You already understand the importance of mobile-first strategies. It is essential to track the percentage of purchases made on mobile devices. This metric is a critical indicator of e-commerce success and will determine many decisions about how you sell online.

Step 2: Don’t neglect table stakes technology

Check out the basics of the website. Make sure your ecommerce platform includes the features customers expect. BNPL options like Klarna or Affirm, digital wallet integrations like Apple Pay, Google Pay, and PayPal, and review aggregators like Shopper Approved are no longer optional. They are basic requirements for running an e-commerce business.

Dig deeper: Just after the holidays, Mailchimp is introducing new e-commerce features

Step 3: Start moving up the funnel

Once your website is optimized, start expanding the funnel. Top-funnel advertising on platforms like Meta is highly visual, making high-quality brand imagery essential for marketing content.

For teams without dedicated designers, tools like Google’s Imagen can help create branded creative efficiently. Marketers can then use Meta’s advanced targeting capabilities to test a broader audience that hasn’t yet interacted with the brand.

Step 4: Invest in email marketing

Don’t abandon proven channels. Email continues to perform strongly. Our customers saw a 30% to 40% year-over-year increase in email sales during last year’s holiday season. Brands that ignore this channel risk losing sales to competitors who prioritize it.

Step 5: Monitor AI, but don’t abandon the basic principles

AI continues to generate attention, but its impact on e-commerce traffic remains limited. During the 2025 holiday season, AI-powered traffic accounted for just 0.28% of customer website traffic and contributed minimal revenue.

The key opportunities continue to exist through established, proven channels. That will evolve over time, but strong SEO fundamentals, effective paid media, and optimized user experiences will continue to drive growth. Marketers should experiment with emerging AI features, such as Shopify’s ChatGPT integration, while monitoring competitive adoption without abandoning highly effective strategies.

The opportunity before us

The continued collapse of the traditional sales funnel represents a fundamental shift in consumer behavior. It also creates one of the clearest growth opportunities marketers have seen in years. When discovery and conversion happen simultaneously, brands that show up early, clearly and seamlessly are positioned to win.

Holiday data confirms that buyers are making decisions in moments, not weeks. As marketers plan for 2026, the priority should be to build experiences that instantly build trust and facilitate action, emphasizing mobile performance, checkout simplicity and strong creativity.

The path to purchase hasn’t disappeared. It has become shorter. Brands that adapt early will be best positioned to meet demand and drive sustainable growth.

Dig deeper: Shopify wants to put commerce into every AI conversation