It’s officially Black Friday, the busiest shopping day of the year. Retailers and brands have been offering pre-BF deals all week in a lead-up to the day, which is taking place almost a week later than usual this year. American Thanksgiving takes place five days later than in 2023, shortening the holiday shopping season – which, for many, kicks off on Black Friday – adding pressure to purchase sooner.

According to Field Agent’s latest Holiday Insights survey of 713 people, 84% of respondents will buy Christmas gifts on Black Friday or Cyber Monday, while 28% of respondents already purchased Christmas gifts on Amazon Prime Day, which fell on Oct. 8. Rakuten’s holiday spending research also found that more Canadians are planning to shop more sales than in previous years – 31% more plan to shop today; 27% more will make a purchase on Cyber Monday; and 29% more will take advantage of Boxing Day deals.

The rise in bargain-shopping is not surprising though – Field Agent says 66% of respondents are concerned about the impact of inflation on their holiday shop. In 2025, almost a quarter of the respondants said they expect to take on more debt. Just under half say they will have the same amount of debt. And Rakuten found that four-in-five (81%) of Canadians are stressed about the cost of holiday gifts this year. Seventy-two per cent of Canadians are actively watching for deals, according to the cash-back shopping platform.

Field Agent’s research also cited the retailers Canadians plan to shop most this season. Perennial favourites Amazon (62%), Walmart (56%) and Costco (39%) claim the top three retail spots where respondents will be making their holiday purchases. These are followed by Canadian Tire and Winners (12%), Shoppers Drug Mart (9%), Toys ‘R Us, Dollarama and Best Buy (8%) and Indigo (6%).

For toys, Walmart is the top destination (43%), topping Amazon (38%) and Costco (27%). Meanwhile, 76% of consumers with pets report they will purchase a Christmas gift for their fur babies, with Amazon claiming the top pet gift destination (72%), followed by Walmart (67%) and Costco (50%).

Beyond Black Friday and Cyber Monday, 91% of respondents also reported they they plan to purchase “at least some gifts online” this holiday season, while half will spend their gift budget primarily online, according to Field Agent.