Reddit Says Holiday Shoppers Want Reassurance Before They Buy

By Brittany Siminitz | September 21, 2026

New research from Reddit and eMarketer suggests that holiday shoppers are researching more and putting greater value on candid recommendations from real people. For retailers, there’s plenty of insight to glean from it.

Consumers will have no shortage of holiday shopping content on their social media feeds over the next few months thanks to gift guides, influencer picks, countdowns, and promotions; it’s the same every year.

But new research from Reddit, in partnership with eMarketer, suggests shoppers may now be looking for something a little less polished before they actually make a purchase: reassurance from other people.

The study surveyed 1,001 U.S. adults who made a purchase between Black Friday 2025 and the first week of January 2026. Among them, 43.5% said they spend more time researching purchases than they did two years ago. Nearly two-thirds said a product recommendation from a Reddit community feels more credible than one from an influencer. And perhaps most interestingly, 74% said they trust a Reddit thread more when it includes both positive and negative opinions.

For jewelers, that last finding is particularly noteworthy. Fine jewelry is already a high-consideration purchase for holiday shoppers. Add the pressure of finding a meaningful holiday gift, unfamiliar terminology, questions about price, and the fear of choosing the wrong thing, and it makes sense that customers might want more than a beautiful product shot and a convenient “Buy Now” button.

How to use social media to speak to holiday shoppers

So this holiday, retailers might consider using social media to answer the questions customers are likely researching anyway. Instead of simply posting a diamond necklace, explain who might love it and who might prefer something else.

Compare two chain lengths on an actual person. Show what a 0.5 ct. stud looks like beside a 1 ct. version. Explain when 14k gold might be preferable to 18k. Create a gift guide for someone who never wears jewelry, or one for the partner who says, “She likes gold, but I have no idea what else.” The objective? Remove all doubt before it can get in the way of the purchase.

Lead with honesty, not perfection

Reddit’s research also challenges the assumption that perfectly positive messaging is always the most persuasive; the report shows that 74% of those surveyed either agree or strongly agree that they trust a Reddit thread more when it includes positive and negative opinions.

If consumers place greater trust in conversations that acknowledge different opinions, retailers can afford to be more nuanced. “This bracelet is beautiful, but if she never removes her jewelry, I’d steer you toward this one instead” sounds considerably more like advice from a trusted jeweler than advertising copy does.

Recommendations sell

Customer voices can help as well. Rather than relying entirely on paid influencer content, retailers could share real customer reviews, proposal stories, photos of pieces being worn, or brief videos asking customers why they chose a particular jewel. Reddit’s research found that more than 40% of respondents said the purchase they felt most confident about had been recommended by a friend or family member.

That doesn’t mean jewelers suddenly need to turn their Instagram accounts into Reddit threads—or even start posting on Reddit at all. The more useful lesson may be to borrow what works about those conversations: specificity, honesty, experience, and enough information to make someone feel confident making a choice.

If retailers do participate in online communities like Reddit, the same principle applies. A disclosed, genuinely helpful answer from someone who knows jewelry is likely to be more useful than dropping promotional links or trying to make a sales pitch look like an organic recommendation.

Start today

There’s another reason to start thinking this way now. Reddit says holiday-related conversations that ultimately influence purchases begin well ahead of peak shopping season and reported that 80% of holiday shoppers on Reddit discovered products or brands through conversations on the platform in 2025.

This means that September is definitely not too early to start answering the questions consumers haven’t even asked yet. As shoppers research more, retailers have an opportunity to make their social presence feel less like another advertisement in the feed and more like the knowledgeable friend customers wish they could bring along while shopping.

That might be exactly the reassurance they need before checkout.

Read the entire report here.

(Photo: Getty Images)