Amex Trendex Reveals Travel, Entertainment and Shopping Trends for the 2024 Holiday Season

American Express released an Amex Trendex* on shopping, travel and entertainment trends shaping the upcoming holiday season. According to the global report, which is based on a survey of consumers from Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Hong Kong, India, Italy, Japan, Mexico, Singapore, Spain, the United Kingdom, and the United States, regardless of who the holidays are spent with, the festive spirit is alive with plans for travel, special activities and gift giving.

• A Variety of Celebrations: From traveling, to spending time with family and friends and even getting caught up in the romance of the season, respondents are clear, they want to celebrate.
• Embracing the Festive Spirit: Thriving social calendars include parties, holiday markets and live performances this holiday season and provide romantic opportunities for those looking to date.
• Gifting Goes Beyond Material: A desire to give something special drives consumers towards sentimental gifts or a shared fun experience.

A Variety of Celebrations

• Over half (58%) of those respondents traveling this holiday season intend to visit family and friends. Additionally, many (55%) say they are taking a trip outside of visiting family for the holidays.

-Regardless of where they travel, over 8-in-10 (85%) are willing to pay more for a convenient and enjoyable travel experience.

• And among those respondents not traveling, 40% have family or friends coming to them.
• (75%) of all respondents believe the holiday season to be a romantic time of year.

-In fact, a fifth (22%) of respondents who are currently dating or open to dating, say they typically date more during this time than other times of the year.

Embracing the Festive Spirit

• Most respondents plan to attend entertainment events this holiday season, with the most popular being:

-Going to or hosting a holiday party or gathering (57%)
-Holiday festivals or markets (45%)
-Holiday shows and performances (28%)

• When it comes to hosting holiday parties and gatherings, 7-in-10 respondents plan to co-host with someone, and over half (58%) are eager to begin planning at least one month prior.
• Respondents are also eager to begin shopping for loved ones this holiday season, with half (50%) starting 1-6 months in advance.

Gifting Goes Beyond Material

• Roughly 1-in-3 respondents plan to buy for a significant other (38%) or their children (32%) plan to gift them an experience.

-Among those gifting experiences, top experiential gifts include entertainment (59%), travel (54%) and food and drink (49%) related experiences.
-This increases with a gift exchange between friends, with 69% preferring to share a fun experience or trip over a traditional exchange.

• Meanwhile, over two-thirds (73%) of respondents would rather opt for a sentimental gift over something more traditional.
• At the receiving end, most respondents would prefer to receive sentimental gifts to traditional gifts (70%), gifts from a small business (67%) or live experiences over physical gifts (65%).

WHAT IS THE AMEX TRENDEX?

The Amex Trendex is a trend index that tracks how consumers, small businesses, and retailers are feeling about spending, saving, traveling and more. The survey does not represent Amex customer spending data or trends.

AMEX TRENDEX METHODOLOGY

*This poll was conducted between June 21 – July 17, 2024 among a sample of: 2002 US Adults, 1009 Japan Adults, 1006 Singapore Adults, 1004 UK Adults, 1003 Australia Adults, 1002 Germany Adults, 1002 Italy Adults, 1002 Mexico Adults, 1001 India Adults, 1001 Spain Adults, 1000 Canada Adults, 1000 France Adults and 501 Hong Kong Adults, who have at least a $50k+ income equivalent and typically travel at least once a year. The interviews were conducted online. Results from the full survey have a margin of error of plus or minus 2-4 percentage points. Some geographies may be weighted with fewer variables depending on local census data availability.

The holiday season is defined as the following for each included market:

US, CANADA, HONG KONG

The holiday season is defined as the time between November 2024 and January 2025.

AUSTRALIA, SINGAPORE

The holiday season is defined as the Christmas and New Year period between November 2024 and January 2025.

SPAIN

The holiday season is defined as the Christmas and New Year period between December 2024 and January 2025.

INDIA

The festive and holiday season is defined as the time between October 2024 and January 2025.

UK, GERMANY, FRANCE, MEXICO, ITALY

The holiday season is defined as the time between late December 2024, and early January 2025.

JAPAN

The Year-End and New Year holiday season is defined as the end of December 2024, including December 24 and 25, and early January 2025.