November 26, 2025 - Economic Insider

Holiday Marketing Shifts as Gen Z Drives New Shopping Trends

Economic Insider Staff 2 on November 26, 2025

Holiday marketing in the United States is undergoing a significant transformation, largely influenced by Gen Z consumers. This generation, born between the late 1990s and early 2010s, is reshaping how brands approach seasonal campaigns. Their preferences for authenticity, digital engagement, and value-driven messaging are forcing companies to rethink strategies that once relied heavily on traditional advertising.

Gen Z’s influence is especially noticeable during the holiday season, when shopping habits peak. Unlike previous generations, they are increasingly turning to social media platforms like TikTok, Instagram, and YouTube to discover products. This shift has elevated influencer and creator-led campaigns, making them central to holiday marketing efforts.

Reports from Marketing Dive highlight that brands are reallocating budgets away from television and print toward digital channels. The goal is to meet Gen Z where they spend most of their time—online—and to create campaigns that feel personal, interactive, and relevant to their interests.

The Rise of Social Commerce

Social commerce has become a defining feature of Gen Z’s holiday shopping behavior. Platforms like TikTok and Instagram are no longer just spaces for entertainment; they are now marketplaces where trends emerge and products go viral. For brands, this means that influencer partnerships have moved from being an optional marketing tactic to an essential strategy.

Creators play a pivotal role in shaping Gen Z’s purchasing decisions. Their ability to present products in relatable and authentic ways resonates more deeply than traditional advertisements. Holiday campaigns that feature creators often see higher engagement rates, as audiences tend to trust recommendations from peers over corporate messaging.

This reliance on social commerce also drives curiosity about what’s trending, what’s worth buying, and what’s being rejected. The concept of de-influencing, where creators actively discourage unnecessary purchases, adds another layer to the conversation. This trend shows that Gen Z values transparency just as much as hype.

Omnichannel Expectations: Blending Online and In-Store Experiences

Gen Z expects seamless shopping experiences that integrate both online and offline channels. As a result, holiday marketing strategies must align digital campaigns with in-store promotions to meet their needs. Retailers who fail to connect these experiences risk losing relevance with younger shoppers.

Holiday Marketing Shifts as Gen Z Drives New Shopping Trends

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Omnichannel strategies often include personalized offers, mobile-friendly shopping features, and early bird deals that cater to Gen Z’s preference for convenience. For example, Deloitte’s 2025 holiday survey revealed that 57% of consumers expect the economy to weaken, making affordability a key driver of purchasing decisions. Gen Z’s cautious spending habits amplify the need for brands to offer value at every touchpoint, whether online or in-store.

Shopping is no longer simply about making transactions. Gen Z seeks experiences that resonate with their values, and they want to feel understood by the brands they interact with. This expectation is reshaping how companies design their holiday marketing campaigns, blending digital innovation with traditional retail strategies.

Value and Authenticity: Core Drivers of Gen Z’s Holiday Shopping Behavior

Gen Z’s cautious approach to spending has made value a central theme in holiday marketing. With rising costs and economic uncertainty, flashy promotions alone aren’t enough. Brands must show that their products offer genuine utility, durability, or emotional significance to stand out in a crowded market.

Equally important is authenticity. Gen Z is quick to spot insincerity, and campaigns that feel overly polished or disconnected often fail to resonate. Successful holiday marketing strategies highlight real stories, relatable experiences, and transparent communication. This authenticity builds trust, which is crucial during a season when consumers are bombarded with advertising.

The emphasis on value and authenticity also sparks broader conversations about how brands balance tradition with modern consumer expectations. What does it mean to celebrate the holidays in a time of cautious spending? How can brands respect the holiday spirit while adapting to the realities of today’s economy? These are the kinds of questions that frame the narrative around Gen Z’s shopping behavior.

What Brands Can Do Next: Embrace Digital and Stay Authentic

Adapting to Gen Z’s influence requires brands to rethink their entire holiday marketing approach. It’s no longer just about tweaking a few tactics; companies must prioritize digital engagement, creator partnerships, and omnichannel experiences that feel authentic and seamless.

One potential strategy is to embrace retail media and AI-driven personalization. Gen Z is comfortable with tailored recommendations, and campaigns that use data to deliver relevant offers tend to perform better. However, it’s essential to strike a balance—personalization should never feel intrusive. Brands must respect privacy while delivering convenience.

Additionally, maintaining agility is key. Gen Z’s preferences evolve quickly, and holiday marketing must be flexible enough to adapt to real-time changes. Companies that prioritize authenticity, value, and relevance will not only capture Gen Z’s attention but also influence broader consumer trends across generations.

Navigating the Future of Holiday Marketing

Looking forward, holiday marketing is poised to continue evolving as Gen Z’s preferences shift. The challenges for brands will be staying ahead of these changes and adjusting marketing strategies accordingly. Gen Z is known for their quick-changing tastes and preferences, and companies must be agile enough to meet their expectations.

As we move into future holiday seasons, marketing strategies will need to incorporate more personalized, interactive, and transparent approaches. Gen Z’s demand for authentic engagement will likely shape holiday marketing across multiple industries, creating a ripple effect that could influence consumer behavior for years to come.

To succeed, brands must focus on delivering value, authenticity, and cultural relevance, ensuring their campaigns resonate with Gen Z while maintaining a connection to the broader consumer base. The ongoing dialogue between brands and consumers will be crucial in defining the next wave of holiday marketing strategies.

Bridging Law and Economy: Sahar Maknouni’s Practical Approach to Modern Justice

Economic Insider Staff on November 26, 2025

By: Lindsay Jeffords

Every prosperous economy rests not merely on capital or commerce but on something less visible and more profound: the rule of law. Beneath the measured order of markets and the calculus of capital lies an invisible foundation—trust. Yet the very system meant to preserve that trust can sometimes feel detached, more mechanical than human.

Attorney Sahar Maknouni has made it her mission to change that. At the meeting point of structure and empathy, she turns justice from a static ideal into a dynamic instrument of renewal. Her story begins at California State University, Northridge, where she earned her Bachelor of Science in Business Law with a minor in Management. The program trained her to translate the language of business into legal frameworks and to see regulation not as a restraint but as a form of architecture. To refine that intellect into discipline, she pursued her Juris Doctor at Chapman University’s Fowler School of Law, a decision that shaped her ability to think strategically while leading with empathy.

Those years gave her more than credentials; they gave her conviction. Sahar entered the legal world with a clear ambition: to make family law less adversarial and more restorative. She saw how divorce and custody battles fractured not just families but entire micro-economies—savings drained, businesses destabilized, children caught in legal limbo. “Legal counsel shouldn’t end with documents,” she says. “It should provide the emotional scaffolding that helps people rebuild.”

That philosophy became the cornerstone of her firm, Maknouni Family Law Firm, APC. Integrity, transparency, and compassion are not slogans—they are the operational standards on which the firm was built. In her model, clients are treated as partners in resolution, not subjects of process. Strategy begins not with paperwork but with perspective—understanding the emotional and financial framework of every case before constructing the legal one.

This approach may sound humanistic, but its implications are deeply economic. Studies show that prolonged litigation costs U.S. families and small businesses billions in lost productivity each year. Sahar’s practice helps reverse that trend. Through empathy and structured strategy, she resolves disputes efficiently and helps preserve what families and businesses have built.

Her work is a testament to a larger truth: justice functions as an economic infrastructure. When disputes are resolved with dignity, people return to the workforce faster. When families stabilize, communities thrive. When law is accessible, trust compounds. Sahar’s clients don’t just walk away with settlements; they walk away with solvency, confidence, and the capacity to participate again in the economy of everyday life.

But she’s not stopping there. Sahar is designing what she calls a “whole-client model.” She plans to integrate education, counseling, and emotional wellness directly into her legal practice. Her goal is to replace the traditional, reactive model of litigation with one that is cyclical and regenerative. “Justice shouldn’t just resolve the past,” she says. “It should equip people to rebuild the future.”

That philosophy aligns with a growing global understanding: nations with accessible, fair legal systems consistently outperform those without them. The World Bank refers to justice as “an economic enabler”—and Sahar demonstrates that principle at the micro level. Every case resolved efficiently and every client empowered to move forward represents a small but measurable gain for the broader economy.

In practice, this means operating differently than most firms. Sahar has built an environment that prioritizes collaboration over hierarchy and empathy over ego. Her team is trained to listen before they litigate, bringing emotional intelligence into balance with intellectual discipline. It’s a cultural shift as much as a procedural one, reflecting her belief that authority in law does not have to be forceful to be effective.

Sahar represents a new archetype of attorney—one who understands that the courtroom is not the only arena where justice is built. Her leadership model merges two economies: the legal and the emotional. By doing so, she demonstrates that empathy, when practiced with structure, is not sentimentality; it is strategy. It’s what sustains the systems on which both society and markets depend.

In many ways, Sahar’s work reframes the purpose of law itself. Success, for her, is not defined by the number of cases closed but by the lives recalibrated in their aftermath. She is challenging a legacy system to evolve—from adversarial to adaptive, from punitive to preventative, from costly to catalytic.

Her long-term vision is to expand her model nationally—to create a framework where legal practitioners operate as both advocates and architects of stability. It’s not about changing the nature of law but its function: transforming it from a last resort into a first step toward renewal.

Sahar Maknouni belongs to a generation of women redefining what authority in law looks like. Her power is not loud but deliberate—the kind that rebuilds from within. In her hands, justice becomes more than a verdict. It becomes a form of capital—ethical, emotional, and profoundly economic.

Disclaimer: The information provided in this article is for informational purposes only and should not be construed as legal advice. Always consult with a qualified attorney for advice regarding your specific legal situation.

College Graduates Now Make Up 25% of U.S. Unemployed

Economic Insider Staff 2 on November 26, 2025

For the first time in recorded history, Americans with four-year college degrees now represent 25% of the nation’s unemployed workforce. This milestone reflects a significant shift in the U.S. labor market, highlighting challenges faced by degree holders as they struggle to secure stable employment. The rise in the U.S. unemployed with college degrees underscores how higher education no longer guarantees job security in an increasingly dynamic and competitive economy.

In September 2025, the number of unemployed college graduates reached 1.9 million, marking the highest share since data tracking began in 1992. This shift in the labor market raises new questions about the value of higher education and its relationship to long-term career stability. While overall unemployment remains low, the increasing proportion of degree holders among the jobless is turning heads across industries.

Reports from sources like CNBC reveal that the unemployment rate for bachelor’s degree holders rose to 2.8% in 2025, a modest increase of half a percentage point from the previous year. While this change may seem small in percentage terms, it represents a notable shift in the composition of the unemployed workforce, drawing attention to the challenges that many college graduates now face.

Understanding the Shift in the U.S. Unemployed Workforce

The rise in the U.S. unemployed among college graduates is more than just a numbers game. It reflects deeper structural changes within the economy and shifting demands for different types of workers. As industries increasingly turn to automation, artificial intelligence, and other digital tools, traditional white-collar roles are being reshaped or even eliminated.

Labor experts argue that while unemployment remains historically low overall, the makeup of the unemployed is shifting. College graduates now make up a larger share of those unable to find work, suggesting that holding a degree is no longer a reliable safeguard against economic uncertainty. This change challenges long-held assumptions about the relationship between higher education and career stability.

Furthermore, younger graduates entering the job market are facing heightened competition and fewer opportunities in traditional industries. Many recent graduates, burdened with significant student debt, are finding it increasingly difficult to secure roles in their fields, contributing to rising anxiety among this group.

Factors Driving the Increase in U.S. Unemployed College Graduates

Several factors are contributing to the rising number of U.S. unemployed college graduates. One key factor is the slowdown in white-collar hiring, particularly in sectors such as technology, finance, and media. As businesses continue to adopt new technologies, companies are reevaluating staffing needs and restructuring their workforce.

College Graduates Now Make Up 25% of U.S. Unemployed

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Another significant driver is the mismatch between degrees and available jobs. While many college graduates continue to pursue fields with limited demand, employers are placing a premium on specialized skills in areas such as data science, cybersecurity, and advanced engineering. This skills gap leaves many degree holders underprepared for the fast-growing job opportunities in these fields.

Economic cycles also play a role in the increase of the U.S. unemployed with college degrees. Corporate downsizing and restructuring often impact white-collar workers more severely, leaving highly qualified individuals without jobs. Recent economic shifts, including changes in consumer behavior and the rise of automation, have disproportionately affected employees with college degrees, leading to a higher number of unemployed graduates.

Impact on Higher Education and Workforce Development

The increasing share of U.S. unemployed college graduates presents significant implications for higher education institutions. Universities are under increasing pressure to adapt their curricula to align more closely with the evolving demands of the job market. Programs that emphasize practical skills, internships, and industry partnerships may become more crucial in preparing students for employment in emerging industries.

For policymakers and workforce planners, this trend highlights the need to rethink strategies for supporting graduates as they transition into the workforce. Career counseling, retraining programs, and stronger connections between education and industry will be essential in helping students bridge the gap between their degrees and the available job opportunities. The challenge lies in ensuring that graduates acquire not only academic knowledge but also the practical, adaptable skills that employers now require.

Employers are also being impacted by this shift. Companies that rely on specialized talent are increasingly looking for ways to recruit and train workers with the right mix of skills. The growing pool of U.S. unemployed graduates may present both a challenge and an opportunity for businesses seeking to fill positions in fast-evolving industries like technology and cybersecurity.

Navigating the Changing Landscape: What This Means for Workers

As the labor market continues to evolve, the rising share of U.S. unemployed college graduates serves as a reminder that higher education alone is no longer enough to guarantee career success. Workers must be adaptable, continuously developing skills that align with new technologies and emerging industries. Lifelong learning and retraining are quickly becoming essential for career resilience in a world where industries and job roles are transforming at an unprecedented pace.

For graduates, this new reality may mean exploring alternative career paths or pursuing certifications in high-demand fields such as cybersecurity, AI, and digital marketing. Flexibility and adaptability are increasingly valued by employers, and graduates who can pivot toward these emerging opportunities are more likely to find success.

While the rise in unemployment among college graduates is a concerning trend, it also highlights the broader shifts occurring in the economy. As automation and AI continue to reshape industries, workers must be equipped with the skills to succeed in a rapidly changing job market. This trend is not a sign of failure, but rather an opportunity to rethink how education, work, and skills intersect in the modern workforce.