The numbers come first. PwC’s 2026 Holiday Outlook report says 78% of Gen Zers are interested in screen-free gifts such as puzzles, art supplies and gift cards, compared with 64% for all consumers.
The same survey found that 81% of the 1,006 Gen Z respondents are prioritizing in-person activities during the holidays, and 63% said a shared meal matters more than a present. PwC said Gen Z gift spending is expected to fall 9% this year, to $533 from $586, while travel spending is projected to drop 29%.
The shift is not just about shopping lists. Ali Furman, PwC’s U.S. consumer markets industry leader, said the more digital everyday life becomes, the more value young consumers place on things technology cannot fully replicate: something tactile, personal, social and enduring.
That preference is already showing up in the market. Last year, Gen Z shoppers revived a retro 'Ralph Lauren Christmas' look, with tartan plaid, velvet, candlesticks and nutcrackers. Mark Beal, a Rutgers professor who has written books about the generation, said Gen Zers have a passion for traveling back in time to a world that existed before they were born.
The physical side of the holiday season matters enough that 61% of Gen Z said seeing decor and feeling a holiday atmosphere while browsing in person makes the season 'feel real.' They are also driving the revival of analog hobbies like knitting, gardening, birding and painting, along with vinyl records, film cameras and stick shift.
Retailers are responding. Target directed $5 billion this year toward remodeling stores and building new ones. Malls are also reviving thanks in part to Gen Z shoppers, and their value has risen 13% from last year, topping other types of commercial real estate. Simon Property Group launched an '80s and '90s inspired campaign called 'Meet me @ The Mall' in 2024.
For businesses, the message is clear: capital follows behavior. When a generation starts rewarding in-person experience, the market has already voted with its feet and its wallet. Free enterprise does not need a bureaucratic theory to explain this. It needs only the numbers, and the numbers say that tactile, social shopping still has power.
The broader lesson is simple. A generation raised online is now paying for what screens cannot provide. That is good news for stores, malls and the companies that still understand the value of place, ritual and face-to-face commerce.
