Key stat: 52% of US retailers say shipping costs will sway holiday shoppers' online purchases, more than say product price (42%) or discounts (42%), according to a May survey from Narvar and eTail Insights.

Beyond the chart:

• Shoppers agree. Some 54% say free delivery would influence their choice between two retailers offering the same product, and free shipping is the top preferred holiday deal for 46% of shoppers, according to impact.com.
• Meanwhile, free shipping has to be fast to count. The longest shoppers will wait for free shipping has dropped to an average of 2.6 days, down from about 3.5 days over the previous five years, according to AlixPartners.

Use this chart: Drop this into your holiday deck to make the case for funding free shipping before deepening discounts. Show it to finance teams weighing promo budgets: shoppers rank free shipping as their top deal, so your shipping threshold may move more carts than your markdowns.

Related EMARKETER reports:

• Holiday Shopping 2026 (EMARKETER subscription required)
• Infopack: Delivery and Returns 2026 (EMARKETER subscription required)

Methodology: Data is from the August 2026 Narvar Insights and eTail Insights report titled "Delivering the 2026 Holiday Shopping Season." 1,348 US shoppers were surveyed during May 2026. All respondents plan to do holiday shopping in 2026, make online purchases at least every 2-4 months, and return online purchases at least 2-3 times per year. Additionally, 100 US retailers and brand manufacturers were surveyed during the same time period.