By Lewis Hadley, Head of Marketing, SuperAwesome
Summer may be in full swing, but for young audiences, the festive season is already quietly taking shape. While the industry debates whether it’s too early to mention the holidays, kids and teens are beginning to sketch out what they want, who they want it from, and why it matters. This early mental mapping isn’t just about consumption. It’s about identity, belonging, and self-expression.
Across the globe, young people are already leaning into seasonal anticipation, nudged by content, community, and culture. Some know exactly what they’ll ask for. Many are still figuring it out. And in that undecided space lies one of the most overlooked moments of influence: before wishlists are finalised, before decisions harden, and long before parents start placing orders.
For brands hoping to earn a place in the festive imagination, this is the window that matters. The moment before the list is written in ink.
A significant share of Gen Alpha and Gen Z are still weighing their options. In the UK, 28% of kids and teens haven’t yet locked in which brands they’ll be asking for this year. In the US, it’s 25%. In France and Germany, the opportunity window is even wider, with 42% and 40% still undecided. While this may not fit the traditional timeline, it marks a golden moment for brands to show up and shape preference before it’s too late.
Identity has become the engine of choice
More than ever, young people are using gifting moments to express who they are or who they want to be. From the shows they follow to the creators they admire, from the games they stream to the merch they wear, their choices reflect deep, personal alignments with culture.
That’s why brands like LEGO, Apple, Nintendo, and Barbie continue to capture attention. They serve a dual purpose: to entertain and to help kids navigate identity in both the physical and digital worlds.
Fandoms have been central to this shift. In the US and UK, one in three kids and teens are asking for gifts tied to a favourite show, game, or creator. In Germany, it’s one in four. And in France, it’s on the rise too, now influencing nearly one in five wishlist decisions. For kids and teens, fandoms are emotional homes where they feel seen, inspired, and socially connected.
Influence isn’t just peer-to-peer – it’s platform-to-person
Discovery is happening faster than ever, often outpacing the adults trying to keep up. Social feeds, in-game interactions, creator-led content, and digital advertising all play a role in shaping what rises to the top. And while parents still hold the purse strings, they’re guided by signals their kids have already picked up elsewhere.
In the US and UK, seven of the top 10 wishlist items match what parents think their kids want. But in France, that overlap drops to five out of 10. This gap is revealing: kids and teens are discovering and connecting with new brands faster than some parents can track – thanks to the worlds they inhabit online and the communities they engage with daily.
It’s a dynamic shift in influence. Young people are active participants in marketing: choosing what resonates, ignoring what doesn’t, and sharing what they love. And almost all of them are paying attention. Across all markets surveyed, just 2–3% of kids and teens say they don’t engage with advertising. The other 97% do.
The holidays are a season, not a day
One of the clearest behavioural shifts is in timing. The traditional retail calendar has softened. Holiday shopping no longer adheres to a neat arc from Black Friday to Christmas Eve. It’s now a staggered, extended experience that begins earlier and stretches well beyond the big day.
In both the US and UK, nearly half of parents are beginning their holiday shopping before November. France and Germany aren’t far behind. The implication is clear: if brands wait until late Q4 to show up, they may already be too late to capture attention.
But timing isn’t just shifting earlier; it’s stretching beyond the 25th, too. A second wave of spending is now a fixture of the festive season. In the US, 15% of kids and teens buy gifts for themselves after Christmas Day, often using gift money or vouchers from extended family. In the UK, it’s 10%. That post-holiday moment when children gain spending autonomy has become especially powerful in categories like fashion, beauty, and tech.
The wishlist is a mirror
Ultimately, the wishlist is a reflection. Of cultural signals. Of social dynamics. Of personal identity. It tells us not just what young people want, but who they are becoming.
From beauty brands to gaming consoles, from creator merchandise to build-it-yourself kits, these gifts are tools for expression, autonomy, and self-definition. Whether it’s a gift card, a new iPhone, the latest LEGO set, or a PlayStation game, each choice tells a story about how a young person wants to be seen and how they want to interact with the world around them.
For brands, the message is clear: this generation isn’t waiting to be told what to want, and those who listen closely now will be the ones who resonate later. Relevance isn’t something you win in December. It’s something you earn long before the first gift is wrapped.
