As the holiday shopping season approaches, TikTok Shop officially announced its 2026 U.S. market Black Friday and Cyber Monday promotion schedule. The event will launch on November 11 and run through November 30. From the rising heat of holiday shopping content to search volume growth across multiple categories, what new trends are there in TikTok Shop's holiday consumption this year? What should cross-border sellers pay attention to?

Image source: Internet

1. Black Friday promotion starts early, shopping enthusiasm continues to rise

TikTok data shows that in September 2026, the number of content with the #holidayshopping hashtag on the platform increased by 263% compared with the previous month. The platform also predicts that this year on Black Friday (November 27), nearly one-third of U.S. users will shop for gifts through TikTok.

Last year's promotion performance is also worth noting. During Black Friday and Cyber Monday 2025, TikTok Shop's four-day sales exceeded $500 million, sales from sellers participating in livestreams increased by 84% year over year, related livestreams exceeded 760,000, and cumulative views reached 1.6 billion.

In addition, in the first half of 2026, U.S. TikTok Shop livestream shopping sales more than doubled year over year. As the holiday season arrives, short videos, creator content, and livestreams remain marketing methods worth attention for merchants.

Image source: TikTok

2. Multiple categories such as jewelry and collectibles show growth

This time, TikTok also released recent product search and sales data on the platform, and categories such as jewelry, collectibles, toys, apparel, and beauty all showed noteworthy changes.

In September 2026, searches for gold jewelry on the platform increased by 1134% month over month, searches for opal rings increased by 825%, and searches for friendship bracelets increased by 120%. TikTok also stated that its platform users are 2.5 times more likely than ordinary users to buy luxury goods as gifts during Black Friday and Cyber Monday.

Collectibles and toys have also attracted attention. In October 2026, sales of collectibles such as sports trading cards, coins, and figures increased by 230% year over year; in September, searches for foam dart toys increased by 149% month over month. In addition, about one-fifth of U.S. users expect to buy gaming equipment or related products during this year's Black Friday and Cyber Monday.

In terms of apparel and beauty, in September search heat for Christmas pajama-related content increased by 297% month over month, and searches for autumn nail inspiration content increased by 251% month over month. Since the beginning of this year, women's clothing has accounted for one-third of TikTok Shop's fashion category sales.

These data show that holiday shopping demand covers different consumption scenarios. For merchants, in addition to paying attention to popular categories, they can also combine product characteristics to think about what groups the products suit, what gift-giving needs they can meet, and how to demonstrate product value through content.

It should be noted that platform search and sales data reflect trends within TikTok and do not mean that the entire market has experienced growth of the same magnitude.

Image source: TikTok

3. Seize the promotion opportunity and prepare content in advance

For merchants preparing to participate in Black Friday and Cyber Monday, in addition to product selection, how to display products is equally important.

Short videos can attract users through product demonstrations and usage scenarios, creator content can introduce products from different angles, and livestreams are suitable for continuously explaining product features, answering user questions, and cooperating with promotional activities to drive purchases. Merchants can combine different formats according to product attributes and do not need to put all resources into a single channel.

At the same time, inventory, logistics, pricing, and after-sales service also need to be arranged in advance. Attention brought by content does not necessarily translate into orders; the final effect still depends on how well products match consumer needs and overall operational capability.

Image source: Internet

This year's TikTok Shop Black Friday and Cyber Monday promotion will last nearly three weeks, providing merchants with a longer marketing window. For cross-border brands, only by determining main promoted products in advance, planning content themes, and making fulfillment preparations can they more calmly respond to the sales demand of the holiday shopping season.