A revealing new survey conducted by Bankrate and featured on Yahoo Finance finds that 54 % of US adults admit to making at least one unplanned or impulse purchase during the 2025 holiday season, with many splurging not just on gifts for others but also on themselves.
This latest data underscores the deep-rooted, emotional nature of impulse buying in America, an ever-present, multifaceted habit that continues to drive consumer spending even amid inflationary pressures and renewed financial caution. The State of
Impulse Buying in 2025 Impulse buying is hardly a niche phenomenon. Multiple recent studies reinforce that 84-89% of US adults have made an impulse purchase at some point.
In the Bankrate/Yahoo Finance poll, more than half reported spending $100 or more on a single impulse buy , and fully 1 in 5 adults said they’d dropped over $1,000 in an unplanned spending moment—proving that big-ticket treats and splurges are surprisingly common.
Interestingly, the average American now makes nearly 10 impulse purchases per month, typically spending $281.75 monthly (or $3,381 a year) on spontaneous purchases , according to 2025 figures from Capital One Shopping and other financial analysts.
These numbers mark a rebound from the impulse correction of 2023, when monthly impulse spending dropped by over 50% before surging back in 2024 and 2025 as shoppers regained confidence. Triggers, Motivations, and Emotional Drivers Why do so many people buy on a whim?…
