30% of U.S. consumers will increase holiday buys due to future tariff fears – survey

About a third of Americans are increasing purchases this holiday season – November and December – due to fear of future tariffs on imports, according to a December consumer survey report by CreditCards.com.

The survey, which interviewed 2,000 U.S. residents, showed that 39% of respondents fear future higher prices from the potential increase in tariffs by the Trump administration.

About 25% of respondents who said they will increase their spending this season said they expect supply chain disruptions, and about 20% said they have concerns about societal instability. Another 20% said they fear a recession.

Of those respondents who plan to make large purchases, 67% said they will buy electronics, 37% said home appliances, 32% said furniture, 24% said home improvement materials, and 22% said cars.

In addition, 34% of respondents said they are “doom spending” and about 30% are “likely to go into or worsen debt to secure purchases now.”

“Some consumers, particularly those influenced by presidential politics and economic news, have remained pessimistic about the economy despite data indicating the post-pandemic economy has improved,” said John Egan, credit cards, insurance, and personal finance expert contributor at CreditCards.com. “Nonetheless, overall consumer spending has gone up recently, thanks in part to rising wages and low unemployment.”

Lastly, 34% of respondents said they are stockpiling items due to fear and uncertainty about the future. Of those, 77% said they are stockpiling toilet paper, 76% said they are stockpiling non-perishable foods, and 58% said medical supplies, including gloves and hand sanitizer.

The following are the top consumer stocks – rated by Seeking Alpha quant metrics – including consumer electronics, home furnishing, home improvement, and automotive retail.

• Carvana Co. (CVNA) – Quant rating: 4.98
• Flexsteel Industries Inc. (FLXS) – Quant rating: 4.84
• ATRenew Inc. (RERE) – Quant rating: 4.83
• La-Z-Boy Inc. (LZB) – Quant rating: 4.52
• The Lovesac Co. (LOVE) – Quant rating: 3.85
• Group 1 Automotive Inc. (GPI) – Quant rating: 3.71
• The Home Depot Inc. (HD) – Quant rating: 3.47
• EVgo Inc. (EVGO) – Quant rating: 3.43
• Lowe’s Companies (LOW) – Quant rating: 3.41
• Garmin Ltd. (GRMN) – Quant rating: 3.41
• Williams-Sonoma Inc. (WSM) – Quant rating: 3.41
• Ethan Allen Interiors Inc. (ETD) – Quant rating: 3.29
• Lithia Motors Inc. (LAD) – Quant rating: 3.28
• Sony Group Corp. (SONY) – Quant rating: 3.23
• SharkNinja Inc. (SN) – Quant rating: 3.20
• Aterian Inc. (ATER) – Quant rating: 3.17
• CarMax Inc. (KMX) – Quant rating: 3.13
• Floor & Décor Holdings Inc. (FND) – Quant rating: 3.11
• RH (RH) – Quant rating: 3.09
• Whirlpool Corp. (WHR) – Quant rating: 3.08
• O’Reilly Automotive Inc. (ORLY) – Quant rating: 3.05
• Best Buy Co. (BBY) – Quant rating: 3.01