A customer who wants a kids' bike for Christmas, a new trainer, or a gift card for the cyclist in the family will probably buy it in a store. But, before they get in the car, they will look you up online. They want to know you're open, that you have what they're after, and that the trip is worth it. That quick search has long been the first step of the holiday season. This trend will continue into the 2026 season, and increasingly, it will occur on the customer’s phone, long before they reach your counter.
Shoppers start online and finish in the store.
Two major 2026 holiday forecasts shed light on this fact:
Bain & Company expects US holiday retail sales to top $1 trillion for the first time this November and December, with about 70% of those sales happening in stores. The research starts online, though. In Bain's survey of more than 1,100 consumers, 60% of online shoppers said they plan to begin their holiday shopping on retail and brand websites, up from 51% last year.
Adobe's forecast, built on more than a trillion visits to US retail sites, expects online holiday spending to reach $275.1 billion, with 57.4% of it happening on phones. Shoppers are also starting earlier: Adobe expects $95.8 billion in online spending in October alone, up 8% from last year.
For a bike shop, that gives the store and the website two different jobs. The store is still where the sale happens, and the website is where many customers decide whether to come in.
What shoppers look for before they drive over
The first question is usually whether you have it. A parent shopping for a 20-inch kids' bike wants to see that it's in stock, in a size and color that works, at a price they can plan around. When your site shows your real inventory, that question gets answered before the customer has to call, and the next step is a visit.
The second set of questions is practical. Holiday hours, where to park, whether you assemble a bike for Christmas morning, whether they can pay online and pick it up, and can you hold it until Christmas Eve. These details feel small, but they are often what turns a maybe into a trip to the shop.
More of this research is also running through AI tools. Bain found that 24% of online shoppers plan to start the season on AI platforms such as ChatGPT, Google Gemini and Claude, up from 17% last year. Those tools draw on what they can find online, so a site with current inventory and clear store details gives them something accurate to point to.
Getting your site ready before November
The first place to look is your inventory. If what's on your site matches what's on your floor, a customer who finds the bike online can trust it will be there when they arrive. Shops that connect their point-of-sale system to their website get this without extra work, because the site updates as items sell.
The holiday details belong where people will see them first. Holiday hours, gift cards, assembly for Christmas morning and pickup options all belong on your homepage by the end of October, since Adobe expects online spending this October to run 8% ahead of last year.
The last piece is what only you can offer. Bain advises retailers to emphasize what can't be cross-shopped or price-matched. For a bike shop, that includes the professional build, the fit, and the service that comes with a bike bought from you. Saying so on your site gives a shopper comparing prices a reason to choose the local option.
Act Now
The holiday customer is already deciding where to shop, and many of them will make that call on a couch, from a phone before they ever see your storefront. A site that shows what you have in stock, when you're open and what makes your shop worth the trip puts you on their list.
Workstand websites connect to your point-of-sale system so your in-stock inventory stays current on its own, and our new premium themes give it a clean, modern look. If you'd like to see how it would work for your shop, we'd be glad to walk you through it.