{
  "dataset": "UGC Trends",
  "title": "UGC trends October 2026",
  "edition": "2026-10",
  "published": "2026-10-19T19:34:50.671Z",
  "researched": "2026-10-20",
  "url": "https://ugcstars.com/trends/2026-10",
  "source": "Product categories researched each month from public sources (search interest, industry reports, news), each with its source links, checked when published. Creator counts and on-site activity from UGCStars.",
  "measures": "Rising product categories ranked by the strength of the evidence, each mapped to a UGCStars niche, with the listed creators in that niche.",
  "license": {
    "name": "CC BY 4.0",
    "url": "https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/",
    "credit": "UGCStars UGC Trends"
  },
  "summary": "October was the start of holiday shopping, with the fall Prime event pulling gift buying forward and shoppers saying social video shapes what they buy. Audio and wearables, toys and demonstrable home appliances stood out, while cozy home textiles and Halloween costumes rode the season.",
  "trends": [
    {
      "rank": 1,
      "rank_change": null,
      "trend": "Holiday gift guide content",
      "niche": "Lifestyle",
      "why": "Holiday shopping has started early and shoppers say social video drives what they buy, so brands want gift guides and unboxings that show who a product suits.",
      "content_types": [
        "Unboxing",
        "Product Reviews",
        "Photography",
        "Vlogs"
      ],
      "creators_on_ugcstars": 1175,
      "article": "https://ugcstars.com/trends/holiday-gift-guide-ugc-videos",
      "evidence": [
        {
          "text": "57% of consumers say they are likely to purchase a product after seeing it on social media, rising to 82% among Gen Z, per Circana's holiday study.",
          "source": "Circana",
          "url": "https://www.circana.com/post/circana-s-2026-holiday-study-finds-consumers-spending-selectively-not-stepping-away",
          "date": "2026-10-08"
        },
        {
          "text": "Adobe expects affiliates and partners, including social influencers, and social media to see the biggest gains in share of holiday revenue, up 12% and 17%, respectively.",
          "source": "Adobe",
          "url": "https://news.adobe.com/news/downloads/pdfs/2026/09/adi-holiday-forecast-release-9-28.pdf",
          "date": "2026-09-28"
        },
        {
          "text": "One in five Prime Big Deal Days participants (20%) said they used the sale to purchase holiday gifts.",
          "source": "Numerator",
          "url": "https://www.numerator.com/prime-big-deal-days/",
          "date": "2026-10-08"
        }
      ]
    },
    {
      "rank": 2,
      "rank_change": null,
      "trend": "Headphones, smartwatches and wearables",
      "niche": "Technology",
      "why": "Audio and wearables jumped during the October sales event and lead holiday hot-seller lists, so tech brands need real-routine reviews to stand out among deals.",
      "content_types": [
        "Product Reviews",
        "Unboxing",
        "Tutorials",
        "Voiceovers"
      ],
      "creators_on_ugcstars": 703,
      "article": "https://ugcstars.com/trends/tech-gadget-ugc-creators",
      "evidence": [
        {
          "text": "During Prime Big Deal Days, sales of headphones and speakers were up 300% from September and smartwatch sales were up 255%, according to Adobe.",
          "source": "Digital Commerce 360 (Adobe data)",
          "url": "https://www.digitalcommerce360.com/2026/10/08/amazon-prime-day-big-deal-days-sales-2026/",
          "date": "2026-10-08"
        },
        {
          "text": "Amazon headphone deals nearly doubled from 111 to 219 during the October event, with average discount depth up 5ppt to 39% off.",
          "source": "OpenBrand",
          "url": "https://openbrand.com/newsroom/blog/what-prime-big-deal-days-2026-told-retailers-and-brands-category-reads",
          "date": "2026-10-14"
        },
        {
          "text": "Adobe forecasts holiday online electronics sales of $63.3 billion, up 5.9% YoY, and lists AirPods Pro 3, Meta AI Glasses, Oura Ring 5 and WHOOP 5.0 among hot sellers.",
          "source": "Adobe",
          "url": "https://news.adobe.com/news/downloads/pdfs/2026/09/adi-holiday-forecast-release-9-28.pdf",
          "date": "2026-09-28"
        }
      ]
    },
    {
      "rank": 3,
      "rank_change": null,
      "trend": "Holiday toys and collectibles",
      "niche": "Parenting",
      "why": "Retailers have published holiday toy lists and toy sales jumped in October, so toy brands want parent creators to film real play, unboxings and honest reviews.",
      "content_types": [
        "Unboxing",
        "Product Reviews",
        "Vlogs",
        "Product Demos"
      ],
      "creators_on_ugcstars": 265,
      "article": "https://ugcstars.com/trends/toy-ugc-creators",
      "evidence": [
        {
          "text": "Target released Bullseye's Top Toys List of 50 toys starting at $4.99, and its digital Holiday Kids Catalog features nearly 500 items with video reviews and toy demonstrations.",
          "source": "Target",
          "url": "https://corporate.target.com/press/release/2026/10/target-releases-bullseye-s-top-50-must-have-toys",
          "date": "2026-10-05"
        },
        {
          "text": "Toy sales increased by 158% during Prime Big Deal Days, according to Adobe data on US online spending.",
          "source": "Digital Commerce 360 (Adobe data)",
          "url": "https://www.digitalcommerce360.com/2026/10/08/amazon-prime-day-big-deal-days-sales-2026/",
          "date": "2026-10-08"
        },
        {
          "text": "Adobe forecasts online holiday toy sales of $9.6 billion, up 9.6% YoY.",
          "source": "Adobe",
          "url": "https://news.adobe.com/news/downloads/pdfs/2026/09/adi-holiday-forecast-release-9-28.pdf",
          "date": "2026-09-28"
        }
      ]
    },
    {
      "rank": 4,
      "rank_change": null,
      "trend": "Vacuums and kitchen appliances",
      "niche": "Lifestyle",
      "why": "Higher-priced vacuums and kitchen gadgets broke into the social shop top ten on the back of simple demos, so home brands want before-and-after videos from real homes.",
      "content_types": [
        "Product Demos",
        "Product Reviews",
        "Unboxing",
        "Tutorials"
      ],
      "creators_on_ugcstars": 1175,
      "article": "https://ugcstars.com/trends/home-appliance-ugc-videos",
      "evidence": [
        {
          "text": "BISSELL's $337.99 PowerClean FurFinder vacuum entered the US TikTok Shop top 10 at #3 with $431K GMV from 118 creators in the week ending 11 October.",
          "source": "Z Media",
          "url": "https://www.z.media/insights/tiktok-shop-us-trending-week-ending-2026-10-11",
          "date": "2026-10-12"
        },
        {
          "text": "The Ninja Belgian Waffle Maker PRO entered the US TikTok Shop top 10 at #7 with $330K, and Shark Home grew 4.2% at brand level.",
          "source": "Z Media",
          "url": "https://www.z.media/insights/tiktok-shop-us-trending-week-ending-2026-10-11",
          "date": "2026-10-12"
        },
        {
          "text": "Adobe expects online sales of household cleaning items to rise 49% during Cyber Week compared with average sales levels in September 2026.",
          "source": "Adobe",
          "url": "https://news.adobe.com/news/downloads/pdfs/2026/09/adi-holiday-forecast-release-9-28.pdf",
          "date": "2026-09-28"
        }
      ]
    },
    {
      "rank": 5,
      "rank_change": null,
      "trend": "Video games and consoles",
      "niche": "Gaming",
      "why": "Video game sales jumped during the October sales event ahead of a heavy release season, giving game and accessory brands a reason to fund gameplay and setup videos.",
      "content_types": [
        "Unboxing",
        "Product Reviews",
        "Vlogs"
      ],
      "creators_on_ugcstars": 193,
      "article": null,
      "evidence": [
        {
          "text": "Video game sales were up 90% during Prime Big Deal Days, according to Adobe data on US online spending.",
          "source": "Digital Commerce 360 (Adobe data)",
          "url": "https://www.digitalcommerce360.com/2026/10/08/amazon-prime-day-big-deal-days-sales-2026/",
          "date": "2026-10-08"
        },
        {
          "text": "Adobe expects top holiday consoles to include Nintendo Switch 2, PlayStation 5/Pro and Xbox Series X, with games such as Grand Theft Auto VI and Pokémon Pokopia.",
          "source": "Adobe",
          "url": "https://news.adobe.com/news/downloads/pdfs/2026/09/adi-holiday-forecast-release-9-28.pdf",
          "date": "2026-09-28"
        }
      ]
    },
    {
      "rank": 6,
      "rank_change": null,
      "trend": "Cozy blankets and bedding",
      "niche": "Lifestyle",
      "why": "Oversized blankets and comforters are leading social shop brand charts as the weather cools, and brands want unboxing and first-night reviews from real homes.",
      "content_types": [
        "Unboxing",
        "Product Reviews",
        "Photography"
      ],
      "creators_on_ugcstars": 1175,
      "article": null,
      "evidence": [
        {
          "text": "Comfrt overtook medicube as the #1 US TikTok Shop brand with $3,187K GMV, while its Dreamer Blanket rose 8% to $731K in the week ending 11 October.",
          "source": "Z Media",
          "url": "https://www.z.media/insights/tiktok-shop-us-trending-week-ending-2026-10-11",
          "date": "2026-10-12"
        },
        {
          "text": "The Mellow Sleep MarshMellow Comforter was the #4 US TikTok Shop product with $355K GMV, up 3.5% week on week.",
          "source": "Z Media",
          "url": "https://www.z.media/insights/tiktok-shop-us-trending-week-ending-2026-10-11",
          "date": "2026-10-12"
        }
      ]
    },
    {
      "rank": 7,
      "rank_change": -3,
      "trend": "Pet Halloween costumes",
      "niche": "Pets",
      "why": "Costume buying accelerated in October and more owners plan to dress their pets, so pet brands still want quick try-on and comfort videos before the holiday.",
      "content_types": [
        "Unboxing",
        "Photography",
        "Product Reviews"
      ],
      "creators_on_ugcstars": 536,
      "article": null,
      "evidence": [
        {
          "text": "Nearly one-quarter (23%) of consumers plan to dress their pets in costumes, up from 17% in pre-pandemic 2019, with ghosts, bats and spiders moving up the rankings.",
          "source": "National Retail Federation",
          "url": "https://nrf.com/blog/top-halloween-costume-trends-for-2026",
          "date": "2026-10-14"
        },
        {
          "text": "Ahead of Halloween, costume sales increased by 610% during Prime Big Deal Days, Adobe reported.",
          "source": "Digital Commerce 360 (Adobe data)",
          "url": "https://www.digitalcommerce360.com/2026/10/08/amazon-prime-day-big-deal-days-sales-2026/",
          "date": "2026-10-08"
        }
      ]
    }
  ],
  "on_ugcstars": {
    "period": {
      "start": "2026-09-20",
      "end_exclusive": "2026-10-20",
      "label": "20 September – 19 October 2026"
    },
    "compared_with": {
      "start": "2026-08-21",
      "end_exclusive": "2026-09-20",
      "label": "21 August – 19 September 2026"
    },
    "totals": {
      "searches": 406,
      "casting_calls": 1,
      "creator_contacts": 16
    },
    "niches": [
      {
        "rank": 1,
        "niche": "Beauty",
        "demand_growth_pct": null,
        "searches": 51,
        "casting_calls": 0,
        "creator_contacts": 12,
        "small_sample": false
      },
      {
        "rank": 2,
        "niche": "Lifestyle",
        "demand_growth_pct": null,
        "searches": 36,
        "casting_calls": 1,
        "creator_contacts": 14,
        "small_sample": false
      },
      {
        "rank": 3,
        "niche": "Fitness",
        "demand_growth_pct": null,
        "searches": 37,
        "casting_calls": 0,
        "creator_contacts": 11,
        "small_sample": false
      },
      {
        "rank": 4,
        "niche": "Fashion",
        "demand_growth_pct": null,
        "searches": 35,
        "casting_calls": 0,
        "creator_contacts": 11,
        "small_sample": false
      },
      {
        "rank": 5,
        "niche": "Pets",
        "demand_growth_pct": null,
        "searches": 34,
        "casting_calls": 0,
        "creator_contacts": 12,
        "small_sample": false
      },
      {
        "rank": 6,
        "niche": "Technology",
        "demand_growth_pct": null,
        "searches": 25,
        "casting_calls": 1,
        "creator_contacts": 14,
        "small_sample": false
      },
      {
        "rank": 7,
        "niche": "Travel",
        "demand_growth_pct": null,
        "searches": 25,
        "casting_calls": 0,
        "creator_contacts": 15,
        "small_sample": false
      },
      {
        "rank": 8,
        "niche": "Food",
        "demand_growth_pct": null,
        "searches": 24,
        "casting_calls": 0,
        "creator_contacts": 15,
        "small_sample": false
      },
      {
        "rank": 9,
        "niche": "Makeup",
        "demand_growth_pct": null,
        "searches": 25,
        "casting_calls": 0,
        "creator_contacts": 12,
        "small_sample": false
      },
      {
        "rank": 10,
        "niche": "Skincare",
        "demand_growth_pct": null,
        "searches": 25,
        "casting_calls": 0,
        "creator_contacts": 12,
        "small_sample": false
      },
      {
        "rank": 11,
        "niche": "Business",
        "demand_growth_pct": null,
        "searches": 21,
        "casting_calls": 1,
        "creator_contacts": 11,
        "small_sample": false
      },
      {
        "rank": 12,
        "niche": "Gaming",
        "demand_growth_pct": null,
        "searches": 25,
        "casting_calls": 0,
        "creator_contacts": 6,
        "small_sample": false
      },
      {
        "rank": 13,
        "niche": "Parenting",
        "demand_growth_pct": null,
        "searches": 11,
        "casting_calls": 0,
        "creator_contacts": 3,
        "small_sample": true
      },
      {
        "rank": 14,
        "niche": "Other",
        "demand_growth_pct": null,
        "searches": 0,
        "casting_calls": 0,
        "creator_contacts": 3,
        "small_sample": true
      }
    ]
  },
  "corrections": []
}