The holiday shopping season officially kicks off on Black Friday, but consumers are in the market to buy well before then.
According to a recent Ziff Davis Shopping survey of 1,000 American shoppers, a whopping 96% of consumers are heavily focused on finding holiday inspiration in October and November.
Proactive retailers can provide this inspiration by offering early deals and discounts to engage consumers before a flood of holiday marketing messages makes it more difficult to capture shoppers’ attention. Here are three strategies you can implement to jumpstart the holiday gifting season and generate more sales as early as possible this year and implement in your plans for 2024.
1. Get an October (or even September) Head Start
Our research indicates that consumers are starting holiday shopping earlier this year with 64% beginning in October or earlier (compared to 53% in 2022).
October is a prime time to launch holiday-centric marketing campaigns because consumers are looking for both gift inspiration and entertaining prep purchases. In-store displays (46%) and retail websites (45%) are the top sources of inspiration, just behind recommendations from family and friends (55%).
Retailers can take advantage of this by launching shopping guides on their sites, partnering on branded content and influencer campaigns to get their messaging out early, or by putting a holiday spin on existing in-store merchandise and end caps — whether it’s decorating your display in seasonal colors or adding holiday-focused sales messaging. Using every square inch of real estate you have both online and off can help you better guide consumers’ choices and point them in your direction.
2. Collaborate with Influencers
While the recommendations of family and friends have a significant effect on consumers’ buying decisions, so does a seal of approval from trusted online sources.
Fifty percent of shoppers have added an item to their shopping lists thanks to an influencer recommendation, and 44% of them say they’ll purchase a product this holiday season that an influencer endorses.
Further, influencers have a large impact on shoppers with high income (over $100K) with 50% saying they are likely to be driven to make a purchase based on influencer content they watch. These content creators can be a powerful asset for activating consumers this holiday season if there’s a natural alignment between your brand and their audience, and in some cases driving higher AOV opportunity among shoppers with deeper pockets.
Additionally, even working with micro-influencers can be extremely valuable because they tend to have a much more targeted and engaged audience and more often can fit any marketing budget. Build your strategy early and keep your activations simple. Unboxing videos, which are really popular online, or a straightforward sponsored post with an exclusive promo can go a long way toward converting consumers.
3. Offer Cash Back and Deals
Attract new customers this holiday season with deals and rewards such as time-sensitive offers, flash deals and cash back. Our research shows 85% of shoppers are willing to try new brands or products with an irresistible deal. Nearly seven in 10 of them are also more likely to make a purchase if there is a cashback offer.
Shoppers are looking to save, especially during the holiday season and key November and December timeframes, so make it easy for them to find and redeem these deals with seasonal events such as those tied to National Cash Back Day in November and strong discounts on popular holiday products.
Attracting Holiday Shoppers Early
There’s no time like the present to begin marketing to holiday shoppers. Consumers begin preparing for the holiday season months in advance and are more price-conscious than in previous years, so retailers that provide targeted and compelling discounts, cashback offers and promotions will capture these sales and pave the way for a successful holiday shopping season.
About the Author
Whitney King is the Director of Brand and Partner Marketing at Ziff Davis Shopping where she oversees commerce insights and thought leadership, partner and industry events, and branded content for its portfolio of publishing and shopping brands, including Mashable and PCMag. Prior to ZMG, Whitney served in various roles at RetailMeNot, a Ziff Davis Shopping company, leading strategic insights for retailers, corporate branding, and B2B and B2C advertising campaigns, with a focus on connecting consumers and retailers during key moments throughout the shopping journey. Whitney brings more than 10 years of experience to the retail space with prior roles leading creative and branding initiatives for brands such as Walmart, Dell, P&G, Best Buy, and more. She graduated from the University of Texas at Austin with a bachelor’s degree in corporate communications and a master’s in creative advertising.
