Season’s Greetings, marketers! With the 2024 holiday season approaching, marketers must know the latest holiday marketing trends to increase their end-of-year ROI.
The holiday season is the busiest time for shoppers and advertisers because consumers are willing to spend more time and effort buying. Therefore, marketers and advertisers interested in connecting with consumers must develop personalized marketing campaigns and increase their retargeting efforts during this period.
For more information, let’s schedule a call or send your Holiday RFP to hello@skyline.studio. Keep reading this post to learn the latest trends and strategies for implementing this holiday shopping season into your marketing campaigns.
What to expect for the 2024 Holiday retail season.
The holiday season can be overwhelming for brands and marketers, but understanding the trends can significantly enhance your marketing efforts. In 2024, there are three essential trends every marketer should know for this holiday season:
- Annual and holiday retail sales will continue to increase.
- Holiday shoppers will continue to look for good deals.
- 2024 will see the rise in M-Commerce, also known as mobile commerce.
To help marketers better understand the latest trends in holiday shopping, we’ve curated holiday sales statistics to help tailor your holiday marketing campaigns:
According to The Trade Desk, holiday sales are forecasted to grow 5% this year compared to last year—this is excellent news for brands wanting to capitalize on the EOY shopping experience.
Research indicates that most holiday retail growth is expected to come from mobile e-commerce, with a 14% increase; meanwhile, 80% of holiday buying is expected to happen in-store.
Salsify’s Holiday research report says that even though consumers cut back their holiday spending in 2023, 65% of holiday shoppers are still planning to spend around the same amount in 2024. In other words, consumers will continue to splurge during the time of giving, which means advertisers have more success in converting consumers.
The most exciting holiday season trend is the rise in M-Commerce or mobile commerce. According to eMarketer, U.S. retail m-commerce sales will reach $558 billion, accounting for 7.4% of total retail sales. As more consumers turn to mobile devices for shopping, brands, and marketers must implement a mobile marketing strategy in their holiday campaigns.
Holiday marketing ideas to leverage in 2024.
‘Tis the season for marketing campaigns!
Marketers interested in targeting consumers during the busiest shopping time of the year must consider implementing these five-holiday marketing strategies:
1. AI-powered personalization for the holidays
Artificial intelligence is the gift that keeps on giving, especially during this year’s holiday season. Although implementing AI into your marketing strategy can be intimidating, marketers should embrace this tactic.
With AI, marketers can easily personalize the shopping experience and boost sales during this shopping season. Here are three ways brands can use AI to create personalized campaigns:
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Gift recommendations
AI is your virtual shopping assistant providing product and service recommendations based on browsing and purchasing history.
By using AI to target consumers with relevant items, your business creates a seamless shopping experience and increases sales through cross-selling and upselling opportunities.
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Chatbots are your 24/7 holiday helpers.
Consider chatbots your business’s equivalent to holiday elves. Chatbots can provide customer service relief during off-hours or busy times. This form of AI can rapidly answer frequently asked questions, provide product information, and help consumers through the buying process.
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Pricing strategy assistance.
Pricing strategies are a crucial component of the sales and marketing process. Understanding and knowing who your competitors are, their prices, and how receptive consumers are to your competitors is vital to staying competitive.
AI uses real-time and consumer behavior data to provide businesses with dynamic pricing strategies. When marketers implement AI in their pricing strategies, you can rest assured that your brand stays competitive and maximizes profits.
2. Greet customers with a seamless mobile experience.
Nowadays, smartphones have become an integral part of consumers’ daily lives, from keeping in touch with family and friends to conducting business and shopping. Audiences can do just about anything from their mobile devices.
Therefore, brands and marketers must provide consumers with a seamless mobile experience to ensure an increase in purchase intent and customer satisfaction. Here are three ways to improve your mobile e-commerce experience:
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Optimize for mobile.
Consumers do not like waiting, so your website must load quickly on mobile devices. Research shows that 53% of visits are abandoned if a mobile site takes longer than three seconds to load.
To avoid losing potential holiday customers, brands must optimize their websites for mobile for a seamless customer experience—this includes fast loading time, well-written product information, and easy navigation.
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Implement one-click checkout buying.
To expedite customers’ buying process, brands should consider implementing one-click ordering options and mobile wallets like Apple Pay or Google Play into their m-commerce strategy. The faster the checkout process is for customers, the more likely they will become loyal.
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Mobile-first mentality
To successfully implement a mobile marketing strategy, brands must go beyond copying and pasting their website from desktop to mobile. Marketers must build a fully functioning mobile version that is finger-friendly.
The mobile-first mentality also includes optimizing brand campaigns and targeting users on mobile devices. According to research, 53% of paid ad clicks come from mobile devices, meaning marketers do not want to miss out on reaching consumers on different platforms during the holiday season.
3. Deck the social platforms with social commerce.
There is no denying that customers are changing their shopping habits, and a significant factor is social media. Research indicates that 43% of gift-givers plan to shop more for holiday gifts online than in 2023.
Social sites like Instagram, Facebook, and TikTok are becoming massive online shopping platforms, providing consumers with buying and selling opportunities. Here are three ways to incorporate social commerce into your holiday campaigns:
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Shoppable posts
An excellent way to implement social media platforms into your brand’s marketing holiday campaigns is through shoppable posts. Instagram and TikTok allow brands to create posts using in-app purchases.
Marketers can leverage the in-app purchase option by developing a holiday campaign that uses this clear call to action to drive consumers to buy a sponsored product or service in a few clicks.
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Live shopping events
Host live shopping events to turn passive scrolling into an interactive shopping experience. These events can increase consumer engagement and purchase intent. Marketers can promote these events using social media holiday marketing campaigns and target shoppers to generate interest.
Live shopping events allow customers to interact with brand experts, influencers, or corporate ambassadors. These professionals are often well-versed in your brand’s products and services and can advise consumers, test the products live, or promote exclusive holiday deals.
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Cheerful content
To increase purchase intent successfully during the holiday season, marketers must develop engaging content to entice consumers and retarget them with relevant holiday campaigns.
Holiday content must be informative, entertaining, and personalized. Types of content to consider when developing a holiday marketing campaign include:
- Product tutorials
- Festive gift guides
- Holiday-themed stories.
4. Be thankful for influencer marketing.
Influencers are the gift that keeps on giving. Leveraging influencers in your holiday marketing campaigns is an excellent way to reach a wider audience and increase brand awareness.
The holiday season is a competitive shopping period, and partnering with influencers can help brands stand out. After all, 83% of consumers find ads helpful during their holiday shopping.
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Here are tips on how to make the most of influencer marketing:
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Embrace micro-influencers
Brands wanting to partner with influencers should focus on engagement rather than follower count. Although micro-influencers have fewer followers than macro-influencers, they tend to have a highly engaged audience and loyal followers.
When marketers partner with micro-influencers who align with their brand’s values and interests this holiday season, brands will see an increase in ROI.
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Partnerships build authentic relationships.
Influencer marketing helps build brand authenticity and trust because these content creators have a loyal audience that will listen to their product recommendations.
When choosing an influencer, a brand should reach out to those who have organically recommended its products or services. By doing this, brands can leverage the influencer and their audience and foster genuine relationships.
5. Partnerships with other organizations drive engagement.
The holidays are a time for giving and being together. Brands can capitalize on this feeling by developing partnerships with other organizations to showcase inclusivity, increase brand awareness, and build brand credibility.
Below are a few partnerships to consider:
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Think local
Embrace the holiday spirit by partnering with local businesses to drive consumer engagement and brand awareness. When brands partner with Skyline Studio to develop holiday campaigns, your business will reach a loyal local audience.
Our marketing and creative professionals team will help strengthen your brand with Southern California communities while creating a memorable holiday experience.
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Tidings of comfort and joy.
One of the best partnerships to consider during the holiday season is a nonprofit organization. The holidays are an excellent time to showcase support for a cause or promote volunteerism when partnering with a nonprofit organization in your community.
Partnering with nonprofits also helps humanize your brand and connect with audiences on a deeper level. Consumers prefer when brands show support for causes that align with their values, and the holiday season is the perfect time to build audience loyalty.
These trends will help marketers and advertisers develop holiday campaigns that increase engagement and purchase intent.
Spread holiday cheer by partnering with Skyline Studio on your next holiday campaign.
Book a quick strategy call with our marketing experts!