As the holiday season approaches, marketers are gearing up for one of the most critical periods of the year. In 2024, navigating holiday marketing in our dynamic landscape requires a blend of innovation, strategy, and responsiveness to emerging trends.
With sustainability, the maturation of AI technologies, and user privacy all trending topics in the market, there are many challenges to keep in mind as you prepare your strategies this year. As we see growing synergy across CTV and linear channels, advancements in Digital Out-of-Home capabilities, and the booming adoption of social commerce, there are both opportunities and challenges in strategically expanding your channel mix for any campaign. And, across every channel, customers have come to expect more immersive and engaging experiences, driven by innovations in creative technology, including augmented reality and dynamic creative.
We all know that adapting your marketing strategies to meet evolving audience expectations is essential. To help you stay ahead, we’ve released our updated Q4 guide to help you optimize your holiday marketing performance. We hope it serves as a valuable resource in maximizing your campaigns’ potential and driving performance to new heights.
Below, we’ve shared some data from the guide that can help you get started.
Complete Your Pre-Holiday Checklist
1. Review Historical Data and Set Goals:
- Analyze past campaign performance and site traffic.
- Identify previously successful messaging, tactics, channels, and audiences.
- Apply learnings to inform this year’s strategy.
- Define clear, specific goals for the season and each campaign, such as revenue or ROAS.
2. Assess and Allocate Budget:
- Evaluate your current budget and explore opportunities for reallocation.
- Determine potential for budget expansion to scale successful campaigns.
3. Know and Grow Your Audience:
- Build and leverage your zero- and first-party data.
- Utilize existing customer data for insights and target expansion audiences.
- Employ advanced AI-powered tools like AUDIENCEX Intelligence (AXi) to gather behavioral insights and power predictive audience modeling.
4. Develop an Omnichannel Strategy:
- Plan a cohesive marketing strategy across multiple channels.
- Incorporate growing channels like DOOH, CTV, social commerce, and retail media.
- Ensure a seamless customer experience across devices, channels, and formats.
5. Make a Plan for Creative:
- Plan engaging content for various channels and formats.
- Incorporate creative tech like in-banner video, augmented reality experiences, and shoppable high impact units.
- Personalize holiday messaging to the season and your audience while maintaining brand consistency.
6. Start Early and Monitor Trends:
- Begin planning your campaigns well in advance.
- Stay updated on emerging trends and shifts in consumer behavior.
- Be ready with multiple offers and campaigns to stay engaging throughout the season.
7. Prepare for Measurement and Optimization:
- Ensure you have tracking and analytics in place to measure campaign performance.
- Plan for regular reviews and adjustments based on real-time data and insights.
- Access to tools like AXi can help, enabling autonomous real-time optimization and providing seamless transparency on performance across channels.
Consider Takeaways from the 2023 Holidays
Ecommerce Growth: Ecommerce growth outpaced physical retail, with significant adoption of mobile shopping, click-and-collect, and buy now, pay later options.
Mobile Commerce Leads: Mobile shopping drove ecommerce ahead of brick-and-mortar sales, hitting a milestone of over 50% of online holiday sales.
Gen Z Shopping Habits: Nearly a third of Gen Z planned to buy gifts on TikTok Shop during the 2023 holiday season.
Black Friday and Cyber Monday: Cyber Five performance was driven by Black Friday and Cyber Monday posting YoY growth of 6.8% and 8.7%, respectively.
Early Shopping Trends: The holiday shopping season began earlier, with significant promotions starting in October, led by Amazon’s second Prime Day-style event.
October Peak: Driven by these early promotion periods, October 2023 saw the highest ecommerce growth YoY at 9.6%.
Source: eMarketer
Monitor Trends Impacting Holiday Marketing 2024
Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning
- Enhanced customer segmentation and personalized marketing strategies.
- Predictive analytics for better inventory management and demand forecasting.
- AI-powered chatbots and virtual assistants for improved customer service.
Adaptable Retail Experiences
- Seamless integration between online and offline shopping experiences.
- Unified customer journeys across multiple touchpoints, including in-store, online, mobile, and social media.
- Utilization of augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR) for immersive shopping experiences.
Social Commerce
- Increased use of social media platforms for direct shopping, especially on Instagram, Facebook, and TikTok.
- Influencer collaborations and user-generated content driving purchase decisions.
- Shoppable posts and live streaming events for real-time customer engagement.
Sustainable and Ethical Shopping
- Growing consumer preference for eco-friendly and ethically sourced products.
- Transparency in supply chains and sustainable practices becoming key selling points.
- Brands adopting and promoting green initiatives and social responsibility.
Google Shopping and Retail Media
- Leveraging Google Shopping ads for higher visibility and traffic.
- Investing in retail media networks to reach targeted audiences.
- Optimizing product listings with detailed descriptions and high-quality images.
Data Privacy and Consent Management
- Adapting to stricter data privacy regulations and increased awareness.
- Utilizing consented data sets for personalized marketing.
- Transparent data practices building consumer trust and loyalty.
Enhanced Customer Loyalty Programs
- Offering exclusive holiday rewards and incentives for loyalty program members.
- Personalizing loyalty programs based on customer preferences and behaviors.
- Encouraging repeat purchases through targeted offers and experiences.
Virtual and Augmented Reality Shopping Experiences
- Implementing AR and VR to allow customers to try products virtually.
- Creating immersive virtual stores and showrooms.
- Enhancing product discovery and engagement through interactive experiences.
Get the Full Holiday Marketing Guide
Access all these insights, and strategic suggestions to elevate your holiday campaigns, in our Q4 2024: Holiday Marketing Guide. Prepared with extensive insights on customer behavior in the previous holiday season, trends that are expected to impact the 2024 holidays, and strategic recommendations from our experts on how to incorporate these successfully into your campaigns, this full resource offers a complete overview of the season ahead.
Fill out the form below to download the complete guide now.
Refine Your Strategic Approach with AUDIENCEX
At AUDIENCEX, we work to empower all of our clients with holistic, expert strategic development, seamless omnichannel media access, AI-enabled advanced data science, predictive performance, tech-driven creative, and more. Our expert teams work as an extension of your brand or agency, to understand your market as well as your individual needs, goals, and challenges. We ensure that each campaign is designed from the ground up and continually optimized to engage the ideal audience, driving conversions and maximizing results on any spend.
If you’re looking to empower your Q4 campaigns and maximize your revenue, reach out to connect with a member of our expert team today. We would love to discuss your needs and explore how we can help you navigate this incredibly competitive season while simultaneously setting your campaigns up for continued success in the year ahead.