It seems crazy to think about the holiday shopping season when it’s nearly 100 degrees outside. But remember that 35% of consumers plan to do most of their shopping before Thanksgiving. The time for planning supercharged holiday marketing campaigns is now, and here’s what you should be doing.

Luckily for retailers, a study by Salsify shows that higher prices aren’t deterring consumers’ holiday shopping plans. Last year, consumers spent $1.17 trillion on holiday shopping. This year, 65% of consumers plan on spending the same amount. Another 15% are planning on spending even more on holiday shopping than they did last year.

You’ll never guess who the big spenders are:

Gen Zers: 22% plan to spend more on holiday shopping than they did last year

Millennials: 17% plan to do the same

And your client’s holiday marketing campaigns will need to start early to keep up with shopping plans.

This year, consumers plan to start shopping during:

October: 27% of consumers will start shopping in October

November: 26%

Cyber Week (Thanksgiving through Cyber Monday sales): 16%

December: 16%

All Year: 7%

Supercharging Your Client’s Campaigns

So, what should your client be focusing on to make their holiday marketing campaigns super effective?

Top Product Categories for the 2024 Shopping Season

Effective holiday marketing campaigns start with knowing what your client should spotlight. Salsify says that the most popular verticals for holiday gifts in 2024 are:

Fashion and Apparel: 57% of consumers plan on buying holiday gifts from this category

Personal Care and Beauty: 53%

Electronics: 49%

Food and Beverage: 44%

Alcohol: 37%

Toy and Baby: 33%

Sports and Outdoor: 28%

Furniture and Home Goods: 25%

Pets: 20%

Home Improvement: 19%

And they’re not just shopping for themselves. 61% of holiday shoppers plan on buying something for themselves while they’re at it. So, adding in a “treat yourself” message to your client’s ads could go a long way.

Spotlight Black Friday and Cyber Monday Deals

Black Friday and Cyber Monday have the potential to snag a much higher percentage of consumers’ holiday shopping money. According to Salsify, 62% of shoppers get excited by Black Friday sales and 45% say the same about Cyber Monday. This is especially true among the shoppers who plan to spend more this year:

Black Friday: 75% of Gen Zers and 69% of millennials are excited for and plan to shop that day

Cyber Monday: 53% of Gen Zers and 49% of millennials

Focus On Deals

According to Salsify, 36% of holiday shoppers say that the most important factors to them when shopping are:

Even among consumers who don’t consider themselves bargain hunters, savings are important. According to a previous SalesFuel blog, based on data from Deloitte, 82% of consumers say promotions influence their holiday shopping. 95% say price discounts are the most appealing promotional offers, followed by free shipping (75%).

So, even when it’s not Black Friday or Cyber Monday, your client’s holiday marketing campaigns should revolve around deals.

Use These Ad Formats

Not all holiday marketing campaigns need to focus on sending out ads. 32% of holiday shoppers will come to your client while researching on their own.

Salsify says that holiday shoppers typically find their gift ideas:

In physical retail stores: 56.5% of consumers agree

On online marketplaces: 54.75%

Via search engine: 47.25%

On social media: 34.5%

And yes, physical stores are even the top gift idea generators for Gen Zers and millennials.

So, a good jumping off point for ad ideas includes in-​store, search and social media ads. But what if your client wants ads that are effective on their target audience specifically? Look up their profile on AudienceSCAN on AdMall by SalesFuel. Make sure their holiday marketing campaigns are featuring the most effective ads possible.

Photo by: Elizabeth Smirnova