It’s the most wonderful time of the year — for holiday marketing campaigns, that is! It’s time to pull out all the best influencer marketing tips and tricks to make your shoppers merry and your sales numbers bright. We’ve compiled seven holiday insights to help your campaigns succeed this holiday season.
Whether you already have a holiday campaign in the works (look at you, planning ahead), or you’re hoping to whip one up in the next few weeks, these holiday insights can help. These trends will help you build strategies stronger than age-old holiday traditions. Our goal at The Shelf is to warm your marketing hearts with helpful info that will make your holiday campaigns sing. With holiday insights this good, even the carollers will be jealous.
So let’s get into it. These holiday insights will help you craft campaigns that make your bosses jolly. Deck the halls with deals. Express gratitude for hitting all your goals. And become enwreathed in impressive ROI. Grab some cookies and milk because it’s time to dig into the secrets of the season.
1. Nearly Half of Shoppers Planned to Holiday Shop Earlier This Year
A whopping 92 percent of Americans plan to celebrate one or more winter holidays this year. And 95 percent of consumers plan to make a holiday-related purchase. The average holiday shopper will spend $902. Many started buying early to spread out that spending over several months.
A healthy 47 percent of shoppers planned to start their holiday shopping earlier this year than last. For 45 percent of shoppers, that meant they started making holiday purchases before November. This early shopping trend has been on the rise for the last decade, with the number of shoppers starting holiday buying before November growing 10 percent in the last 10 years.
But if you didn’t start your holiday marketing campaigns in early November, don’t fret. 62 percent of consumers will finish checking off their holiday shopping lists in December. There’s still time to get your holiday campaigns up and running, but don’t delay!
We don’t foresee the early holiday shopping trend going away anytime soon. So while it may be a little late to capitalize on the early shopping trend this year, it’s good info to put in your back pocket for 2025.
2. Deals are Paramount for 75% of Holiday Shoppers
Shoppers are primed to spend during the holiday season, and they want their hard-earned money to go as far as possible. Three in four holiday shoppers prioritize deals, sales, and promotions when making holiday shopping decisions.
Consumers are looking for high-quality products at affordable prices. According to Deloitte, 76 percent are willing to forgo their favorite brands if it means spending less this holiday season. And 62 percent are willing to purchase items from competitor brands if their favorite brands are more expensive.
This deal-focused shopping comes after years of inflation-tightening budgets. More than half of consumers say the cost of holiday shopping stresses them out. And 27 percent are handling inflation by buying fewer gifts this year. But 32 percent say it’s important to buy holiday gifts despite the cost.
Clearly, gift-related purchasing is important to consumers this time of year despite the stress. Structure your campaigns around seasonal savings and you’re likely to have happy customers and a healthy ROI.
3. 89% of Holiday Shoppers Find Inspo on Social Media
One of our most tried and true holiday insights is that social media drives decision-making for the holiday season. This is great news if you’re planning to run a holiday influencer marketing campaign. (And we recommend you do!)
Almost nine in ten consumers scroll on social platforms to find inspiration for holiday spending. That figure has increased 42 percent year over year. The power of social media marketing continues to grow, far surpassing the power of face-to-face family and friend recommendations (with 36 percent of shoppers finding gift inspiration that way).
Another cool stat? The second most popular channel for holiday spending inspiration is a two-way tie between influencer recommendations and family and friend recommendations on social media. Both clock in at 47 percent. That means your influencer marketing content could have as much weight as a BFF recommendation. Mull that over next time you consider skipping the influencer campaign.
4. UGC Makes 82% of Shoppers More Likely to Buy
Holiday shoppers want to see user-generated content featuring the products they’re interested in. And the proof is in the pudding. 82 percent of shoppers say UGC makes them more likely to buy.
UGC provides social proof that products are worth purchasing. 71 percent of online shoppers make purchases based on social media reviews. And 40 percent of consumers are more likely to purchase a product that has a positive social buzz. (That figure skyrockets to 70 percent of millennials and 78 percent of Gen Z.)
Because UGC campaigns are grassroots by nature, with most of the content generated by users, they’re not a bad option for last-minute holiday campaigns. And UGC doesn’t have to stop with dedicated fans of your brand. Great content can start at the hands of your very own team. Check out our recent employee-generated content post to get even more inspo to drive end-of-year revenue.
5. 57% of Holiday Shoppers Will Buy Online
Chances are if you find yourself on our digital marketing blog, you’re no stranger to online buying and selling. It’s the way of the world, and this holiday season is no different. More than half (57 percent) of holiday shoppers will make at least one purchase online this year.
That makes online the most popular shopping destination for the season. Department and grocery stores tie to take second place with 46 percent of shoppers opting for them respectively. Discount stores follow close behind with 45 percent shopping there.
Shoppers are logging online for good reason. That’s where the deals are! Or at least, it’s an easy place to discover deals and strike at the right time. 85 percent of those shopping online have several tabs open at once waiting for holiday sales to begin. Tech-savvy shoppers know how to use online shopping to their advantage to get the most bang for their buck.
And they’re not just using basic internet browsers to make purchases. 28 percent of shoppers report using generative AI for purchase inspiration. That’s up from 17 percent from last year, if you’re still looking for evidence that the influence of AI is rapidly growing.
6. Gifts Make Up 71% of Holiday Spending
It’s the season of giving and gifting. 83 percent of shoppers say gifts for others are the first thing they buy for the holiday season. This year, shoppers expect to spend an average of $641 on gifts alone. That means gifts make up 71 percent of overall holiday spending. So what gifts do our loved ones really want to receive?
The top gifts consumers want to receive in 2024 are:
- 53 percent want gift cards
- 49 percent want clothing or accessories
- 28 percent want books, video games, or other media
- 25 percent want personal care or beauty items
While it’s a generous time of year, shoppers are tempted to spend on themselves as well. In fact, 83 percent of shoppers plan to buy gifts for themselves while holiday shopping. (That’s up from 58 percent last year.) Don’t underestimate your consumers’ tendency toward self-gifting.
If your brand is more focused on services or experiences rather than physical products, don’t fret. There’s still a place for you to make sales this holiday season. 40 percent of shoppers plan to gift an experience this year (up from 23 percent last year). Gifts come in all shapes, sizes, and price points. It’s up to you to figure out how your brand fits into the holiday economy.
7. 85% of Gen Z Say Social Media is the Most Relevant Channel for Ads
This year’s youngest demographic of shoppers (ages 18 to 29) are the most likely to shop online. And they’re the most eager to turn to social media for inspo and purchasing. 85 percent of them say social media is the most relevant channel for ads to reach them. 58 percent plan to holiday shop directly from their smartphones. And 20 percent will make purchases directly from social media.
Here are the top social platforms for influencing Gen Z spending this holiday season:
- TikTok: 67 percent
- YouTube: 61 percent
- Instagram: 59 percent
- Pinterest: 43 percent
- Facebook: 39 percent
Check out this infographic with all the juiciest holiday insights on Gen Z shoppers.
Our 2024 Holiday Insights Unwrapped
It’s the season of giving, and these holiday insights are our gift to you. Hungry for more? Check out our 2024 Holiday Spending & Trends infographic. It gets into all the juicy details you need to make your winter holiday campaigns sing fa la la la all the way to the bank.
We hope this post taught you something that will inform your holiday influencer marketing campaign strategy. Whether you’ve been running holiday campaigns for years or it’s your first time marketing during the holiday season, we’ve got your back. Trends are always changing, but our love for all things influencer marketing remains the same.
Still not sure how these holiday insights fit into your upcoming campaign? No worries! We’ve got your back. Schedule a strategy call with us today. One of our experts will guide you with the accuracy of whatever GPS Santa uses on his sleigh. We know our stuff. And we’d love nothing more than to share our knowledge with you.
Happy holidays and merry marketing!
out this infographic with all the juiciest holiday insights on Gen Z shoppers.
