The holiday season—the most wonderful time of the year for retail sales in the United States. Last year, Americans spent more on retail purchases than any other year, somewhere between $942.6 billion to $960.4 billion in sales. If last year was any indication, people will be spending money, and lots of it this holiday season. Here are some tips to capture their attention.
1. Start Early
Have you ever heard the saying “the early bird gets the worm?” This year consumers are getting started on their holiday shopping earlier than ever. The majority of consumers start thinking about holiday shopping between September and November. Last year, 56% of consumers started purchasing in October. This means the time to start reaching your audience is now.
2. Tradition Triumphs
Every year during the holiday season, families across the globe partake in their favorite holiday traditions. With these traditions comes a sense of nostalgia. We are programmed as people to love traditions and nostalgia because it takes us back to the good ole days. It invokes an emotional response. For this reason, advertisers leverage nostalgia heavily during the holiday season. Already this year, companies such as Frito-Lay + Pepsi, T-Mobile, and Popcorners have leveraged nostalgia to take consumers back to a time period. As we prepare to embrace holiday traditions, consider embracing tradition and nostalgia to create an emotional response in your advertising.
3. Sustainability
For younger consumers, eco-friendly messaging can make a huge difference in consumer purchasing behavior. Google searches for sustainable products have increased 130% from 2017-2022 globally, and in the US have increased 117%. Companies such as Apple, Starbucks, and countless others highlight their sustainability efforts prominently across various platforms. These companies are favorable with the next generation, as 73% of Gen Z is willing to spend more on sustainable products. And 29% of consumers think sustainable packaging is important when shopping. This holiday season, make sustainability a priority.
4. Gen Z Buying Power
Speaking of Gen Z, shoppers aged 18 to 29 are expected to spend 37% more than last year, which is double the average of other age groups. And while online shopping is still king, 49.6% of Gen Z will be doing their holiday shopping in malls. Social media is already the most popular way to convey marketing messages to this generation. Print and experiential ads could also prove to be impactful with this group. Gen Z is constantly encountering ads in a social world and experiential marketing could prove to be the ticket to capturing their attention, and brand loyalty, this holiday season. This generation craves experiences, so let’s give them some this holiday season.
People are willing to spend money for loved ones this holiday season. By starting early, embracing nostalgia, focusing on sustainability, and capturing the younger generation’s attention, the holidays can be your most successful yet.
