‘Tis the season: we’ve barely said goodbye to summer yet holiday shoppers are already crossing items off their gift lists.
As in recent years, holiday shopping will begin earlier and last longer. Holiday retail sales are expected to reach $1.26 trillion in the US, up 3.3% from last year. Still, marketers are facing yet another unique season as economic conditions continue to influence consumer behavior.
From inflation concerns to weakened brand loyalty to ever-increasing competition for consumer attention, this year is all about crafting a holiday campaign that prioritizes performance and efficiency across every channel.
As we cover in our new guide, “How to Make Your Omnichannel Holiday Campaign a Success,” an omnichannel marketing strategy is essential to effectively reach shoppers across every screen. Here’s what you need to know.
Consumer behavior is increasingly digital and omnichannel—and your holiday campaign should be, too
Marketers will be challenged this year to create a seamless digital experience that engages holiday shoppers across screens. Each day, consumers spend an average of 8 hours and 14 minutes on digital channels, the majority of which is spent on mobile.
With 88% of time on mobile spent within apps, in-app ads are another effective way to engage hard-to-reach audiences, including gamers, during the holidays.
Streaming viewership continues to grow, too. In fact, connected TV (CTV) viewership surpassed that of broadcast and cable TV for the first time this year. As families and friends gather around to watch holiday movies, you have a valuable opportunity to engage your desired audience on the biggest screen in the home.
“As we think about the world moving addressable-first, we’ve taken a step back to really understand our consumers better than ever before. By doing so, we’re using that data to inform all of our ecosystem and that’s from streaming all the way through mobile devices.”
Vinny Rinaldi, head of media
Hershey’s
Reach consumers as they switch devices throughout the day
It takes the right mix of channels and formats working in concert with the right personalized message to guide each consumer’s path to purchase. While digital programmatic campaigns allow you to reach your target audience at any time on any channel, you’ll need to consider your approach to dayparting in order to efficiently optimize your bidding strategy.
Looking at our platform data, we see that desktop web traffic is high during the workday and into the evening. Mobile usage is consistent throughout midday, then spikes during the late-night hours. CTV continues to rule primetime as viewers tune in during the evening hours and late into the night.
While behavior changes on the weekend, we still see the same trend of CTV and mobile usage spiking in the late-night hours after desktop drops off.
Be sure to download the full guide, “How to Make Your Omnichannel Holiday Campaign a Success.” You’ll find more insights and advice on making the most of the 2022 holiday shopping season, including:
- How to win consumer attention early and build throughout the season
- Ways to increase efficiency with deals and inventory packages
- How to refine your approach to addressability
- Why it’s time to invest in sustainability initiatives
