Allocating your marketing budget for the end-of-year holidays is tricky business. Since this is a peak period for shopping, choosing to invest in less effective advertising methods can significantly impact your revenue.
How can you know which advertising methods will be most effective? By looking at consumer preferences.
Between September 5 and September 6, we surveyed over 1,100 U.S. consumers to discover what the 2022 holiday shopping will look like. Among the survey's questions, we asked which are the biggest sources of inspiration for holiday shopping, revealing exactly which types of promotion are likely to be the most effective.
1. Word-of-Mouth Marketing
Businesses often ignore how much influence recommendations from friends and family can have on consumers. According to our findings, they are the number one inspiration source for holiday shopping, with 52.05% of the responses, so it's important to have a powerful word-of-mouth strategy in place during the festive season.
People talk about positive and negative shopping experiences alike. To tilt the scales in your favor and ensure consumers say good things about your business when they discuss gift ideas, you must first offer great products or services and deliver on your promises. Pair that with smooth online and in-store purchase processes for an omnichannel customer experience, and you've laid the foundation for good reviews.
2. Online Ads
40.63% of the U.S. consumers we surveyed get holiday shopping ideas from relevant online ads. This suggests companies should invest at least part of their holiday marketing budgets in display ads to get their best deals in front of those shoppers who are genuinely interested in the products or services you provide.
It's crucial to time your holiday display ad campaign launches to match seasonal demand. Advertisers usually start preparing for events like Black Friday or Christmas 2 to 3 months before to have everything ready on time. Also, keep in mind that once you go live, your display ads may not convert off the bat, but rest assured that they're doing their part to increase awareness and demand for your product. Diana Aldea,
PPC Team Leader at Creatopy
3. Social Media
Although it came in third after word-of-mouth and online ads, with 35.14% of the votes, social media is still a valuable holiday advertising channel.
Use it by creating festive branded content on all social media platforms on which you have an active presence and running social media ad campaigns tailored to your audience. Don't be afraid to give a spin to worn-out holiday concepts and stay authentic in your campaigns.
You should also leverage the power of influencers and content creators during this holiday season. Consumers are more likely to make a purchase based on a gift guide put together by an influencer than take shopping cues from content curated by your brand. Laura Trif
Digital Media Manager at Creatopy
To discover more shopping predictions for the upcoming holiday season, fill in the form at the beginning of this article and download our survey-based case study for free.
