The holiday season, while marked by a traditionally festive spirit and gift-giving, can be an increasingly stressful time for shoppers. With continued economic pressures and an oversaturated deal market, shoppers are heading into the 2024 holiday season with tighter budgets and lower tolerance for run-of-the-mill offers. Especially as traditional winter shopping holidays have been losing steam, making it harder than ever for consumers to navigate the chaos. The must-have nature of Black Friday and Cyber Monday deals has suffered as shoppers are overrun with the endless stream of lackluster holiday offers. With so many deals and discounts starting as early as the beginning of November, if not earlier, brands have dampened the appeal of traditional shopping holidays.
Cut Through the Clutter with Data-Driven Promos
To cut through the clutter this year, brands have an opportunity to present personalized deals and use customer data to make holiday decisions a no-brainer.
As 67% of US consumers would like to get all their shopping done as soon as possible this holiday season, brands can stand out by streamlining the experience with personalized offers tailored to the individual customer. It won’t be those who run an endless flow of offers that win the holidays, but those that can deliver elevated and relevant value.
Personalization will be the name of the game and brands that deliver hyper-relevant solutions will foster deeper, more meaningful connections with their target shoppers. Taking a personalized approach this holiday season will allow one’s offers to stand out from the sea of sameness as well as help consumers identify the tailored value behind the offer—making the shopping decision a no-brainer.
With limited tolerance for irrelevant offers, shoppers’ expectations for a personalized experience will be heightened during the upcoming holiday season—especially for those who already have a standing relationship with the brand.
What strategies should brands consider when looking to activate more personalized marketing during the 2024 winter holidays?
1. Lead with individualized, data-driven deals
With the wealth of customer data available, brands should tailor offers based on customer buying behaviors and preferences. Successful use of data will separate one’s offers from the holiday clutter and will foster motivation among shoppers to take action, as the relevance of the offer can be a throughline to spark shopper interest. When brands make it clear how the sale, offer, and opportunity will benefit the unique needs of the individual, shoppers are more likely to lean in during the holiday window.
2. Retarget shoppers with elevated incentives
Despite consumer desire to wrap up holiday shopping as quickly as possible, nearly 40% of holiday shoppers are likely to make several shopping trips and orders throughout the season. Making decisions, especially when comparing prices, is a challenge for holiday shoppers and brands have an opportunity to aid consumers in confident purchases. Brands should not only retarget customers with reminders of abandoned carts, but they should also level up incentives to come back and take action.
What we think
The pending holiday season won’t be won by disguising everyday deals in festive collateral because consumers are going to be more selective and more likely to tune out messaging that doesn’t meet their expectations. Brands have the opportunity in 2024 to rethink how they approach the holiday season to better meet the needs and desires of their consumers. Brands should enter the 2024 holiday season with the goal of simplifying the consumer experience, alleviating the stress of the season and supercharging the value of seasonal deals.
If you’re a Mintel or Comperemedia client, be sure and log in and read the full report from our analyst team: Holiday Marketing Opportunities in 2024
Not a client? Contact us today to learn more about our other 2024 holiday marketing recommendations: Unwrap More In-Store & Bank on The Bottom Line.
