How to Nail the 2024 Holiday Sales Season: A Guide for Brands and Businesses
The holiday season is a prime opportunity for brands to capitalize on major sales events like Black Friday, Cyber Monday, and Christmas, and year-end clearance sales. In a highly competitive landscape, it’s essential to leverage platforms like TikTok, Meta, and Google to maximize visibility, connect with target audiences, and drive conversions.
This guide breaks down 2024 holiday sales insights from top social platforms, and how businesses can effectively harness these platforms to dominate the upcoming holiday sales season.
- Meta: Facebook & Instagram Insights for the Holiday Sale Events
- Using TikTok as the Ultimate Discovery Platform
- Optimizing Campaigns Based on Shopper Intent with Google
- Key Takeaways
- How VMG Digital Can Help
Driving Sales with Meta: Facebook & Instagram Insights
Facebook and Instagram continue to dominate the social media landscape, especially during the holidays. With 52% of holiday shoppers saying that Meta platforms influence their purchase decisions¹, it’s clear that Meta needs to be a core part of your strategy. From personalized ads to AI-driven shopping solutions, here’s how to leverage Meta for your holiday campaigns.
1. Use Personalized Ads for Maximum Relevance
During the holiday season, 52% of shoppers are influenced by Meta technologies when making purchases. Personalized ads, powered by AI, allow you to reach customers with tailored offers and recommendations that cater to their specific needs. Meta’s Advantage+ shopping campaigns drive an average 32% increase in ROAS² by delivering relevant ads to the right audience at the right time.
2. Leverage Short-Form Video Content
Short-form video content like Instagram Reels is incredibly effective at capturing attention. 50% of holiday shoppers are influenced more by short videos than long ones, and Reels account for 57% of time spent on Instagram¹. Create captivating, bite-sized videos that entertain and inspire, while subtly incorporating product placements or promotional messages.
3. Take Advantage of the Extended Shopping Season
Holiday shopping no longer ends on Christmas. In fact, 18% of shoppers start their holiday shopping as early as October, and 28% shop well into late December¹. Make sure your campaigns run throughout this extended period and keep promotions going, even into Q5 (the period between Christmas and New Year), when auction efficiencies are highest.
TikTok: The Ultimate Discovery Platform
TikTok is no longer just for viral dances and fun challenges—it’s a powerful platform for holiday shopping. In 2023, TikTok saw a 190% increase in holiday shopping content during the weeks leading up to Halloween³. This means holiday shoppers are actively browsing, planning, and purchasing earlier than ever on TikTok.
1. Start Early to Maximize Engagement
The holiday season on TikTok starts well before major events like Black Friday or Cyber Monday. To get ahead, start your campaigns early and leverage seasonal hashtags like #BlackFriday, #ChristmasGiftIdeas, and #CyberMonday to capture attention from early holiday planners.
2. Partner with Creators for Authentic Engagement
TikTok’s creator-led content is a powerful tool for businesses. Brands that collaborate with creators can see a 60% increase in followers and a 50% rise in ad clicks³. Use TikTok’s Creator Marketplace to find influencers who align with your brand, and let them create authentic, engaging content that resonates with their audience.
3. Utilize TikTok’s Shopping Features
TikTok users are 1.3x more likely to impulse shop and 1.2x more likely to shop online compared to other platforms. By integrating your products into TikTok Shop, you can create a seamless shopping experience where users can discover, browse, and purchase directly within the app. This can significantly increase your chances of converting high-intent shoppers.
Optimize Based on Shopper Intent with Google
As the go-to search engine for consumers worldwide, Google offers a plethora of tools that can boost your holiday sales strategy. From optimizing search ads to using AI to target high-intent shoppers, here’s how you can leverage Google to ensure your business thrives this season.
1. Cater to Different Shopper Mindsets
During the holidays, shoppers typically go through three mindsets: deliberate planners, deal-seekers, and last-minute buyers. To cater to each group, begin your marketing early with promotional content that appeals to planners. Then, as the season progresses, use targeted ads to attract deal-seekers. Finally, don’t forget to ramp up efforts for last-minute shoppers during the final days of the holiday season.
2. Harness AI for Ad Optimization
Google’s Performance Max and Local Inventory Ads allow businesses to efficiently connect with shoppers at different stages of the buying journey. These AI-driven ad formats help you display products to users most likely to convert, especially during high-intent periods like Cyber Monday.
3. Optimize for Post-Holiday Searches
The holiday shopping window extends beyond December 25th, with 40% of shopping searches after the holidays mentioning specific brands. This presents an opportunity to capture customer loyalty through remarketing campaigns and brand-specific promotions aimed at keeping your products top-of-mind even after the big sales events.
¹ Meta “Seasonal Holidays Study” by YouGov (Meta-commissioned online study of 1,359 holiday shoppers aged 18-64 in Australia), Dec 2023
² Meta internal study on 31 advertisers from NA, APAC, EMEA, and LATAM from Jul-Sep 2022
³ TikTok internal hashtag data, US, week 43 vs. week 45 2023
Key Takeaway:
The 2024 holiday season presents numerous opportunities for brands to capture consumer attention and boost sales. By strategically using platforms like TikTok, Meta, and Google, you can reach your target audience at every stage of their shopping journey. Remember to start early, leverage AI-driven tools, and create engaging content that resonates with shoppers across all platforms. With the right approach, your brand can cut through the holiday clutter and make this season your most successful one yet.
VMG Digital Can Help You Navigate this Year’s Holiday Sales Season
Feeling overwhelmed? That’s where VMG Digital comes in. We specialize in creating personalized, data-driven campaigns across TikTok, Meta, and Google that cut through the holiday clutter. Whether it’s collaborating with TikTok creators, optimizing Meta ads, or crafting high-converting Google campaigns, our team is here to ensure your brand wins big this holiday season.
We are TikTok & Meta-partnered creative agency, giving us special access to different AR trends, best practices, insights, and more. We’ve been recently recognized by Sprout Social to be one of the best TikTok Creative Agencies in 2023. Read more about our recent campaign here (spoiler alert: 1B+ views in the first two weeks)
Our talented pool of editors, designers, and animators will also make sure that we deliver high-quality & world-class output with a fast turnaround time. Through the help of our dedicated client services managers and our Create Technology (one-stop collaboration platform), we will guarantee a seamless collaboration experience.
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