The holiday season is approaching fast, and brands and retailers may be wondering when they should begin planning for their holiday marketing campaigns. Developing a marketing strategy early can dramatically benefit brands. According to a recent LTK survey, holiday shopping windows are growing — and consumers will begin making purchases for friends and family members as early as September.
Thirty-six percent of survey respondents say they’re shopping earlier this year, and 47 percent claim they do a majority of their holiday buying in the months of September and October. In 2021, there was a 232 percent increase in gift-related searches from September through October on the LTK app.
What does that mean? Large and small businesses should start brainstorming their holiday campaigns early — in fact, the earlier, the better! Savvy shoppers love planning ahead for a successful peak shopping season. Read on for more sneak peeks into insights you can get from our recent survey.
A Rise in Online and Mobile Shopping
Online shopping sales are expected to reach $910 billion this holiday season, an increase of 11 percent from last year, according to the Adobe Digital Economy Index. In 2020, there was a dramatic increase in online shopping, and 68 percent of shoppers did a majority of their buying online, according to a 2021 survey conducted by LTK.
More consumers are using their mobile devices to shop online — 53 percent of survey respondents carry out a majority of their shopping online, 96 percent say they do some shopping online, and 86 percent conduct a majority of shopping on their mobile phones.
The Importance of a Holiday Marketing Strategy
Why should you start planning your holiday marketing strategy now? Attracting the right customers at the right time on the right platform is key, and doing so requires advance planning. Seventy percent of consumers plan to shop holiday deals and sales to help save money, and 45 percent of adults plan to do a majority of their shopping during Black Friday and Cyber Monday.
An effective influencer marketing campaign can encourage shoppers to make impulse buys and create wish lists for holiday gifts. Saving money is also a priority for a majority of consumers this year, so promoting special discounts and deals is key.
Because shoppers will be creating gift lists and making holiday-related impulse purchases as early as September, it’s a great time for small businesses to start collaborating with influencers to reach shoppers who plan ahead. Start sharing promotions early, giving influencers more time to develop organic content to boost your small business marketing campaign.
And although purchasing gifts is still a priority for shoppers this year, 61 percent of consumers plan to spend the same amount or more on gifts for themselves. That’s why Creators should start talking about "holiday gifting" in September to prepare for peak consumer shopping moments on platforms like the LTK app.
Gen Zers and millennials tend to be the most engaged in Creator commerce. In fact, 81 percent of millennials and 83 percent of Gen Zers make purchases based on social media recommendations. Even more interesting: The majority of people who shop on social channels prefer making purchases based on influencers instead of ad campaigns that feature celebrities.
Using Creators in Your Holiday Marketing Campaigns
How can you use influencers in your holiday marketing plan? Here are a few ways to get started:
- Set a clear budget and define your goals.
- Choose a few key products or special deals and promotions you want to advertise.
- Find the right influencers — an influencer marketing platform like LTK can help connect your business with influencers whose branding and audience aligns with yours.
- Collaborate with your influencers to produce unique, attention-grabbing content.
- Promote your content! Holiday-themed hashtags will appeal to potential customers — LTK’s #LTKHolidayWishlist, for example, focuses on products that may appeal to holiday shoppers.
- Track and measure your success.
- Maintain your relationships with collaborators.
Get the Right Holiday Shopping Predictions!
The holiday season is one of the busiest shopping seasons of the year, so creating the right influencer marketing campaign can help increase brand awareness and sales. Holiday shopper insights can help your business create an optimal strategy that leads to more sales. Download LTK’s 2022 Holiday Shopper Whitepaper and check out our Ultimate Guide to Influencer Marketing for Retail Brands to learn more!
Ready to get started with influencer marketing? Contact us today!
