In this edition of the Glossy+ Research Briefing, we highlight the marketing tactics that brands and retailers are using this holiday season, as seen in Glossy’s 2024 playbook for holiday marketing and commerce.
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How brands are creating ads that inspire holiday gifting
Brands and retailers are optimistic about holiday spending this year, according to Glossy’s recently released 2024 playbook for holiday marketing and commerce. And they’re using a variety of marketing strategies to appeal to holiday shoppers.
As in prior years, marketers continue to bet on tactics like gift guides and influencer reviews, including hauls and unboxing videos, to market their products during the holiday season. Slightly over half of survey respondents (55%) said they expect to use gift guides as a marketing tool during the 2024 holiday season, and about half of respondents (51%) said they plan to use hauls and unboxing videos from influencers. These formats perform well as they offer inspiration for customers looking to buy gifts.
Another tactic that brands and retailers are turning to this year are brand experiences. Almost half of respondents to Glossy’s survey (45%) said they plan to use brand experiences as part of their 2024 holiday marketing strategy.
According to a 2024 holiday retail survey from consulting firm Deloitte, consumers are prioritizing spending on experiences like holiday events and parties this year — up 16% in 2024 compared to Deloitte’s prior-year survey results — over spending on gifts, which was down 3% this year compared to Deloitte’s 2023 survey findings.
“The big uptick we found is that people are planning to spend more on experiences,” explained Lupine Skelly, retail, wholesale and distribution research leader at Deloitte. “We came out of the pandemic, we bought a lot of stuff, and now we’re valuing our time more and saying, ‘I want to make memories and have these moments with my family and friends.’”
Consumers are also considering giving experiences to loved ones or even themselves as presents this holiday season, Skelly pointed out. “We also saw this idea of wanting to give experiences, or even self-gift experiences, show up in our survey,” she said.
With this in mind, retailers may invest more in offering holiday experiences for shoppers, and especially for loyalty-program members and other top clients. “We’re seeing a lot of retailers hold these special events,” Skelly said. “I was invited to a holiday event last week for home furnishings. We’re seeing retailers rally around these events, especially for their top tier clients.”
