Thank you for joining us at “How to Win Holiday 2021: Not Your Average Q4″! In case you missed it, or if you want to rewatch, please see our recap and video linked below.

Watch the full session here

How to win Holiday 2021


Conquering the Curve:
Staying Ahead of Consumer Behavior Trends

    • This year will be the largest Q4 to date with consumers starting their holiday shopping as early as June.
    • Consumers are resonating with more non-traditional shopping ad formats. They are looking for experiences rooted in “advertainment.” Immersive experiences, influencers, AR, and user-generated content should be used wherever possible since we’re noticing less engagement with traditional formats across the industry.
    • There is less brand loyalty among consumers. Shoppers are searching for categories over specific brands and are more swayed by added convenience.

Optimizing your 2021 Holiday Media Mix

    • Brands can mitigate rising marketplace costs through CRO testing, UX audit, and website personalization focused on integrating more user touchpoints.
    • Fast, free shipping and “buy now, pay later” options are becoming expected. Failing to implement these options will hurt your performance.
    • 73% of people reported that Amazon will be a primary shopping destination this holiday season, so brands should sell their products on Amazon in addition to their eCommerce site if possible.

Challenging increased Competition in the eCommerce Space

    • Stay ahead of supply chain issues by extending return periods, providing multiple shipping cutoff dates, and formulating a backup plan with shipping service providers.
    • Traditional promotions alone will no longer differentiate brands. Tap into traditional and non-traditional promotional messaging such as countdowns, standard discounts, last-minute gift idea guides, and more.
    • Optimize to micro-conversion events (not just ROAS) leading up to major sales as this will lower your CPM and allow you to get more out of your investment.

Planning for a Cookie-less Future

    • Stricter privacy updates are coming. iOS 15 privacy updates will most likely provide the user even more options to mask their personal information and provide a less intrusive online experience.
    • Brands must start building a strong 1st party data strategy as ⅔ of users don’t want to opt-in to data tracking.
    • Be fluid with your media mix modeling, taking different social channels into account, and potentially investing in MMP and/or probabilistic modeling to mitigate 3rd party data loss.