The Twelve Trends of Christmas: How to Impact 2024 Holiday Shopping with Out of Home Advertising

September 3, 2024

Have you started your holiday shopping yet?

We know, we know – back-to-school is barely in the rearview. Holiday shopping already?

Yes, very much already, with early shopping up 25% year-over-year (SOURCE: LTK). That’s some serious Season’s Creepings. So for brands trying to be under the tree in December, now is the time to enter the chat!

OUTFRONT is here to help. That’s why we’ve put together this list of twelve top 2024 holiday shopping trends that advertisers can impact with out of home. 

Holiday Shopping Trend 1: Holiday shoppers are not waiting for November.

Don’t spit out your pumpkin spice latte – consumers are starting their shopping earlier than ever, with 37% kicking off by October this year and nearly half expecting to knock out at least half of it before Thanksgiving. Skewing older, female, and more likely to have kids, early shoppers do so for a variety of reasons, primarily avoiding shipping delays, seeking deals, and avoiding out-of-stock disappointments. Early shoppers are 25% more likely to anticipate higher spending this year, and in fact average $150 more in total spend (SOURCES: LG Ad Solutions, Tinuiti, Mintel, Basis).

OUR RECOMMENDATION: Start your holiday OOH advertising campaign as early as possible.

Holiday Shopping Trend 2: Consumers spend more, but still look for value.

Compared to the 2023 holidays, shoppers are 4.5x more likely to budget more than to cut back, leaning harder on credit cards and buy now, pay later services. In spite of this – or maybe because of it – we’re more price-sensitive than ever. 64% of us hope to spend as little as possible, up 13 points since 2021. Nearly half seek out discounts before every shopping trip, 85% are more likely to buy from brands that make discounts easier to find, and three in four will continue buying from brands offering generous discounts even after the holidays. That means holiday deals can pay dividends year-round (SOURCES: Basis, Mintel, Inmar, SalesForce).

OUR RECOMMENDATION: Consumers are 45% more likely to pay attention to ads offering savings. So do that!

Holiday Shopping Trend 3: For Gen Z, in-store experience is critically important.

Did you know Zoomers are the demographic most likely to buy holiday gifts for their friends (66%)? Even more surprising – while they skew strongest of all towards buying online, they’re also the most likely to start their holiday shopping at the mall. Yes, the mall. They’re also the most likely to shop Black Friday sales (75%). Believe it or not, physical retail is a more powerful source of inspo than search, social, or e-commerce sites – in fact, Gen Z is the least likely to use Amazon. Three in ten consumers plan to shop in-store with friends and family; men under 34 are most likely to participate in a shopping event such as a pop-up. Gen Z is also most receptive to all types of brand activation (SOURCES: Bazaar Voice, Basis, Tinuiti, Salsify, Morning Consult).

OUR RECOMMENDATION: Include lifestyle center media in your plan to have a presence along the first – and last – mile of the customer journey.

Holiday Shopping Trend 4: Omnichannel continues shifting to online, but don’t overlook bricks and mortar.

More than 8 in 10 consumers shops both online and in-store for their holiday gifts, though e-commerce is expected to show twice the growth this year. Reflecting this preference, free shipping and fast delivery are the top two factors when choosing a retailer, outranking quality, selection, and even price. And while overall we lean online, ranking it as more convenient (67%) and better value (63%), the in-store experience remains important. Three in five consumers enjoy shopping at malls; two in five in-store shoppers are motivated by the quest for deals (SOURCES: Mintel, LG Ad Solutions, Basis). 

OUR RECOMMENDATION: Use your core OOH messaging and brand in other mediums to bridge the gap between online and in-store for a more seamless customer journey.

Holiday Shopping Trend 5: Boomers start later, spend more, and are more online than you may think.

While younger generations act more like each other, Boomers are an outlier in numerous ways. They’re the demographic most likely to get inspiration and make purchases in-store, most likely to spend over $500, most likely to purchase based on brand loyalty, most likely to shop small business, most likely to seek out unique gifts, and most likely to choose a retailer based on values. In a seeming contradiction, they’re also the most likely to shop Amazon and mass merchandisers like Walmart. Go figure. They’re also the most likely to start shopping in December (22%), which may explain why fast, free shipping is so important to them. On the flip side, Boomers are least likely to buy gifts for themselves and for friends, as well as the least likely to shop on Black Friday and Cyber Monday (SOURCES: Mintel, Tinuiti, Basis).

OUR RECOMMENDATION: Use audience-based purchasing methods (such as our Digital Direct Ad Server) to deliver the right message to the right people at the right time.

Holiday Shopping Trend 6: Social media and influencers drive top-funnel inspiration, bottom-funnel conversion.

Social media has emerged as a critical channel for product discovery, especially for Gen Z, who take inspo from the timeline twice as often as the television and purchase through social media at 2x the average rate. More than a third seek creator content during the giving season, but it’s not just the youth driving this trend. Boomers too get gift ideas from social media – in fact, only TV and retailers themselves hold more sway. It may come as little surprise that Facebook is the top network for Boomers and that TikTok rules for Gen Z. On TikTok, that creator engagement translates to greater rates of impulse buys, in-store footfall, online ad conversions, and organic link clicks (SOURCES: LTK, Tinuiti, Basis, BazaarVoice, TikTok).

OUR RECOMMENDATION: Leverage the awesome power of social out of home (#sOOH) by integrating a creator component across your campaign.

We'll circle back next week for a second helping. You can also download the full "The Twelve Trends of Christmas" 2024 holiday shopping trends report here.

Author: Jay Fenster, Marketing Manager @ OUTFRONT

Links to third-party content are not endorsed by OUTFRONT Media.