Capturing Last Minute Holiday Shoppers with CTV

So you’ve already finished all of your holiday shopping and trimmed your tree? Good for you! You’re in the minority. While post-pandemic shoppers definitely started shopping earlier due to supply chain disruption PTSD, the holiday buying season is also flatter (i.e. longer) than ever before. Even as we head into the final weeks of December, shoppers admit they still have half their shopping left to do.

Holiday shoppers are open to new things

Rather than pin their hopes on bagging the perfect Black Friday sale, many shoppers are taking the time to do their research online, discover new brands and products, compare prices, and find physical stores that will get products in their hands when they’re ready to buy. In fact, more than 30% of shoppers have shopped with a retailer they hadn’t purchased from before this season. It’s important for advertisers to pay special attention to product attributes and differentiators this year, as brand consideration takes a back seat.

Still afraid you’ve missed the boat? A recent survey by eCommerce platform Shopify showed 43% of 2023 shoppers plan to make their final purchases in the last three days before Christmas, so keep your campaigns running to meet last-minute shoppers: it’s never too late, so long as you have a clear holiday promotion strategy. Said a digital marketing expert in Forbes recently: “With the help of the right team—one with good knowledge and solid capabilities in the digital space— brands can leverage and make magic happen before the year is over. We see leads come in as late as Boxing Day (December 26!) some years.”

Make the most of your Holiday campaign

#1 Don’t neglect mobile

According to Google’s newest customer survey, shoppers still have a lot left to do, and they’re doing it on mobile, so don’t forget to leverage the many screens CTV can deliver on (TV, tablet, and mobile.) “While many people have gone to actual stores in the past few weeks, shoppers estimate that nearly 60% of their shopping time so far has been spent online. In fact, nearly as many shoppers have used their smartphones to search for holiday items as have shopped for those items in a store.” This also means advertisers should appeal to the 92% of CTV viewers who watch streamed programming with their phone in their hand in their creative with mobile shopping-focused CTAs.

#2 Rinse and repeat your creative

Now is not the time to get fancy. If you have creative that has worked well for you in the past, just slap a strong CTA or promo code on there, maybe add a countdown until the end of your brand’s delivery window and take it for a spin! Vibe’s CTV dashboard allows advertisers to edit and refine their campaigns in real-time, so launch fast and iterate as needed!

#3 Know your delivery times

Leverage Vibe’s geo-targeting and multi-strategy campaign functionality to target areas where delivery in time for Christmas is still an option or where brick and mortar stores are available, and have stock.

#4 Get specific

As flexible as Connected Television advertising can be, know what you want to offer for holiday promos and push to specific products, landing pages, stores etc. Play with your targeting and budget allocations, but have a solid tether to specific promotions to avoid shopper confusion.

#5 Leverage CTV retargeting  

Use your existing database and information you have about digital engagement to segment your prospects and align with your holiday offers. From there, determine how to connect with existing prospects and leverage retargeting and lookalike audiences to find a new audience for your holiday campaigns.

#6 Customize like there’s no tomorrow

Make as many strategies per campaign as you need so that your ad will resonate on as local a level as possible - a key differentiating factor.

#7 Capitalize on Self-Gifting

Consumer trend reports show that at least 30% of consumers will buy a gift for themselves during the holiday season, so include relevant messaging to drive additional sales.

#8 Target Early New Year’s Resolutions

Shift your post-holiday messaging toward the new year, especially if your brand has products that align naturally with popular New Year’s resolutions. Consumers might be shopping for gifts in December, but they will likely make a purchase for themselves as they set new personal goals. Retailers should factor this messaging into their holiday strategy.