2024 Holiday Marketing Tips for Multi-Location Brands

As the year winds down, businesses across the globe gear up for the annual marketing extravaganza. We know it feels a bit early, but Christmas is sneaking up on us—just like those holiday chocolates that seem to appear in stores earlier and earlier each year! Along with Christmas, we’ve got Black Friday, Thanksgiving, and a whole slew of other holidays to look forward to. Oh, and not to forget the Olympics: Paris 2024!

We don’t have to tell you that the holiday season is a golden opportunity to connect with your audience. What we will tell you, though, is how to make the most of it; despite the economic uncertainties with limited budget for marketing teams and customers tightening their purse strings.

Insights for the 2024 Holiday Shopping Season

Forbes believes that “The Holiday 2024 Shopping Season Will Be Unlike Any Other”.; which is why we want to share a few holiday shopping insights before loading you up with marketing advice:

The digital transformation accelerates.

With the continued growth of e-commerce, online shopping during the holiday season reaches new heights. In fact, digital continues to remain a key part of the customer journey, but will not always be the final destination.

Consumer-business interactions are becoming more phygital as we speak, so customers may visit several of your business profiles, social media channels or location landing pages; but eventually make their way to your locations.

Consumers want real-world experiences

Call it the aftermath of COVID, but consumers today crave ‘real’ in-person experiences that can’t be replicated online. Nearly half of all Google searches are driven by local intent—showing us once again that brick-and-mortar shopping isn’t dead.

Having a physical presence at local stores will be a significant advantage over online-only competitors. A significant 97% of people use online searches to locate local stores, and 28% of searches with local intent in 2023 resulted in actual purchases. This highlights that many customers are indeed visiting businesses in person to complete their transactions.

Retail sales surges, and consumer spending soars.

According to the National Retail Federation, holiday retail sales in 2023 reached record levels during November and December, growing 3,8% over 2022 to $964.4 billion. The average U.S. consumer was projected to spend over $1,000 on holiday gifts and expenses in 2022. A few highlights:

• Electronics and appliance stores were up 9.3%.

• Health and personal care stores were up 9%.

• Clothing and clothing accessory stores were up 3%.

Salsify's “2024 Holiday Consumer Research” report reveals that 65% of shoppers intend to spend roughly the same amount as they did in 2023—while 21% expect to spend less, and 15% anticipate spending more.

To overcome unstable economic conditions, marketers are challenged to ‘do more with less’—and there’s a few things to consider from the art and science of seasonal marketing.

Deck The Halls With Seasonal Marketing Strategies

The holiday season brings a unique atmosphere of joy, generosity, and nostalgia. Businesses that tap into these sentiments through strategic seasonal marketing can foster a deeper connection with their audience. And by aligning your brand with the spirit of Easter, Thanksgiving and Christmas—in that order, on repeat—you can create memorable experiences that resonate and drive sales.

#1 Start Early

The 2024 holiday season presents a challenge with just 27 days between Thanksgiving and Christmas, making early campaign launches essential. Historically, marketers have tackled similar short seasons by starting promotions early and extending store hours.

In July 2024, 34% of U.S. consumers reported that they had already begun their holiday shopping, marking a notable increase from 28% in July 2023. So for this year, it’s crucial to engage consumers before Thanksgiving and capitalize on peak days like Black Friday and Cyber Monday, while managing shipping deadlines and inventory efficiently to boost sales and address varying shopping habits, especially of Gen Z.

#2 Understand Your Audience

Before diving into the festivities, it's essential to understand your target audience; because different demographics may respond to holiday campaigns in distinct ways. Consider factors such as age, interests, cultural background and purchasing behavior.

Are you targeting families, millennials, or individuals looking for gifts? Tailoring your approach to match your audience's preferences will significantly enhance the effectiveness of your campaign. In fact, shoppers are 3.2 times more confident in their purchase decisions when they have all the necessary information, and 8x more likely to come back (and 18x more likely to recommend your brand to family or friends.

#3 Craft Compelling Content (& Offers)

Content is king, and during the holiday season, it becomes even more critical. Whether it's heartwarming videos, festive blog posts, or engaging social media campaigns, make sure your content reflects the essence of the season. Create content that evokes emotions tied to the holidays, and showcase your products or services in a way that aligns with the holiday spirit, emphasizing how they can bring joy or solve common holiday challenges.

Also, highlighting exclusive deals that are only available during the holiday season can drive customers to make purchasing decisions quickly. Consider incorporating countdowns or limited stock notifications to emphasize the scarcity of certain products.

#4 Provide Seamless Customer Experiences

Ensure that your customers have a seamless and enjoyable shopping experience. Update your location data, promote seasonal offers across all your channels, and plan for more staff on site. Optimize your website for mobile users, streamline the checkout process, and offer convenient payment options.

Implementing features such as gift guides, wish lists, and easy returns can make holiday shopping stress-free for your customers, increasing the likelihood of conversions. When being faced with too many options (or too much information), on the other hand, 60% of U.S. consumers abandon a purchase altogether.

#5 Embrace AI

AI-powered product recommendations and chatbots can greatly enhance shopping experiences by speeding up discovery and personalizing interactions. Last holiday season, AI influenced 17% of online purchases, amounting to $199 billion in sales.

This year, 53% of shoppers are interested in using generative AI to find the perfect gift, as major tech platforms like Google integrate AI into their search functions. This shift will prompt consumers to use more conversational search methods, encouraging retailers to adapt their websites for natural language queries.

#6 Host In-Store Events

Create a festive atmosphere by hosting in-store events that encourage community engagement, which not only drive foot traffic but also provide an opportunity to showcase your products in a tangible way. Consider organizing holiday-themed workshops, live demonstrations, or even partnering with local artisans for pop-up shops to expand your reach. Also, offer exclusive in-store discounts during these events to incentivize attendance and purchases.

#7 Give Back to the Community

Embrace the spirit of giving by incorporating a charitable component into your holiday marketing strategy. Partner with a local charity or nonprofit organization and donate a percentage of your holiday sales to a worthy cause. Not only does this foster a sense of community and goodwill, but it also sets your brand apart as socially responsible, attracting socially conscious consumers.

Holiday Marketing Tips For Your Target Group

To kick things off, we’re quoting Google with their four consumer mindset framework:

• Deliberate shoppers begin planning their purchases and wishlists as early as July. They are thoughtful and intentional, focusing on specific items they want to buy.

• Deal-seeking shoppers become active from October to November, shifting their focus to finding the best deals. They prioritize quality and value, hunting for discounts and promotions.

• Determined shoppers enter the scene by December, highly focused on completing their holiday shopping. They are committed to finalizing their purchases, often using all available resources to get it done.

• Devoted shoppers, lastly, appear after the peak shopping season, shopping often for their own enjoyment rather than out of necessity. This mindset reflects their loyalty and ongoing interest in specific brands.

And what’s interesting with this is that these mindsets aren't strictly separate; consumers may move fluidly between them, shifting from being deliberate planners to deal-seekers, or from determined to devoted, depending on the time of year, their specific needs, and the shopping opportunities that arise.

Yet, we've identified three major consumer categories on our own that you can expect this season and offer holiday marketing tips to engage and draw each of them into your locations.

Holiday Marketing Tips for the "Price-Conscious Consumer"

This category will make up most of your consumer base, given the current economic climate—and to entice a good number of them, you should focus on products with a good price-performance ratio and limited-time promotions. Here are a few holiday marketing ideas:

• Consider mobile or digital coupons to attract customers to your store — Capital One Shopping found that 62% of consumers online print coupons to use in brick-and-mortar businesses; and 56% will visit a brick-and-mortar store after receiving a digital offer. Also, consumers using coupons spend 37% more than those who don’t.

• Use holiday email marketing to promote discounts — 75% of holiday shoppers say they’re looking for promotions throughout the holiday shopping season. Almost half of the consumers find coupons from brand emails as well as online searches, though coupon websites are a relevant source for 34% of them, too. So no matter your product or service portfolio: make sure your offers and discounts are in consumers' inboxes when they go looking this holiday season.

• Encourage deal sharing — Cost-conscious consumers will share deals with family and friends. In fact, sharing deals has increased just like electronic word of mouth (eWOM) has become one of the most influential factors in consumer decisions. So make use of unique coupon codes for customers who share a discount with a friend and then get a reward in return if a purchase is made.

• Reward local social fans — If you have a local social following on Facebook or Instagram, this can be a great way to reach and reward loyal fans. If you are still building your local social following, on the other hand, consider encouraging customers to follow you for exclusive savings at their local store.

Holiday Marketing Tips for the "Eat-Drink-Shop Local Consumer"

Holidays are often the times when some people want to eat, drink and shop locally. The charm of Christmas markets, local crafts, cuisines, or local businesses running their seasonal specials are undeniable. Here are some ideas to tap into this sentiment:

• Empower local store managers — Give each of your local store managers the freedom to make marketing decisions that best fit their communities. Allow them to use their budgets to develop unique local impact initiatives, or to give it to local charities: for instance, a national pizza chain once gave each store a quota of free pizza to distribute, aiming to provide 10 million slices to those affected by COVID-19.

• Partner with local businesses — We know that consumers are wary to visit retailers in person without a plan first. But, "shop local" consumers may make an exception for a trip to a local farmers market or a holiday bazaar. So partner with one or more complementary businesses in your area to bundle some products or services that consumers can enter to win with every purchase.

• Give back to a local cause — Spread some goodwill during the holidays and give customers a way to support their community when they shop with you by giving a portion of your sales to local schools, a local food bank, or another local cause. Or suggest customers pay a purchase forward by buying a Toy for a Tot, canned food for a local food bank, or a food gift card for a needy family.

• Leverage hyperlocal social ads — By targeting people near your storefront with the right message resonating with their immediate needs and interests. That way, you’ll avoid highly competitive national ad spots and achieve a higher return on your investment due to increased relevance and engagement with potential customers who are more likely to visit your location.

Holiday Marketing Tips for the "Avoiding-the-Crowds Consumer"

Marketing during the holidays is never easy, further complicated by consumer concerns around avoiding the crowds. So anything you can do to help consumers see how they can avoid the misery of the holiday rush by doing business with you will go a long way—ensure they get the coveted items of the season for their loved ones.

• Reward the Early Bird — The phrase "the early bird gets the worm" has never been more true than it will be this holiday season. Encourage consumers to shop early with you (offline or online) to avoid the dreaded holiday rush. Offer free shipping for orders or discounts for consumers who shop early.

• Consider special hours — If you are a higher-end retailer, spa, or salon, consider creating special hours like "by appointment only" to ensure fewer people and a more relaxed experience; and maybe include a bit of bubbly and a free gift. These experiences can be advertised as "no-lines" and "hassle-free."

• Create omnichannel brand experiences — This season’s shoppers will move between online and offline interactions more than ever. To effectively engage them, ensure you have a flexible and responsive strategy that caters to both digital and in-person experiences. Be prepared to meet consumers wherever they feel most comfortable, whether that’s through a user-friendly website or a welcoming physical store.

• Make it easy — Holiday shopping is already a hectic time, spare your customers any added inconveniences by ensuring your online presence is impeccable across the web: update location data, highlight extended hours and pick-up options, promote special offers, add photos, and make your primary CTA clear.

• Share in-store inventory — With the ongoing supply chain issues that are expected to impact the holiday retail season, holiday shoppers want to know what they are buying before heading in-store. More people will be looking for those hard-to-find items so you can be transparent about your inventory. Leverage the "See What's In Store" feature on the GBP knowledge panel that allows retailers to upload a feed of inventory.

With the year’s biggest shopping days coming earlier each year, marketing leaders need to prepare now for a season of peak demand. So, deck the halls, spread the cheer, and watch your business thrive during the most wonderful time of the year.

For more ideas on how to create a memorable customer experience for the holiday season and beyond, take a deeper dive into our library of e-books, guides and reports. Or reach out to our experts to see how Uberall can help you boost your local SEO.