The year-end season is the busiest time for many businesses and brands, driven by holiday shopping and e-commerce events like 11.11, Black Friday, and Cyber Monday. These mega sales days have become a key part of APAC consumers’ shopping rituals, as they seek deals and discounts in preparation for the festive season.
According to Dan Neary, APAC Vice President at Meta: “these days have grown in popularity and significance, driven by the rise of e-commerce and the increasing demand for online shopping.” Research from Dentsu marketing reveals that APAC consumers would shop on their mobile devices directly from an advertisement if the product were relevant to them.
As customers blend in-store and online shopping experiences, browsing, comparing and purchasing on mobile apps, websites, and physical stores, connecting with customers at various stages of their decision-making process becomes essential. Leading brands are turning to Retail Media Networks (RMNs) to create an integrated customer experience across online and offline channels, which can make a real difference during the holiday season when consumer engagement and competition are at their highest.
According to Criteo and Inside Retail, RMNs connect brands with high-intent shoppers at the point of sale, driving high conversion rates and strong ROAS, with returns often exceeding 500% due to this ‘closed loop’ opportunity. They also drive top-of-mind awareness and tap into the sentimental mood of consumers, fostering stronger emotional connections through personalised interactions.
Here are five crucial ways to drive awareness, engagement, and sales during holiday spending peaks.
With RMNs, you can access first-party purchase data and consumer insights. Nick Ashley, head of media and campaign planning at Tesco, says that retailers are often the interface between customers and brands, and allowing advertisers to engage with their customers as they make a purchase decision is of enormous value to brands.
These meaningful insights into demographic and past purchase behaviour help you understand your ideal shopper and their mindset during key moments. You can use this data to develop seasonal products and bundles, shape pricing and placement strategies both in-store and online, and craft seasonal campaigns that genuinely engage with your target customers.
While many brands use RMNs primarily to drive conversions, their potential to generate brand love during holiday campaigns shouldn’t be overlooked. Featuring holiday-themed creatives in RMN campaigns can strengthen emotional bonds with your audience.
Mintel’s 2024 Holiday Seasons Takeaways report highlights that nostalgic holiday messages resonate strongly with consumers, especially post-pandemic, as they increasingly value togetherness and time with loved ones. Heartwarming campaigns that authentically capture the spirit of the season have consistently proven to be more successful over the years.
This sentiment shift is mirrored in shopping preferences, with 73% of consumers choosing sentimental or experiential gifts over material ones, according to the 2024 Amex Trendex report. Additionally, Mintel reports that brands prioritising value-driven messages during times of financial constraints demonstrate genuine dedication to customers, showing goodwill beyond mere marketing gestures. RMNs provide the perfect platform to tap into these emotional drivers while delivering targeted, impactful campaigns.
As we move into the cookie-less era and see more privacy regulations introduced, retail media offers an avenue to collect first-party data in a private and compliant way. First-party data lets you pinpoint the top audiences for your end-of-year campaigns. Leveraging insights like purchase history and browsing behaviour allows you to develop personalised recommendations and create a highly targeted experience that drives strong returns.
Digital and physical touchpoints can be integrated to develop relevant and specific messaging at every stage of the funnel. As Zarina Stanford, CMO of Bazaarvoice, explains, “In today’s market, it’s crucial for brands to create authentic and engaging content at the consumer’s preferred place and moment of engagement. With 82% of shoppers emphasising the importance of seamless experiences across multiple channels, integrating online and in-store experiences is crucial for an effective omnichannel strategy.”
RMNs provide a platform for strategic partnerships that elevate the reach of holiday campaigns. As McKinsey reports, collaborating with brands can amplify holiday campaigns and increase exposure, tapping into each other’s audiences. When two brands collaborate on campaigns, they expand their visibility by appearing in multiple places — whether it’s through joint promotions or events, co-branded products, or in-store displays.
The combined audiences of both brands are consistently reminded of the partnership through integrated messaging and shared promotions, creating a more substantial, memorable presence. This repetition across channels ensures that customers not only see the brand but recall it at the time of purchase. This is particularly important during this busy period, which typically sees increased advertising activity and competition for consumer attention.
Another significant benefit of collaboration is saving money. Brand partnerships can help businesses pool resources, such as marketing budgets, supply chains, and even creative expertise. According to the Boston University College of Communication, these collaborations can maximise efficiency and amplify reach while offsetting rising operational costs during the busiest time of the year.
According to Bazaar Voice’s Trends research, 52% of respondents say they are likely to purchase a holiday product online when the website provides a discount code. Thanks to RMNs’ first-party data capabilities, you can serve consumers on mobile devices with location-based offers, personalised holiday discounts and ads.
Last-minute shoppers are often driven by the urgency to complete their purchases, which makes them highly responsive to limited-time offers. With RMNs, you can target these shoppers with ads and notifications that promote holiday bundles or time-sensitive discounts. Flash sales and exclusive deals can create a sense of urgency, compelling consumers to take immediate action.
As the shopping season progresses, consumers increasingly search for bargains — this is the time to adjust your campaigns. With RMNs, you can identify and segment high-intent, deal-seeking consumers and target them with holiday-specific promotions.
In the Philippines, Christmas is the most celebrated holiday of the year, starting as early as September and lasting through December, making it the longest holiday period in the world. The season holds immense cultural significance, with families coming together to celebrate and enjoy meals. Given the high level of consumer engagement during this period, in 2023, Coca-Cola partnered with panda ads to drive brand awareness and sales.
The ‘Pasko Like a Panda’ Christmas campaign tapped into the power of gamification by attracting customers with an FPASKO voucher, which encouraged Coke purchases for a chance to win in a weekly prize draw. The campaign incentivised customers to place more frequent and larger orders by offering additional entries into the prize draw for each purchase, driving both repeat transactions and increased basket sizes.
Leveraging retailer data and insights on consumer behaviour, Coca-Cola targeted digitally savvy consumers who favour convenience, frequently use their mobile devices for purchases, and engage with social media and digital ads. Even the prizes, including trips and gadgets, were curated to appeal to this specific target audience.
The campaign peaked through full-funnel, multi-channel marketing, including in-app activations like homescreen ads, pop-up ads, and spin the wheel. Off-app, the campaign included push notifications, social media, influencers, and large-scale billboard advertisements to promote the collaboration.
The campaign generated over 1 billion impressions, resulting in a 40% uplift in Coca-Cola sales. Additionally, the FPASKO voucher drove significant consumer engagement, with thousands of raffle entries and repeat purchases throughout one of the most competitive shopping periods of the year.
Retail Media Networks provide a powerful platform for holiday advertising, offering brands granular consumer insights, the ability to leverage first-party data and an integrated way to connect with high-intent shoppers. Whether through personalised holiday messaging, strategic collaborations, or targeted promotions, RMNs ensure your brand stays top-of-mind and maximises sales opportunities throughout the year’s busiest shopping period.