What’s Fueling Consumer Mindsets This Holiday Season?
The holiday season is more than a spending spree; it’s an emotional and practical moment for shoppers. Whether they’re hunting for meaningful gifts or stretching their budget, consumers are engaged, focused, and actively making decisions.
With Black Friday and Cyber Monday on the horizon, understanding what’s capturing attention now is the key to building high-impact campaigns that resonate in the moments that matter.
The Holiday Season Starts in September
Shoppers aren’t waiting for Thanksgiving weekend to start thinking about holiday deals. In fact, according to The Mindset Graph™ open web intelligence, consumer interest starts to pick up in early September. That’s when many shoppers are building their shopping lists, comparing products, and researching the best value ahead of the big shopping weekend.
Brands that show up early, with helpful and relevant content, are more likely to earn a place in the shopping list before the competition even gets started. This is the moment to plan ahead, build awareness, and start engaging before the holiday rush.
5 Trends Spotted in Historical Data That Brands Need to Tap Into
1. Planning Starts Early, and It’s Intentional
Consumers are already searching for content related to Black Friday, Cyber Monday, and holiday gifting. These early signs of purchase intent, starting at the beginning of September, are a window into the planning and discovery of holiday shoppers.
How To Win:
Make sure your holiday creative is in-market early and positioned next to content that’s helping shoppers make smarter decisions.
2. Deal Content Grabs the Spotlight
Searches for “best Black Friday deals” and product roundups are among the most-read and shared content during the holiday season. Shoppers are actively hunting for value.
How To Win:
Highlight savings, limited-time offers, and value messaging clearly in your creative. Formats that visually surface promotions, like video carousels or countdown timers, can boost engagement.
3. Reach needs Relevance for Success
Optimizing for reach alone isn’t enough. While high-impression categories like Shopping and Sports (holiday-timed professional sporting events, like Christmas Day NFL and NBA games) dominate the holiday season, they’re not always where consumers are consistently the most engaged.
When we ranked the same content by attention to ads, Video Gaming came out on top, followed by Events, Travel Advice, and Soccer. These aren’t the biggest categories by volume, but they drive the highest attention, which is a strong signal of relevance and impact.
How To Win:
Don’t get stuck on reach alone. Combine reach with attention-driven placements that reflect where your audience is truly engaged, so you spend smarter and drive better results.
4. Utility Drives Engagement
During the holidays, consumers are looking for help. Content like gift guides, product comparisons, and curated roundups not only attracts attention but also supports decision-making in a cluttered shopping season.
When your brand shows up in or around this kind of content, it feels less like an interruption and more like a service.
How To Win:
Lean into placements that align with high-intent, solution-oriented content. The closer your creative is to helping someone make a decision, the more likely they are to remember, and choose, your brand.
5. Seamless Formats Win Consumer Attention
Consumers prefer ad experiences that feel natural to the content they’re exploring. Contextually aligned, immersive, and interactive formats perform best, especially during busy shopping periods.
How To Win:
Choose formats that enhance the experience, not disrupt it. When shoppers are deep in research mode, the right ad in the right place can nudge them toward a decision.
How to Stand Out This Holiday Season
Getting holiday campaigns right isn’t just about timing, it’s about showing up in the right environments, with the right message, at the right moment.
Marketers who focus on consumer mindset, emotional tone, and contextual relevance will not only earn more attention, they’ll drive more meaningful results throughout the season.
Ready to Launch Your 2025 Holiday Campaign?
The opportunity is here, and the most prepared brands will win.
Whether you’re focused on awareness, engagement, or conversion, the key is connecting with shoppers when they’re most open to influence.
