The holiday season may be winding down, but the opportunities to connect with customers and drive engagement are far from over. As we look ahead, there are key marketing trends that can help you refine your strategy for the months to come. Explore insights from the 2024 holiday season that are shaping how brands can build stronger customer relationships and maximize impact year-round.
Ready to take your marketing to the next level? Let’s explore five trends that are setting the stage for success in 2025.
1. Post-holiday self-gifting was in full swing
The holiday shopping season continues – and in fact, you have until the end of January to be enticing engaged customers with deals and incentives. Self-gifting is a big deal during this time of year, lasting well into January. The Google/Ipsos Holiday Shopping Study found that 45% of Americans enjoy shopping during the period after Christmas. So, take advantage of this time to reach out to customers with timely offers or promotions.
2. Brands that build relationships win
Tapping into your behavioral data is a great way to personalize your content and increase customer loyalty, allowing you to offer special pricing or member-exclusive access to sales or products. The Google/Ipsos survey found that shoppers with a strong connection to a brand are 6 times more likely to want to buy again, compared with shoppers who don’t have a strong connection. And those customers who have a strong connection to the brand are 18X more likely to recommend a brand to friends and family than those who didn’t have that connection with the brand.
3. Loyalty programs and the power of apps
Another trend from this holiday season is the importance of leveraging your app for your loyalty programs. According to Appsflyer’s The State of Ecommerce App Marketing Report 2024, 60% of iOS app users turn into loyal customers after their first purchase, and the average combined spend of app and web users is 31% higher when compared to solely web users.
4. Cross-channel campaigns drive sales
The power of apps speaks to the critical importance of planning cross-channel campaigns that can drive sales. Utilizing SMS, your app, your website, and emails can all lead to more customer engagement that results in increased revenue. Doing this is even more important when you consider that customers are increasingly preferring digital-first shopping, MasterCard SpendingPulse™ 2024 reported that this year online retail sales grew 6.7% year-over-year while in-store sales only grew 2.9%.
5. Personalization is the driving force behind the big trends
Marketers will have a distinct competitive advantage when they are able to:
- Hyper-personalize content to include personal recommendations based on interests
- Support customers through the entire journey
- Making it easy for customers to find what they need, make a purchase, or reach out for help
- Provide specialized incentives
AI and machine-learning are valuable tools marketers can use to increase personalization and make stronger connections. Check out our one-pager, How to use AI in email marketing: Increase productivity and boost engagement for tips.
The holiday shopping season starts earlier every year, so start planning your holiday email campaigns early in 2025. To learn more about how Acoustic Connect can help you craft effective cross-channel campaigns, learn more about our platform. To discover strategies to elevate your email marketing in 2025, watch our on-demand webinar replay: New year, new strategy: How to reach your email marketing goals in 2025.
