Why it pays to activate your Christmas campaigns early

It may be the start of the summer holidays, but with a quarter of Brits kicking off their Christmas shopping as early as September, there’s not a moment to lose. So, when should you start your festive campaigns, what content angles should you take, and how soft or hard should you go?

Early Birds vs Last-Minute Shoppers

Many people start their Christmas shopping as soon as summer ends, keen to avoid a rush. Conversely, last-minute shoppers often wait until December (around 30% UK adults), driven by looming deadlines and last-minute deals. However, the majority of us (over half) start before December with toys, consumer electronics and clothes the three biggest categories.

Capturing early shoppers

Launching your Christmas campaign early allows you to capture the attention of the early birds. By activating your campaign in September or October, you can tap into this market and secure sales before your competitors even start their promotions.

There are other benefits to a speedy start too. Going early helps in building brand awareness over a longer period. The more frequently customers see your brand associated with Christmas, the more likely they are to remember it when they finally decide to make their purchases. This sustained visibility can create a strong brand recall, ultimately leading to higher sales.

Early activation also gives you more time to test different strategies, adjust your campaigns based on performance data, and refine your messaging to better resonate with your audience.

A useful strategy is the gradual build-up: start with subtle hints of Christmas in your marketing materials, gradually increasing the festive elements as the season progresses. This approach helps to build anticipation without overwhelming your audience from the outset.

Content themes:

Christmas is the gift that keeps on giving when it comes to content themes – here’s 5 ideas straight out of the box to drive early conversions:

1. Exclusive early-bird deals: Consumers have become programmed to believe Black Friday and Cyber Monday is when retailers release their best offers, but in recent years the shine has come off, with many news stories proving that many offers weren’t actually that great. Consider capitalising on this more recent shift in narrative by showcasing special promotions and discounts for early shoppers.
2. FOMO: A tactic used by many clothing brands is “the drop”. Could you produce content that proves early birds will get access to a broader range of products before they sell out and that by waiting, you may miss out?
3. Stress: Last year, YouGov found that more than two-fifths of Christmas shoppers in the UK are stressed about gift shopping, so content based around reducing your stress by shopping early is likely to resonate with many people.
4. Budgeting: Shopping early enables better financial planning and budgeting, helping consumers avoid the financial strain of last-minute expenditures. With historically high inflation and family finances under stress, content around spreading the cost of Christmas is defiantly topical.
5. Delivery. We’ve all sweated on something being delivered in time. Perhaps use this as a humous theme looking back at when things went wrong, and thus providing the impetus for it not to happen again!

A Q3 start?

Activating your Christmas campaigns early can provide a competitive advantage by capturing early shoppers, building brand awareness, and allowing for more strategic marketing efforts. To learn more about our shoppable native articles, please contact us today.