For marketers, the "Fifth Quarter" (Q5) is a critical commercial opportunity during which consumer shopping intent is high, and the cost of media is low compared to popular holiday shopping dates in the preceding weeks. This year, the Fifth Quarter will gain even more significance as consumers, concerned about inflation and supply chain challenges, look to secure products outside of high demand shopping periods.
In this special Fifth Quarter mobile marketing guide, created in collaboration with Jampp, learn key opportunities and challenges for maximizing your brand’s year-end marketing strategy on mobile channels.
Spanning from the day after Black Friday to the end of January, Q5 is divided into three pivotal phases: pre-Christmas, Christmas and Boxing Day, and the New Year with its associated January sales. For brands, this is a pivotal period as consumer shopping intent remains high, while the cost of media remains low compared to preceding weeks.
In recent years, inflation and supply chain disruptions have changed consumer shopping behavior, enhancing the value of the Fifth Quarter. Sixty-eight percent of consumers say they plan to start their holiday shopping earlier this year. Furthermore, increasing numbers of shoppers are expanding their shopping timelines on either side of the traditional Q4 shopping season to search for better deals and make early and last-minute purchases.
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Source: Snapchat
Supply chain challenges in the last few years have also recalibrated customer expectations and behavior. One in two consumers have said they’ve lowered their expectations for timely shipping, and 95% of merchants have adjusted their planning in response to market conditions.
For brands, these economic disruptions equal opportunity. An earlier shopping season frees up advertising inventory while releasing programmatic auctions sooner. This means advertisers can capitalize on reduced competition at a more efficient CPM.
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What’s more — investing in Q5 doesn’t just position brands to save on advertising spend — it also helps them reach much larger audiences. According to Jampp aggregated internal data from November 2022 - February 2023, installs across Shopping apps grew 27.55% month-over-month (MoM) in December 2022. They increased an additional 27.30% MoM in January 2023. For contrast — after the end of Q5 — installs saw a 21% MoM drop in February 2023.
To harness the potential of Q5, retailers and brands must adopt agile budgeting, messaging and creative strategies tailored to the media costs and consumer behavior of the Q5 season.
Traffic costs are lower right before and after the traditional holiday shopping season.
While the price of inventory is high around this time, so are the returns. As users start browsing for upcoming deals before Black Friday, app marketers looking to access scale should make sure to match the growth in search and traffic by adjusting their campaign budget.
Create more than one themed set and try different formats (display, video, dynamic ads, animated ads, etc.). Ad rotation is key during Q5: app usage soars during this period. Ad rotation will help keep users more engaged and provide more data into which unique design elements (colors, picture type, interaction) resonate the most with your audience.
Themed ads should be cut off after the holidays have passed. Have new ad variations ready to run after Black Friday to make sure your campaign is still relevant for shoppers. As consumers may be more receptive to motivational and inspirational language after the New Year, align your messaging with achieving new goals and a “New year, new me” mindset.
Multi-product campaigns drive better results, increase efficiency and improve performance. Dynamic product feed integration can let you optimize and serve a carousel of creatives according to consumer interests.
Get users to interact with your mobile ad by offering rewards or discounts that will incentivize them to purchase a new product, item, or service within your app. There’s a variety of strategies you can try based on your goals and users’ interests:
Q5, from the day after Black Friday to the end of January, is a golden period for marketers. High consumer shopping intent and lower media costs make it a prime opportunity to maximize brand exposure and sales.
Ready to “hit start” on winning high-intent shoppers? Strategize for “Fifth Quarter” mobile growth by connecting with the Jampp User Acquisition team here. Keep high value shoppers beyond Q5 by investing in retention success with the YouAppi Retargeting team here.