Your Cross-Screen Playbook for the 2025 Holiday Season

The 2025 holiday season is shaping up to be one of cautious optimism. According to Bain & Company, U.S. retail sales are forecast to rise 4% year-over-year, reaching more than $975 billion between November and December. Deloitte’s forecast echoes this sentiment, projecting overall holiday sales between $1.61 and $1.62 trillion, up 2.9% to 3.4% from last year.

Growth may be slower than the decade average of 5%, but it’s still solid, especially given inflation, higher interest rates, and increased consumer debt. Beneath the surface, there’s a clear message for marketers: consumers are spending, but they’re more selective.

As Bain notes, high-income households—who drive 54% of consumer spending—remain optimistic, while middle-income shoppers are searching for deals without sacrificing quality. For mobile game marketers, this means the opportunity lies in strategic storytelling and retargeting—connecting upper-funnel CTV awareness with lower-funnel mobile performance. The brands that win this season will build emotionally resonant campaigns that guide players from curiosity to conversion across every screen.

The 2025 Holiday Consumer: Cautious but Connected

Consumers are returning to stores, but e-commerce remains the backbone of holiday growth. Bain’s data shows in-store sales are expected to rise 2.75% YoY, while nonstore sales (e-commerce and mail orders) will still drive half of all retail growth.

Online, the biggest story of the year is mobile. Adobe forecasts that 56.1% of all online holiday spending—about $142.7 billion—will happen on mobile devices, making 2025 the first-ever “mobile-majority” holiday season. That’s an 8.5% increase year-over-year, fueled by convenience, personalization, and the rise of mobile-first checkout methods like Buy Now, Pay Later (BNPL).

In fact, Adobe predicts BNPL will hit nearly $20 billion this season, with 79-85% of that spend happening on smartphones. Cyber Monday will even break a record, crossing $1 billion in BNPL transactions for the first time.

Yet even as consumers lean into convenience, they remain pragmatic. Adobe found that price sensitivity has dropped by 12.8% YoY, signaling a subtle shift: shoppers are no longer chasing the lowest sticker price but balancing value, quality, and trust. For advertisers, this means messaging should move beyond “lowest price” claims to showcase usefulness, reliability, and emotional appeal.

The takeaway: Players are willing to invest when the experience feels rewarding, personal, and well-timed. The same principle applies to advertising—winning campaigns will balance excitement and value, using cross-screen creative to motivate in-game purchases and re-engagement.

Full-Funnel Strategy: Awareness → Consideration → Conversion

A true full-funnel approach connects the storytelling power of Connected TV (CTV) with the transactional strength of mobile advertising. For mobile game marketers, that funnel doesn’t just drive installs—it builds loyalty, retargets lapsed users, and reactivates spenders at the moments they’re most engaged. Here’s how to architect that connection for maximum holiday ROI.

1. Awareness: Capture Emotion on the Big Screen

The 2025 holiday season will see more eyes glued to CTV than ever before. Samsung Ads’ ACR data shows CTV viewership climbed 8% YoY in Q4 2024, with streaming time spiking +19% during Christmas week and +11% during Thanksgiving week.

That attention translates directly into opportunity. CTV viewers aren’t just watching—they’re ready to act. Eighty percent keep a mobile device nearby while watching, and nearly 60% make a purchase after seeing a TV ad.

To turn those impressions into measurable outcomes:

• Build storytelling-driven CTV creative that reflects your game’s experience—show gameplay moments, rewards, and community events that spark emotional resonance.
• Use QR codes or short URLs to bridge screens instantly.
• Leverage CTV household matching to re-engage those same viewers later on mobile.

According to YouAppi’s research, 58% of marketers are increasing their CTV budgets this year, with app brands ranking it as the #2 most effective channel for Q4. CTV now drives up to 10x more app conversions than linear TV using just 60% of the spend.

Pro Tip: Adobe’s data shows that social referrals from CTV-aligned platforms like Reddit and Instagram are driving the highest-quality traffic this year, with Reddit visits nearly doubling YoY (+97%) and delivering 1.5x higher visit value than other sources.

2. Consideration: Reinforce Through Personalization

Once awareness is established, consistency across screens builds familiarity and consideration.

Adobe’s forecast shows that social networks, affiliates, and paid search are leading the charge this season:

• Social networks: +50-53% YoY revenue growth
  
  
• Affiliates and partners: +13-17% YoY
  
  
• Social media affiliates: converting 11x higher than general social traffic
  
  

That surge means shoppers are increasingly moving between discovery and decision-making in a single session. Marketers can reinforce mid-funnel engagement by:

• Retargeting CTV-exposed audiences on mobile with contextual creative, reminding them of the gameplay, event, or offer they saw on TV.
• Deploying AI-driven personalization: Adobe reports that GenAI referrals to retail sites are up 515-520% YoY, with traffic peaking in the 10 days before Thanksgiving, which is a crucial planning window for campaigns.
• Using dynamic creative optimization (DCO) to match messaging with user intent—whether that’s “Download now for free,” “Claim your holiday reward,” or “Continue your streak.”

According to YouAppi’s data, players are 7x more likely to engage with CTV campaigns when the creative showcases in-app rewards or limited-time events. For example, holiday-themed playable moments or reward teasers on CTV can drive players to complete in-game actions once retargeted on mobile.

3. Conversion: Drive Action on Mobile

When it’s time to convert, mobile is where the magic happens. Adobe projects that online holiday sales will hit $253.4 billion (+5.3% YoY) this season, driven largely by mobile-first behaviors.

Cyber Week (Thanksgiving through Cyber Monday) alone will generate $43.7 billion—17% of total season revenue—with Black Friday up 8.3% YoY and Cyber Monday up 6.3%.

To capitalize on that momentum:

• Sync CTV and mobile retargeting for peak weeks. If a user saw your game ad on a smart TV over Thanksgiving weekend, follow up with a mobile placement highlighting your holiday event or in-game offer.
• Lean into urgency and DCO (Dynamic Creative Optimization): tailor messaging by time and behavior (“Your limited-time power-up expires tonight!”).
• Highlight cross-device ease—encourage users to scan, tap, or log in from their phone after seeing a TV ad.

Pro Tip: Combine CTV upper-funnel exposure with mobile retargeting powered by YouAppi’s Appi Platform. With unified UA and retargeting, you can track installs, in-app events, and conversions across both CTV and mobile in real time—ensuring your campaigns don’t just reach audiences, but re-engage them effectively.

The Numbers Don’t Lie: A Full-Funnel Holiday Snapshot

Campaign Blueprint: Cross-Screen Execution

Phase 1: Early Prep (October-Mid-November)

• Launch CTV campaigns early to benefit from lower CPIs and 71% of early shoppers.
  
  
• Use CTV audience data to segment lapsed users, lookalikes, and high-value spenders.
  
  
• Test interactive ad formats: QR codes, deep links, and overlays for instant installs.
  
  
• Align mobile and CTV creative with holiday themes—limited-time offers, co-op gameplay, or new seasonal levels.
  
  

Phase 2: Cyber Week Surge (Nov 27-Dec 2)

• Ramp up both CTV frequency and mobile retargeting.
  
  
• Activate shoppable CTV creatives for instant app installs and purchases.
  
  
• Sync storytelling ads with product-focused follow-ups featuring in-game bundles or discounts.
  
  
• Emphasize urgency: “Holiday event ends soon.”

Phase 3: Late-Season Conversions (Dec 10-24)

• Activate geo-targeted mobile ads for last-minute players.
  
  
• Reinforce prior exposures with emotional CTV creative (“Your final chance to win big this holiday”).
  
  
• Drive retention with post-holiday messaging—invite users back for New Year in-game events.

The Power of a Connected Funnel

The 2025 holiday landscape is fragmented, fast-moving, and mobile-led. But, it’s also ripe with opportunity. CTV builds emotional resonance. Mobile drives the response.

For game marketers, that balance means designing cross-screen campaigns that merge the cinematic power of CTV with the precision and measurability of mobile. The result? Higher ROAS, stronger retention, and a holiday season built for growth.

Ready to build your full-funnel holiday strategy?
👉 Contact YouAppi