The last few months of the year represent a marketing peak with consumer spending reaching over 14.2 trillion dollars in the United States in the fourth quarter of 2022. With the holidays rolling in, there are more reasons than ever for people to spend their well-earned money on gifts, dining, travel and more. Expert mobile marketers know they need to hustle more during this time in order to maximize revenue towards the end of the year.
Preparing for the busy holiday shopping season with advertising is crucial for mobile app marketers looking to capitalize on increased consumer spending during this period. Here, we outline some steps that marketers can take to prepare.
Seasonal Spending Stats
Across the 2022 holiday season, consumers spent a total of $1.14 trillion online globally and $270 billion in the United States. Additionally, an average of 46% of global consumers preferred Buy Now Pay Later programs to pay for the many holiday gifts that the last few months of the year require. There has also been a shift in in-app purchases during the holiday season. Consumer spending in shopping apps increased by 37% during the Q4 holiday period compared to Q3 2022, marking a 30% higher rise than the same period in 2021.
These seasonal spending patterns are important for app marketers to know in order to determine their strategies for the end of the year. It’s clear people spend more when the holidays roll in, but keeping in mind other consumer trends will help marketers stand out from competition.
Prepping for Holiday Spending
Plan Early
The first step in planning your holiday advertising strategy is to start well in advance, ideally several months before the holiday season begins. This allows marketers to research, create, and test their seasonal campaigns thoroughly. Starting early also allows apps to gain a competitive edge in a highly competitive landscape. As the holiday season approaches, the demand for advertising space and user attention intensifies, making it crucial to secure resources, budget allocations, and partnerships ahead of time.
Additionally, early planning enables companies to develop and refine creative assets and ensure a seamless user experience, all of which are essential for success during this critical period. By starting early, mobile app marketers can maximize their chances of standing out, reaching their target audience effectively, and capitalizing on the heightened consumer spending that Q4 brings.
Audience Segmentation by Seasonal Behavior
Another important way to prepare for the end of year buzz is to identify your target audience segments for the holiday season. Consider factors such as demographics, past in-app behaviors, and interests to create highly targeted marketing campaigns. Consumer preferences exhibit significant shifts based on seasonality. As the seasons change, so do the desires and behaviors of consumers.
The winter season in the United States often sees a surge in demand for holiday-related items and indoor entertainment options such as mobile games. Additionally, the holiday season in Q4 brings a preference for gift-giving, festive decorations, and discounts. These seasonal shifts in consumer preferences underscore the importance of segmenting users based on their behaviors. An example of this is segmenting users with families who would resonate with m-commerce reward programs versus younger users who may be searching for entertainment during the long winter breaks.
Seasonal Ad Creatives and Assets
Create compelling ad creatives and assets tailored specifically to the holiday season. Changing out creatives during the holiday season is a powerful strategy to enhance user engagement because it aligns to a mobile app's marketing efforts with the festive spirit and specific desires of consumers during that time. Holiday-themed visuals and messaging capture the attention and emotion of users, making an app feel more relevant and appealing. Users are more likely to respond positively to advertisements that reflect the holiday season, creating a sense of connection and resonance.
Swapping evergreen creatives for seasonal ones conveys that an app is keeping up with the times, staying fresh and exciting, which can further pique user interest and maintain their engagement. By regularly refreshing creatives to match the holiday spirit, mobile apps can foster a stronger emotional bond with users and drive increased engagement during this special and high-spending time of the year. Marketers should consistently be A/B testing different ad variations to find the most effective ones for the holiday season.
Retargeting and Remarketing
Retargeting is exceptionally beneficial for mobile apps seeking to acquire users during the holiday season. Marketers should implement retargeting and remarketing campaigns to re-engage users who have interacted with an app in the past but haven't converted. This strategy capitalizes on the heightened consumer interest and purchasing intent during the holidays. By displaying tailored and enticing holiday-themed ads or special offers to these warm leads, mobile apps can reignite their interest and encourage them to complete desired actions. This includes purchase, signing up for a subscription, or interacting with the app.
Retargeting helps maximize ad spend efficiency by targeting users who have already shown an interest in the app, ultimately increasing the likelihood of conversion and ultimately boosting user acquisition during this crucial season of heightened consumer activity.
YouAppi’s Solution for Seasonal User Growth
App marketers can also partner with growth experts during the busy holiday season to help maximize ROI going into the new year. YouAppi’s retargeting platform utilizes holiday MRAID banner ads to convert users who may have been inactive in an app. YouAppi also leverages Dynamic Creative Optimization (DCO) technology that helps app marketers personalize ads by rapidly building multiple iterations of an ad using the same base creative, while tailoring parts of the ad based on audiences, context, and past performance. This helps the ad resonate with consumers.
Around the holidays, users see thousands of ads a day. Therefore, it’s more important than ever for brands to engage customers with messaging and ad creatives that resonate with their needs. YouAppi’s DCO helps app marketers deliver more relevant, informative, and impactful ad experiences. It also helps advertisers improve scale and efficiency.
Takeaways of Prepare for the Holiday Season Using Retargeting Strategies
Preparing for the busy holiday shopping season with advertising is crucial for mobile app marketers looking to capitalize on increased consumer spending during this period. Here are the steps that marketers can take to prepare effectively to set them up for success.
- Plan Early: Starting early allows apps to gain a competitive edge in a highly competitive landscape. As the holiday season approaches, the demand for advertising space and user attention intensifies, making it crucial to secure resources, budget allocations, and partnerships ahead of time.
- Audience Segmentation by Seasonal Behavior: Consumer preferences exhibit significant shifts based on seasonality. As the seasons change, so do the desires and behaviors of consumers.
- Seasonal Ad Creatives and Assets: Changing out creatives during the holiday season is a powerful strategy to enhance user engagement because it aligns a mobile app's marketing efforts with the festive spirit and specific desires of consumers during that time.
- Retargeting and Remarketing: Marketers should implement retargeting and remarketing campaigns to re-engage users who have interacted with an app in the past but haven't converted. This strategy capitalizes on the heightened consumer interest and purchasing intent during the holidays.
- YouAppi’s Solution for Seasonal User Growth: YouAppi’s retargeting platform, for instance, utilizes holiday MRAID banner ads to convert users who may have been inactive in an app. YouAppi also leverages Dynamic Creative Optimization (DCO) technology to help app marketers deliver more relevant, informative, and impactful ad experiences.
