For retailers, each year typically ends with one final blowout, with the period between Thanksgiving and New Year’s Day bringing in 19% of retailers’ annual sales, on average. But, that puts significant pressure on business owners to come up with a strategy to maximize their efforts for the holiday shopping season. By looking at recent data alongside emerging trends for the fourth quarter of 2025, you can build a plan that makes the most of the year’s biggest shopping season.
The Holiday Shopping Timeline
When does the holiday shopping season kick off? If you see Black Friday as the starting line, you aren’t alone, but while Thanksgiving weekend remains the top traffic and conversion period, in 2024, major traffic spikes happened as early as Prime Big Day Deals, which was October 8-9. Fall sales also brought another uptick in traffic in mid-October, with big sales from Hoka and Nordstrom. For 2025, expect that pattern to continue — 27% of U.S. adults start shopping Cyber Week deals in October, with another 26% beginning in early November.
Another misconception is that Cyber Week brings the majority of holiday sales. In 2024, merchants continued earning through the end of the year, with a sharp dip just before Christmas. Sales surged again briefly in the week after the holiday, demonstrating a missed opportunity for those retailers who cut off their marketing plan too early.
Well-timed gift guides can help extend Black Friday into the holiday shopping season. In 2024, gift guides were a top performer, and shoppers leaned heavily into them for ideas across all recipient and interest types.
Best Time to Publish
The holiday season is hectic for most consumers as they add festivities, shopping, decorating, and planning for houseguests to their already busy lives. For that reason, it can be tough to reach customers with your social media posts in the final weeks of the year.
In the last quarter of 2023, Wednesday was the top-converting day for editorial content. That differed during Thanksgiving weekend, of course, with Black Friday converting the highest. Marketers should also pay attention to the best time of day to post: Overall, 3 p.m. Eastern Time worked best during the holiday shopping season, but on Black Friday, activity spiked at midnight.
By scheduling promotional content for peak activity times, you can maximize your holiday marketing efforts. If you have flash sales or activity guides you’re launching, consider scheduling your posts for midweek and midafternoon.
Types of Content That Worked
Looking at the top 200 articles posted during the 2024 holiday season, four major content types drew the most interest:
“Best of” Content
“Best of” lists continue to attract shoppers looking for curated recommendations. In the final quarter of 2024, top-performing content included listicles highlighting home decor, holiday decorations, and gifting ideas. These roundups work best when they mix trending high-quality and affordable items that help readers make well-informed buying decisions.
Gift Guides
Gift guides continued to show high engagement in 2024 after topping our list in 2023. Successful roundups included those that organized by recipient and interest, while consumers also responded well to gift guides highlighting subscription boxes. The easier you can make things for your followers, the more they’ll learn to lean on you for help with their shopping.
Once you’ve launched your gift guide, pay close attention to pricing changes. You can update your guide regularly with the new prices, giving you yet one more chance to share it with your followers. Don’t forget to use affiliate links for an additional holiday season revenue stream.
Black Friday Deals
Black Friday content saw results throughout October and November in 2024. Top performers included Walmart, Dyson, Carhartt, and Nordstrom, all of whom offered early access to deals. Roundups of deals also did especially well, showing that shoppers want to know where to find the biggest savings. For 2025, focusing your Black Friday coverage on early promotions and standout offers is key.
Sales Roundups
General sales content is also popular with consumers looking to save. In fact, Black Friday and general sales articles outperformed Cyber Monday content, showing that interest peaks at the start of Cyber Weekend. For best results, highlight limited-time offers and retailer-specific discounts to drive urgency and encourage conversions.
Mobile Optimization
Mobile shopping increased by 18% during 2023’s Amazon Prime Day, showing the value of prioritizing user experience. As with other times of the year, it’s important to ensure your site is optimized to capture mobile shoppers, whether they’re sitting at home on the sofa or standing in line to make other Black Friday purchases.
In addition to mobile friendliness, you should also make sure you’re offering your customers a variety of ways to pay. Try to eliminate any barriers that can keep a visitor from converting.
Generational Shopping Trends
Generation Z and millennials play a pivotal role in holiday sales, but how they shop sets them apart from older demographics. 14% of millennials say they’ll buy a gift directly through an online ad, which is the highest of any generation. Meanwhile, 35% of Gen Z will make their purchases through social media, making platforms like Instagram and TikTok critical touchpoints.
Social media doesn’t just drive direct purchases, though: Gen Z shoppers are 125% more likely than any other generation to say that something they saw on social media influenced their holiday buys. These younger generations are spending more, too, with 29% of Gen Z and 25% of millennials planning to spend more this year. Gen X and Baby Boomers, meanwhile, remain cautious.
Simple, Deep Discounts
Once again, deals will drive holiday purchase decisions in 2025. A majority of shoppers, at 55%, say discounts, coupons, and promotions are the best way to win their money. Deals even rank ahead of convenience, at 43%, and product reviews or ratings, at 35%.
As you’re planning promotions, focus on keeping them clear and compelling. Straightforward discounts remain the most effective way to stand out during the crowded holiday shopping season.
Budget-Conscious Shoppers in 2025
Concerned about the economy, some holiday shoppers plan to be more cautious in 2025, particularly older generations, as noted above. That doesn’t mean they’ll stop spending altogether, though: More than two thirds of shoppers say creating a budget is important, and over half plan to stick with the budget they create, but an impressive 90% still claim they’ll spend the same or more than they did last year, with 35% saying they’ll top last year’s spend.
For retailers, this means balancing affordability with premium appeal. Budget-friendly roundups can help catch cautious shoppers, while tiered gift guides (“10 gifts under $25,” for instance) make it easier for consumers to find something within their target price range. Include some higher-priced items in your tiered guides to attract both budget-conscious shoppers and those looking for something higher-end.
The AI Challenge for Holiday Marketers
Artificial intelligence (AI) seems to dominate every marketing conversation these days, so it’s no surprise that this holiday season, it will make a big impact. For retailers, this holiday season will be affected by the notable shift in search behavior: Publisher traffic has fallen 27% since early 2024, and Google search results with AI overviews produce a 34.5% lower click-through rate. Shoppers are increasingly getting shopping inspo from platforms like Reddit, TikTok, and YouTube, only increasing the zero-click search issue.
To stay visible, marketers need to adapt. Pair search engine optimization with generative engine optimization: Use bulleted takeaways, question-driven headlines, and purpose-based language — for example, write, “best dress for a bachelorette party” rather than “white dresses.” Beyond search, make direct connections with consumers through newsletters, shopper columns written by experts, and an interactive social media presence.
Monitor Top Categories
Do you have trending products in your inventory? It can be tough to predict what will stand out each holiday season, but looking at previous years can help, as can looking at what’s working so far this year. In 2025, the product categories seeing the biggest growth compared to last year are:
- Beauty: Up 34%.
- Luxury: Up 30%.
- Clothing and accessories: Up 18%.
- Appliances: Up 16%.
Clothing and accessories are performing very well this year overall, with content themes like “travel outfits” and “flattering shorts for men” bringing the best results. Appliance content on topics like “window air conditioners” and “the best Dyson vacuum” also does well.
Plan Around Key Q4 Events
Again, some shoppers are expected to be more budget-conscious in 2025 than in previous years, but that brings an opportunity for marketers to lean into early deals and limited time offers. With a large chunk of the shopping population starting in October and early November, timing is everything, so time your content to coincide with the hottest shopping days to help you maximize your campaigns.
As you’re planning your Q4 content calendar, add the following dates so you don’t miss them:
- Mid-October: Prime Big Deal Days typically fall around this time of year. This is an ideal time to launch your fall sales.
- October 31: Halloween brings another marketing opportunity for retailers. Even if you don’t sell Halloween-themed products, you can engage customers through costume shopping guides and healthy treat tips.
- November 11: This is not only Veterans Day, but it’s also Singles’ Day. Make the most of the occasion with “treat yourself”-themed content and special discounts for veterans.
- Mid-November: Start teasing your Black Friday/Cyber Week deals earlier in the month and offer special “Early Black Friday” promotions to get sales moving early.
- November 28-December 1: The big shopping weekend kicks off at midnight on Black Friday, and it brings your biggest opportunity to reach the many shoppers looking for deals, both online and in their local stores.
- November 29: In between Black Friday and Cyber Monday is Small Business Saturday, when customers are encouraged to buy from locally owned merchants. Even if you don’t have a brick-and-mortar, you can drive business to your store for Small Business Saturday.
- Early to mid-December: Customers don’t stop shopping once Cyber Monday ends, so many brands keep discounts coming in the weeks to follow. This is also a great time to post gift guides that drive engagement.
- Mid- to late December: Last-minute shoppers count, too. Use this time to be specific about items that will arrive in time to be under the tree on Christmas morning.
- December 25-January 2: Both Hanukkah and Boxing Day (December 26) fall in this timeframe, giving you another chance to engage customers while also offering special deals to drive sales.
- New Year’s Eve: New Year’s Eve offers the last chance to generate Q4 sales. Celebrate the end of a great year with countdown sales, party supplies, and big year-end blowout promotions.
As we head into the last quarter of 2025, marketers who prepare early, stay agile, and pay attention to data will dominate. From optimizing evergreen content for the holidays to capitalizing on real-time trends, marketers have plenty of opportunities to shine. Unfortunately, competition is fierce, so it’s important to have the right tools and strategies to set yourself apart from the many other brands battling for attention.
