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If you haven’t thought about what your 2020 holiday strategy is for this year’s season you’re already a little behind. Every holiday looks a little different and after looking back at last years trends and takeaways there are some things that can be applied to this upcoming holiday season and some things that shouldn’t. 

Before you look at putting pen to paper on this years strategy, you should first look at the major trends that have taken root during the pandemic that has pushed companies to WFH and parents to TFH. It has also drastically changed the way we think about convenience, how we shop, and the way we engage with marketing channels. 

This pandemic has changed marketing in a couple of ways. It's forced brands to think more quickly and react without as much red tape. In a matter of days, brands and marketing teams had to scrap months of work to pivot in a variety of ways, and it's something that impacted every channel. This had its ups and downs and I think it made brands a little more human, which is always a good thing. 

The other impact was on messaging. Brands needed to immediately show that they were doing everything they could to keep their customers safe. It looked like video content showing their new and improved processes or website copy explaining how customers can safely purchase products. 

We saw the trend toward e-comm continue last holiday season but I think this pandemic has put e-commerce and digital marketing at the top of every brands strategy. Restaurants, retailers, and other small businesses immediately became e-comm brands within a couple of weeks if they hadn’t already been. In the same breathe though the off-line or digital to in-person experience has become the most important aspect in building loyalty and community around brands. 

It’s part of the reason that Best Buy saw a 242% increase in online sales in the second quarter this year. They shifted quickly to how their online experience was tied to their brick and mortar, but that brick and mortar experience we all remember before the pandemic may play a role in the longevity of their success, as some believe it will be shortlived. 

What do you predict will be a top marketing strategy for holiday 2020?

We spend much of my week in social building community and engagement and it continues to be a good spot for that but as we all spent more time at home, and on social, it became an extremely crowded channel and engagement began to drop for many brands. 

The focus shifted even more so to the individual as the content creator and brands really capitalized with campaigns like Adidas #HomeTeam campaign. This is one strategy that we believe will help drive success as we near the holiday season. Brands will need to put the individual at the heart of their social strategy this year possibly more than any other. Its purpose will be to drive awareness and engagement, and that’s where the holiday strategy should come in to play. 

Let’s also talk about personalization. This was a major trend as the pandemic hit and brands turned to customize everything from the product to the packaging and collateral. 

Highly personalized and segmented email campaigns will be a must as social media engagement declined. Email marketing has helped many brands keep doors open during the pandemic and even outperform their previous year’s numbers. These two channels will need to work hand-in-hand to execute a successful holiday campaign. 

Criteo noted that 88% of consumers plan to continue purchasing gifts online and sending them to recipients. In the same breathe though, brick and mortar and how its experience impacts us should not be forgotten. In that same article, Criteo notes that 64% of people surveyed miss going to physical stores and 65% are already or will be comfortable going to shopping malls by mid-October. 

The lesson? The shopping tendencies will be lead by e-commerce and digital marketing strategies but do not leave out the brick and mortar experience. 

As we look at specific product or category trends, our homes will continue to be a focus for us into 2021 and this will drive the products consumers put on their lists.