By Ellie-Rose Davies, Content Executive at IMRG With Black Friday just around the corner, and Christmas campaigns growing aplenty, we will be reflecting on the best use of festive marketing in eCommerce this year. With the help of IMRGs elves (otherwise known as industry experts), we will reflect on the top approaches to Black Friday and Christmas marketing campaigns, helping retailers to identify growing trends. Also “ as an extra little bit of fun, team IMRG have shared their favourite campaigns from this season.

Retailers are prioritising emotion

A couple of years ago we published a blog which described festive campaigns as a retailers family tradition, and this remains true. During the peak trading period that runs from November to January, retailers continue to embrace festivity, and many customers get excited in anticipation of seeing what each retailer brings to the table each year. Festive marketing isnt just about saying everything you can about your brand or offers at once, more so it tends to encourage human emotion and subsequently increase customer sentiment towards the brand “ whether that be excitement, joy, peace, surprise, or happiness. Prisync offers a good example of this; In 2024, many stand out Black Friday and Christmas campaigns have followed a creative, customer-centric approach, like Coca-Cola's Christmas campaign recreated with AI. The campaign stood out not only for its creative blend of tradition and innovation but also for its simplicity and emotional appeal. It focused on emotional storytelling and a universal message of togetherness, all deeply resonating with audiences. Retailers can take inspiration from Coca-Cola by pairing segment-specific pricing strategies with storytelling in their Black Friday and Christmas marketing efforts, emphasising how their products bring joy and value that customers feel connected to the brand during the holiday season, says Prisync. Hemang Nathwani, Sales Director at Price Trakker note how Effective festive campaigns combine creativity with targeted customer engagement. This year, many successful Black Friday strategies prioritise personalisation and data-driven recommendations to resonate with shoppers. He exclaims, Retailers are encouraged to maintain multi-channel consistency, ensuring a clear and compelling message reaches customers wherever they shop. Incorporating social proof, such as reviews and testimonials, fosters trust and boosts conversions. Cohesive visuals and messaging that highlight the brands unique value can deliver memorable customer experiences. Also encouraging retailers to target customers more carefully and provide good emotional experiences is Francois Rychlewski, VP of sales EMEA at Sheer ID. Francois says, The holidays are a season when people traditionally embrace both the sense of community and the spirit of giving. Thats why gated offers with exclusive deals “ gifted to groups like teachers, students, or healthcare workers “ are particularly effective this time of year. For example, streaming platform TIDAL successfully leveraged Black Friday momentum to introduce a New Year community offer of a 3-month subscription discount that boosted engagement and drove new sign-ups among students, first responders and other groups. He describes how Gated deals make members of these groups feel special and let them know they are valued and appreciated. Theyre also a great way for brands to stand out among their competition in the noise of holiday deals “ building customer loyalty that reaps benefits all year long.