After a Christmas like no other in 2020, marketers need to analyse trends and consumer behaviours that are still being strongly influenced by the pandemic. In that context, Twitter recently launched tips and best practices to leverage during the holidays season. Let’s have a look today!
How to time your marketing effectively?
As most of the world was still under lockdown last year, consumers are planning to make up for it in 2021. So, in order to be effective, brands must plan to peak at the right times with their advertising while people are most engaged with relevant content. This year, Christmas is starting earlier than ever in people’s minds. Halloween was not even over that Christmas sales, calendars, decorations and food were ready. The more you have established your messaging earlier this year, the more you will leverage on the unique opportunities of the holiday season.
Twitter released a timeline to help us see it clearer. The two key events are:
1. Black Friday
People are shopping early with Black Friday because they are driven by discounts and bargains for gifts. As a matter of fact, the festive audience on the brand website grows steadily through black Friday on 26 November. During this special week, there is also an important jump in page views. There were 3 million Tweets about Black Friday. After the first peak, the audience then builds again from early December until after Christmas.
“41% of UK survey respondents say that Black Friday sales will be their main way of sourcing gifts for Christmas this year.” Twitter Business
2. Boxing day
You should not stop your festive ads right after Boxing Day. Indeed, it’s one of the biggest traffic periods for brands as people spend the money and gift cards they received or return gifts. It’s a time in which shoppers want to treat themselves with the winter sales. You need to focus on festive and seasonal content even in January.
“Indeed, in 2020, the three days from Boxing Day saw more unique users and page views on publishers’ content from their festive audiences than any day in the previous week”
Sophie Raptis, client director at The Ozone Project.
Moreover, people hurry to complete their Christmas lists because of product shortage. As a direct consequence of the pandemic, some goods are indeed difficult to get. In the UK, for instance, the supply chain suffers from ongoing disruption because of Brexit, some products are going to be really expensive or difficult to find this year. These unusual events led brands to encourage consumers to activate their Christmas mode earlier.
2021 Marketing Trends
Twitter updated its business page with Christmas content tips to help marketers plan their Holiday Campaigns. Indeed, this year especially, the season provides big engagement opportunities.
1. Online shopping
Christmas online shopping is far from being a new experience. However, it has been accelerated drastically over the last 18 months by the pandemic. Consumers seem to be integrating this new way of buying into their habits. People go for online shopping not only because they’re still worried by the covid-19 and crowds but because their shopping experience is more convenient. People don’t want anymore to lose time in the queue or in front of empty shelves. E-commerce offers a wide variety of product options that are not available in physical stores.
“48% of consumers will be shopping exclusively online this festive season.” Outbrain
A grand majority of the global population do more online shopping now than before the outbreak. So, it’s time to jump on the wave of e-commerce that appears to become a long-term trend. As a brand, experience with social media marketplaces combined with influencer marketing would be definitely relevant.
2. Sustainable & thoughtful presents
Hashtags on Twitter are a real asset for brands as they allow them to see what’s trending at the moment. This year, the topping items on the Christmas shopping lists are: clothes, Christmas food/hampers, fragrances, toys and beauty products. On the other end, the platform observed that consumers want more and more to shop local and more thoughtfully with a sustainable approach.
“70% of people on Twitter in the UK are planning to reduce the amount of waste they produce at Christmas. […] they want to be more mindful of the environment too. Sustainable Christmas gifts are a big trend for 2021. 60% of people plan to buy their gifts more thoughtfully this year, to avoid unwanted presents.”
Twitter Insiders UK, Sep 2021
Twitter is the top app to reach last-minute Christmas shoppers with impactful content especially as the festive period is THE great marketing opportunity for brands. Christmas is in more than a month, so it’s not too late to contact our experts to help you set your end of year campaign. Do you want to humanize your marketing strategy and discover our special package for the Winter season?