The 2022 Holiday Shopper Wants Discounts and Authenticity

As the 2022 end-of-year shopping season approaches, advertisers everywhere have one question on the brain: how can I best reach and engage consumers – new and old?  That’s why we asked 1,000 U.S. based consumers about their plans for the 2022 holiday shopping season. Comparing their answers to previous years, we were able to uncover how they prefer to engage with advertisers.

Taking a deep dive into our 2022 Holiday Survey, here are the main factors influencing customers’ holiday purchases.

Discounts, Discounts, Discounts!

For both 2021 and 2022, discounts were ranked as the number one thing influencing consumers' decisions to buy products through digital ads. This year, ads that offer discounts and coupon codes will be pivotal for brands looking to meet shoppers’ budgets and capture their attention this holiday season.

Collaborating with Creators

Every brand wants to drive connection with new and existing customers, and the key to inspiring connection is authenticity. Authentic brands show they are contributing to the same conversations as their consumers. Collaborating with creators and influencers is just one way for brands to add value to social media conversations and show they’re engaged. Nearly one in four consumers get gift ideas from creators and influencers, and 66 percent of consumers say they are either somewhat or very likely to interact with a brand or its products based on content from an influencer or creator they follow.

Building Trust Through Authenticity

Trust and authenticity go hand in hand. Consumers can’t trust a brand that’s disingenuous. As authenticity continues to be important to consumers, it’s only natural that trust should remain important. Trustworthiness ranked high among shoppers with more than one in three consumers listing it as a top influencing factor.

Creating Personal, Eye-catching Ads

During the busy, end-of-year months, consumers don’t have time to peruse ads that aren’t customized to fit their needs, values, or lifestyles. A third of consumers believed personalized, eye-catching ads could sway their shopping decisions. Automating customized ads with bold creative is one way to make sure you’re reaching your targeted audience.

Embracing a Multi-platform Strategy

Not only should ads be personal, but ad content should be designed to fit its specific social platform, catering to each channel’s unique audience. Different social channels tend to attract different age demographics. For example, 81 percent of Gen Z is active on Instagram compared to 47 percent of general consumers. Incorporating multi-platform strategies that leverage the strengths of each channel allows brands to engage and create genuine connections with their desired audiences, leveraging each individual channel and platform to the best of its abilities.

Interested in learning more?  Dive deeper into our survey and learn what consumers want this holiday shopping season by checking out our eBook.

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