With the largest shopping season of the year approaching—and with it the largest sales targets—retailers must be up-to-date with the latest consumer behavior trends and shopping habits if they hope to hit their Q4 goals. To understand what shoppers want this holiday season, we turn to Pinterest, where people go to plan all things holiday from seasonal home decor to party menus, and to find the perfect gift for everyone on their list. Last year, weekly Pinterest users spent +40% more on holiday purchases compared to users on other social platforms.¹ To help brands achieve their holiday sales goals, Pinterest translated platform data and user insights into 5 actionable tips for retailers.

1. Make search behavior work for you

Gen Z and Millennial shoppers are shifting the holiday planning landscape. They’re starting earlier, engaging more and driving persistent year-over-year growth in search volume on Pinterest during the holidays.² In all, Gen Z’s searches are up 30% year on year on the platform.³

This holiday season, use search behavior to reach and expand your audience by showing up when they’re deciding what to buy next. Go a level deeper by using search to change perceptions: Shake up where you appear by targeting new verticals or adjacent keywords.

2. Put a new twist on holiday traditions

Shoppers are looking for fresh modern takes on the classics: 4 in 5 weekly Pinterest users agree that the platform gives them creative twists on holiday traditions.⁴ With interest in bespoke and refreshed holiday celebrations on the rise, this is an opportunity for retailers to encourage creativity.

Imagine new ways to advertise holiday staples or specialty items to grow your audience and expand the products and verticals that appeal to holiday shoppers.

3. Don’t make the most noise. Capture Total Attention

Especially in the busy holiday season, brands often believe that breaking through the noise means being the loudest in the room. But new research from Amplified Intelligence and Pinterest explores the connection between attention and marketing results.

This research breaks down the two types of attention: Active Attention and Passive Attention.⁵ The former involves conscious focus, information reaches you because you’ve chosen to focus on it, like high-impact digital sponsorships. The latter is subconscious like listening to a radio commercial in the background. Active Attention is that spark of awareness, teaching people something they don’t know, while Passive Attention is that constant reminder reinforcing something that’s already been learned.

Unlock additional efficiency and effectiveness by building your holiday campaigns with tactics that speak to both Passive and Active Attention.

4. Make it simple: Use shopping ad formats

People usually want to stay on a platform where they are planning, so taking people out of the platform creates friction. This friction can mean the difference between “I want that” and “I bought that.”

To help reduce friction, take advantage of shopping ad formats: like promoting your product catalog. Last holiday season, advertisers in the US who ran shopping campaigns on Pinterest saw 60% higher YoY growth in ROAS, compared to advertisers who did not run shopping ads.⁶

5. The secret to full funnel success: Think beyond conversions

Holiday campaigns usually fall into two camps: high-impact awareness moments or lower funnel conversion plays. But don’t forget about the people in the middle (of the funnel).

During the holiday season, people spend time mixing and matching options and looking for brands that speak to them and their needs so they can make an informed decision. Creating ads with interactive, multi-visual ad formats can help people learn your brand’s unique benefits or easily compare products.

Put these tactics to work

Want more insights, trends, and best practices for holiday season strategy? The Pinterest Holiday Hub is your go-to resource. Access now to kickstart your most successful holiday campaign yet.