The holiday season accounts for a disproportionate share of annual retail revenue, making it the most consequential marketing period for brands and retailers. In 2025, US holiday retail sales rose 3.9% year-over-year during the November-December period, according to Mastercard SpendingPulse, while ecommerce jumped 7.4%. However, 2026 presents a distinct landscape: economic headwinds, an extended shopping timeline, and maturing retail media networks are reshaping how marketers approach the season.

Why is holiday marketing critical for retailers and brands?

Holiday marketing is critical because the November-December period concentrates consumer spending into a compressed timeframe where brands either capture disproportionate revenue or lose ground to competitors. The Cyber Five alone (Thanksgiving through Cyber Monday) generates billions in sales within five days.

Beyond revenue, holiday performance shapes full-year results. Many retailers depend on Q4 to offset slower periods and meet annual targets. The season also serves as a testing ground for new customer acquisition, product launches, and channel strategies. Brands that underperform in holiday marketing often face inventory issues, margin pressure, and momentum losses heading into the new year. For marketers, the stakes extend beyond immediate sales to brand equity, customer lifetime value, and competitive positioning.

When does the holiday marketing season begin?

The holiday marketing season now begins in October, not November. Amazon's introduction of Prime Big Deal Days in October 2022 prompted Walmart, Target, and other retailers to launch competing October sales events. These early promotions have become an unofficial kickoff to holiday shopping.

This extended timeline changes planning requirements. Brands must now prepare creative, media buys, and inventory for a three-month window rather than a six-week sprint. According to Gallup data cited by EMARKETER, consumer spending intentions dropped from $1,007 in October 2025 to $778 in November, the largest decline Gallup has recorded. This suggests October events are capturing demand that previously concentrated in November and December. Marketers who wait until Black Friday to launch campaigns risk missing early-season shoppers entirely.

What channels drive the highest holiday marketing ROI?

Retail media networks and performance-focused digital channels deliver the highest measurable ROI during holiday campaigns. EMARKETER forecasts US advertisers will spend $71.09 billion on retail media in 2026, up from $60.32 billion in 2025, reflecting brands' shift toward channels that connect ad exposure directly to purchase.

Paid search and social commerce also perform well during high-intent shopping periods. In 2025, 21% of shoppers purchased holiday gifts directly on social media, up from 12% in 2024, according to Bazaarvoice. Email marketing remains effective for driving repeat purchases from existing customers. CTV and streaming ads offer brand-building opportunities, though attribution is less direct. The common thread: marketers are concentrating spend in channels with closed-loop measurement, where return on ad spend can be validated against actual sales.

How are retail media networks changing holiday advertising?

Retail media networks are capturing an increasing share of holiday ad budgets because they offer first-party purchase data, proximity to point of sale, and closed-loop measurement that other channels cannot match. More than $10 billion in incremental ad spending flowed into US retail media in 2025, with the channel growing 22.0% year-over-year.

Amazon Ads, Walmart Connect, Target Roundel, and Instacart Ads have become essential placements for CPG and consumer brands during the holiday period. These networks let advertisers target shoppers based on purchase history and browsing behavior, then attribute sales back to specific campaigns. During economic uncertainty, this accountability appeals to CMOs under pressure to justify spend. Retail media was described as a "clear winner" amid tariff-driven advertising changes, as brands shifted budgets toward measurable, sales-focused channels.

What role does omnichannel play in holiday marketing success?

Omnichannel integration is essential because holiday shoppers move fluidly between online and in-store touchpoints. Over 55% of Gen Z's holiday apparel spend came through omnichannel experiences during peak events like Black Friday in 2025, while less than 25% was online-only, according to J.P. Morgan data.

Consumers research online, check in-store availability, buy via mobile, and pick up in store. Brands that deliver consistent messaging, pricing, and inventory visibility across these touchpoints convert more shoppers. Those with disconnected experiences lose sales to competitors who make the process seamless. Interestingly, preference for online-only shopping as a channel dipped from 43% in 2024 to 30% in 2025, found Zeta Global, suggesting physical retail remains important even as digital spending grows. Marketers should ensure campaigns drive traffic to both digital and physical destinations.

How should brands balance early-season vs. Cyber Five campaigns?

Brands should allocate meaningful investment to October and early November, not just the traditional Cyber Five. The data suggests demand is spreading across a longer window: consumer spending intentions dropped sharply from October to November in 2025, indicating many shoppers complete purchases earlier than they once did.

A phased approach works best. Use early-season events to capture deal-seekers and build awareness, then retarget engaged audiences through Cyber Five with urgency messaging. Brands that concentrate all spend in a five-day window face higher CPMs, more competitive clutter, and miss customers who already bought elsewhere. However, Cyber Monday remains significant: it drove $14.25 billion in online sales in 2025, $1.03 billion of which was generated by buy now, pay later transactions, the largest single BNPL day on record. Balance requires early presence without depleting budget before peak conversion days.

What holiday marketing mistakes should brands avoid in 2026?

Brands should avoid three common holiday marketing mistakes in 2026. First, ignoring economic headwinds. With consumer confidence down and consumers planning to spend less, messaging that assumes carefree spending will fall flat. Value-focused positioning and flexible payment options like BNPL resonate better.

Second, underestimating timeline expansion. Launching campaigns only at Thanksgiving means missing October shoppers who have already made decisions. Third, over-indexing on a single channel. While retail media delivers strong ROI, in-store retail media will account for only 0.8% of total omnichannel retail media spend in 2026 despite proven consumer engagement. This gap represents both a common mistake (ignoring in-store touchpoints) and an opportunity (reaching shoppers where competition is lower). Diversify across digital, in-store, and social to capture demand wherever it occurs.

How should marketers measure holiday campaign success?

Marketers should measure holiday campaign success through a combination of immediate sales metrics and longer-term indicators. Start with return on ad spend (ROAS) and cost per acquisition (CPA) by channel to understand which placements drove efficient conversions. Retail media networks provide closed-loop attribution that connects impressions to transactions.

Beyond direct response, track incrementality: did campaigns generate sales that would not have occurred otherwise, or simply shift timing? EMARKETER notes that incrementality testing and holdout experiments help answer this question. Also measure new customer acquisition rate, as holiday is prime time for expanding the customer base. Finally, monitor post-holiday engagement: did new customers convert again in January? Customer lifetime value from holiday cohorts reveals whether campaigns acquired valuable shoppers or one-time deal seekers. Successful holiday marketing builds momentum that extends well beyond December.