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鈥淸This year] has been a once-in-a-career opportunity to hit the reset button on promotions and not just lift and shift what you did in the past,鈥� said Erica Harrison, vice president of analytics at NielsenIQ during a recent LinkedIn live Q&A. As brands rethink their pricing and promotion strategies, they must keep track of their competition, secure retailer support, and get the timing right. However, it鈥檚 also important not to train consumers to be over-reliant on promotions. Here are five tips for brands as we head into the holiday season.

Consumers are turning to their TVs for holiday inspiration: 43% of connected TV (CTV) users say TV ads offer useful information on holiday shopping, and 72% would scan a QR code in a TV ad to make a purchase, according to a report from LG Ad Solutions.

On today's podcast episode, we discuss standout data points from this year鈥檚 back-to-school season, creators' role in this shopping period, and what back-to-school is trying to tell us about this year's upcoming holidays. Listen to the conversation with our analyst Sara Lebow as she hosts analysts Sarah Marzano and Zak Stambor.

On today鈥檚 podcast episode, we discuss this years Prime Day. Was Amazon's ad platform breaking on the day a big deal, how other retailers event day behavior is changing, and how the shopping holiday is impacting the back-to-school season. Listen to the conversation with our analyst Sara Lebow as she hosts analysts Sarah Marzano and Zak Stambor.

That playbook is also working for Banana Republic as it transforms into a premium lifestyle brand, but needs to be fine-tuned for Athleta, which lost momentum in the holiday quarter as its lackluster product offerings failed to excite customers. Looking ahead: Gap is one of the few retailers to be optimistic about its chances this year.

Comparable sales rose 6.8% YoY during the holiday quarter, outpacing expectations for a 6.4% rise. US comparable sales grew by 8.3% YoY, or 8.6% when taking gas deflation into account. That momentum is carrying over into February. Net sales increased 8.8% YoY, while US comp sales rose 8.6%.

In fact, 39% of US holiday shoppers cited the fear of rising prices due to tariffs as the key reason for increased purchases before the holidays, according to CreditCards.com. Our take: Marketers should track economic shifts, prioritize high-ROI channels, and stay agile to seize emerging opportunities.

Over the holidays, 54% of Gen Zers used BNPL, outpacing the 50% who used credit cards, per a J.D. Power survey. That鈥檚 well ahead of the general public, where only 32% used BNPL, compared to 61% who used credit cards. Gen Z鈥檚 reliance on BNPL is only growing.

On today's podcast episode, we discuss the main ways the shopper journey is evolving, how retail media is shifting to encompass the full funnel, and how in-store retail media can help bring a brand's shopping message to life, particularly during holidays and events. Tune in to the discussion with our analyst Sarah Marzano and Nikhil Sharma, senior director of performance and insights at Roundel.

Britain is looking forward to its first coronation celebration in 70 years鈥攚ith street parties, socializing, and an extra bank holiday set to give a welcome lift to retail sales.

The percentage of cat owners hosting holiday/birthday parties has increased by over 200% since 2018. True. In 2024, 21% of cat owners hosted holiday/birthday parties for their cats, up 250% from 2018, according to the American Pet Products Association (APPA). JUNE 30, 2025. What percentage of consumers have made a purchase as a result of an influencer endorsement of a product or service?

October鈥檚 and November鈥檚 share of US digital holiday consumer spend has not shown a consistent increase since 2018, despite retailers moving their holiday sales earlier, per an April 2024 report from Comscore.

Est茅e Lauder鈥檚 North America online sales grew by double digits during the holiday quarter, which helped mitigate declining sales in the region. E.l.f. Beauty鈥檚 digital sales rose 30% YoY in the holiday quarter, and the brand notes 鈥渃ontinued momentum across our digital and social platforms鈥� with particular strength on Amazon and its mobile app.

Holiday retail sales will grow by approximately 4.5% in 2023, a slight increase from the previous year鈥檚 3.9% growth, according to our June forecast. While this growth may not seem significant, it would represent the sixth-fastest growth rate in holiday sales in the past 15 years, according to our forecast.

Like last year, we expect deal-hunting consumers and mobile-forward brands to drive the 2024 holiday season, according to our US Holiday 2023 Recap and 2024 Preview report.

Most shoppers plan to reduce holiday spending this year: Cost concerns are driving consumers to start their holiday shopping early and look for deals.

On today's podcast episode, in our "Retail Me This, Retail Me That" segment, we discuss what we are paying close attention to this holiday season, how much more the holiday season has been pulled forward, and besides being earlier than everyone else, which holiday strategies will work? Then, for "Pop-Up Rankings," we rank one projected winner and one retailer that needs help this holiday season. Join our analyst Sara Lebow as she hosts director of Briefings Jeremy Goldman and analyst Zak Stambor.

TikTok's marketing influence grows: The platform is becoming pivotal in holiday campaigns and consumer engagement.

Valentine鈥檚 Day is quickly approaching (a helpful reminder), and ahead of the romantic holiday, Sweethearts put out a collection of 鈥渟ituationship鈥� hearts with 鈥渕essages as blurry as your relationships.鈥� The candies are targeted at Gen Zers in an aim to get buy-in from consumers who may not be head over heels for celebrating Valentine鈥檚 Day.

Holiday retail sales will grow 4.5% to reach $1.317 trillion this year, according to our forecast. Retailers who want to carve out a share of that spend will need strong promotional strategies and a seamless digital-physical experience. It鈥檚 also not a bad idea to have a plan ready for when the returns start rolling in.

鈥淒espite lingering inflation, relatively sluggish consumer confidence, and shrinking excess savings, people still pulled out their wallets for the 丑辞濒颈诲补测蝉,鈥� our analyst Zak Stambor said on an episode of the 鈥淏ehind the Numbers: Reimagining Retail鈥� podcast. Because it鈥檚 never too early to start planning for the biggest retail period, here are four predictions for the 2024 holiday season.

Click here to view our full forecast for US holiday retail ecommerce sales growth, by product category.

Calendar context: With the invention of Prime Day, Amazon created an industrywide retail holiday consumers can now count on in the summer each year. Last year, Amazon also launched its Prime Early Access Sale in October. 鈥淲e now have three key tentpoles,鈥� said our analyst Andrew Lipsman on 鈥淏ehind the Numbers: Reimagining Retail,鈥� referring to Prime Day, the Prime Early Access Sale, and Black Friday. But spring remains untapped. 鈥淎 question I get is, 鈥業s Amazon going to do more of these?鈥� And I think the answer is yes, eventually,鈥� said Lipsman.

On today's podcast episode, we discuss consumer spending over the holidays, how transaction data can help brands build deeper relationships with their customers, and what's next for consumer purchase data. "In Other News," we talk about Google starting to phase out cookies in a few weeks and what to make of the economy's mixed signals. Tune in to the discussion with our vice president of content Suzy Davidkhanian and Jonathan Silver, founder and CEO of Affinity Solutions.

Expanding audience reach requires targeting the correct consumers. While true one-to-one advertising is still a dream, similar outcomes can be achieved by reaching the right audiences through affiliate marketing, paid social, and buy now, pay later (BNPL). 鈥淭his whole trend around personalization really applies to audiences as well,鈥� David Gill, vice president of consumer insights at Rakuten Advertising, said during our recent 鈥淢aster the Holidays with Winning Performance Marketing Strategies鈥� Tech-Talk Webinar. Data from affiliate marketing and social platforms can be used to identify which kinds of consumers brands should be reaching out to in order to expand their customer base.