By Orange Apron Media
Holiday sales are on track to surpass $1 trillion for the first time this year1. As retail’s biggest season unfolds, the rules for reaching the 2025 holiday shopper have evolved. The path to purchase is fluid, multi-channel, and shaped by more touchpoints than ever before.
Today’s holiday shopper isn’t just chasing deals; they’re looking for value, convenience, and confidence at every point of the journey, whether they’re scrolling for ideas, comparing options on mobile, or making their final decision in-store. With AI-powered shopping tools becoming more prevalent, the path to purchase is increasingly fragmented, reinforcing the need for a seamless omnichannel approach to reach consumers effectively.
For brands and advertisers, the challenge remains clear for the 2025 holiday season and beyond: show up early, stay consistent, and be present wherever shoppers are making their decisions.
The Season Starts Earlier, and Lasts Longer
Holiday shopping is now a marathon, not a sprint. Once confined to the weeks between Thanksgiving and Christmas, the shopping season has expanded dramatically. Last year, nearly 50% of U.S. shoppers said they planned to begin buying gifts before Halloween2. This year, brands are tapping into that behavior through early promotions, meeting consumers’ demands to spread out their holiday spending.
The concept of Black Friday as a single day has rapidly shifted; it now represents the kickoff to a full-season sales event, starting far before the coined holiday. As we’ve seen this year, many brands and retailers launched their Black Friday promotions from late October through the first week of November, capturing sales weeks ahead of the traditional peak. It’s likely we’ll see this trend extend into 2026, with promotions stretching into New Year’s shopping and beyond.
This extended window gives brands more opportunities to engage, but also demands a sustained full-funnel strategy rather than a single, “big push” moment, a reality that now applies across the entire retail calendar.
Omnichannel is the Default, Not the Differentiator
In 2025, the shopper journey is not linear. Shoppers no longer separate physical and digital experiences; they move seamlessly across channels and expect brands to do the same. The ability to research online, see curated inspiration, and then confirm availability or complete a purchase in-store has become the baseline.
Success lies in designing campaigns that flex fluidly across the myriad of digital and physical touchpoints that shoppers encounter in their purchase journey. During the 2024 holiday season, 54.5% of online shopping revenue came from mobile3, yet over 70% of retail sales still happened in-store4, making each channel, especially in-store, indispensable to the shopper journey.
Brands that master platform diversification and meet shoppers wherever they are will be best positioned to win this holiday season and in the future.
Value Becomes the Battleground
This holiday season, value is the shopper’s top priority. Consumers are comparing prices, monitoring promotions, and holding off on purchases until the deal feels right. Discounts and savings will heavily influence where and when they shop — with 76% of shoppers actively hunting for deals to stretch their budgets5.
At the same time, attention is more fragmented than ever. Endless content, competing promotions, and multiple paths to purchase mean brands have only seconds to make an impression that turns into a purchase.
To succeed in the remaining weeks of the season and beyond, brands must strike a balance between delivering compelling value and surrounding shoppers with consistent, memorable messaging. Those that clearly communicate savings while breaking through the noise will earn both attention and wallet share.
Show Up, Stand Out, Win the Season
The modern holiday shopper is omnichannel, intentional, and value-driven. Winning their attention requires more than a single campaign moment or a late-season promotional surge; it takes a connected, full-funnel approach that:
- Engages early and sustains momentum throughout the season
- Shows up across channels in a seamless, connected way
- Balances promotional value with strong messaging
- Anticipates decision moments across every step of the path to purchase
Success isn’t about who shouts the loudest; it’s about showing up with the right mix of timing, storytelling, and presence. Partnering with Orange Apron Media helps brands build full-funnel strategies that connect across channels, engage early, and sustain momentum, so you can show up, stand out, and win every season.
[1] NRF
[2] Bankrate
[3] Adobe
[4] EY
[5] Monetate
