Retail

Holiday Shopper Behavior: Insights You Need From Last Season To Win

By Rus Ackner / 5 minutes

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The holiday season is always a critical time for retailers, and understanding shopper behavior during this period can provide valuable insights for brands looking to maximize their marketing efforts. Cuebiq conducted a detailed analysis of location data from November and December 2023 to better understand consumer behavior dynamics during the holiday season. This study focuses on the “rush” periods surrounding Black Friday and Christmas, providing actionable insights into how consumer habits shift during these high-traffic times. Based on the findings, retailers can effectively target shoppers they may not have considered prior to understanding their offline behavior during critical shopping times and in specific shopping destinations.

Methodology Overview

Cuebiq collected location data from mobile devices during November and December 2023 for this analysis. These devices are referred to as “matchable devices,” meaning they are capable of measuring campaign effectiveness based on user mobility. The data was segmented into “rush” and “non-rush” periods to capture the variability in consumer behavior between peak shopping days and more routine shopping days.

  • November Holiday Rush: The period from 11/20/2023 to 11/22/2023, which includes the three days leading up to Thanksgiving and Black Friday on 11/24/2023.
  • December Holiday Rush: The period from 12/22/2023 to 12/24/2023 (three days before Christmas) and 12/28/2023 to 12/30/2023 (three days before New Year’s Eve).

The non-rush periods were defined as all days in November and December, excluding the specified rush periods. To ensure consistency, non-rush periods were normalized to allow for direct comparison with the rush periods, avoiding any distortion due to holiday-specific mobility shifts.

Key Findings:

  1. Holiday Rushes Keep Shoppers Close to Home Despite the heightened activity during holiday rush periods, the data shows that the majority of shoppers do not venture far beyond their typical shopping radius. This indicates that consumers tend to stick with familiar shopping locations, even during the bustling holiday season. For retailers, this suggests that radius-based advertising strategies remain effective, even during peak times when foot traffic is high.
    Takeaway: Brands can continue to target customers within their usual shopping radius during the holidays, ensuring that marketing spend is used efficiently to engage loyal, nearby shoppers.
  2. Exploration of New Brands During the Holiday Rush While shoppers may remain within their established shopping areas, they are more likely to explore new brands during the holiday rush. The festive season encourages consumers to expand their purchase habits, perhaps due to the increased need for gifts or holiday-specific items. This period presents a prime opportunity for brands to reach new customers and break into new markets.
    Takeaway: Holiday rush periods are an ideal time for brands to attract new customers by expanding their target audience beyond typical consumer profiles. By investing in broadening their reach, brands can gain new clientele and potentially convert first-time buyers into long-term customers.
  3. Clothing and Accessories Stores See a Surge in Traffic Cuebiq’s analysis revealed that during the November and December holiday rush periods, visits to clothing and accessory stores spike significantly compared to non-rush periods. This is unsurprising given the strong emphasis on gift-giving and holiday shopping, which often centers on fashion and apparel. Conversely, other retail verticals, such as auto and beauty, experience a drop in foot traffic during these peak shopping days.One exception is sporting goods stores, which see a modest uptick in visitation during the November rush, likely driven by gift purchases or preparations for winter sports and activities.
    Takeaway: Retailers in the clothing and accessories sectors should capitalize on this surge in foot traffic by ramping up their promotional efforts and in-store experiences. Additionally, sporting goods brands can benefit from targeted promotions during the November rush to capture shoppers’ attention.
  4. Opportunity to Fine-Tune Marketing and Creative Strategies The analysis of rush periods versus non-rush periods demonstrates that consumer behavior fluctuates significantly during the holiday season. Brands have a unique opportunity to adjust their marketing and creative strategies in real-time based on consumer movement patterns and store visits. Cuebiq’s real-time location data can help brands optimize their campaigns, ensuring they are targeting the right audience with the right message at the right time.
    Takeaway: Brands should use location data to fine-tune their marketing strategies during the holiday rush, allowing for dynamic adjustments that can increase campaign performance and ROI.
Holiday Shopping Radius Insights
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Maximizing the 2024 Holiday Season with Cuebiq

The holiday season represents a time of heightened opportunity for retailers, but it also requires a clear understanding of consumer behavior to maximize success. By leveraging Cuebiq’s location data and analytics, brands can gain critical insights into how consumers shop during the holiday rush, enabling them to optimize their marketing strategies for better results.

If you’re looking to make the most of the upcoming 2024 holiday season, now is the time to start planning. Cuebiq’s location intelligence platform can help you measure the effectiveness of your holiday campaigns, analyze shopper behavior, and make informed decisions that drive real-world results.

Contact your Cuebiq sales agent today to learn more about how we can help you measure and optimize your campaigns for the holiday season.

About the Author

Rus Ackner