Holiday Marketing Ideas to Connect with Early Shoppers

If you’re like the rest of us, you’re probably just now getting things back on track after summer, but have you thought about holiday marketing ideas yet?

While you still have plenty of time to shop for everyone on your nice list, you may miss out on valuable holiday airtime if you don’t start planning now.

Get the holiday guide

On Pandora, holiday listening sees a steady increase throughout the entire fall season (and even late summer), resulting in a 729% increase in listeners, a 1,000+% increase in hours listened, and a more than 400% increase in minutes listened per listener.

Shoppers are ramping up their holiday spending/planning earlier, and audio is a crucial component throughout the experience.

The Window is Widening for Holiday Planning

Sure, holiday traditionalists say Christmas music should start after Thanksgiving, but the widening of the holiday window is an ongoing trend that follows closely to holiday music listening behavior. In fact, half of consumers say they will begin holiday shopping before Thanksgiving.

Even last-minute gift buyers are exposed to holiday messages earlier and earlier. Consumers report using those messages to help find gifts for friends and family.

A comparison of eMarketer’s 2024 Holiday Consumer Research and 2023 Pandora internal listener data shows that, for some, holiday shopping starts in the summer but that the first noticeable upswing ticks in September. Similarly, that’s when Pandora listeners turn on their favorite holiday stations and don’t look back until the new year.

Connect with Consumers Who Prepare Early

Early shoppers like to be prepared—perusing holiday shopping guides, making lists of needed gifts, and marking sales on the calendar. How do you find them? Easy—they’re already listening to Mariah Carey and Wham!

Thanks to the amount of data that listeners share with SiriusXM Media, you can find your perfect early-shopping audiences. And with dynamic audio, you can even create variable ads that adapt based on listener profiles.

Holiday Shoppers Are on the Hunt for Deals

Most of the holiday shopping season is built around large deal events, everything from Black Friday to the brand-specific sales events and beyond. Shoppers now expect to be rewarded with bargains and bonuses if they prepare early.

Reward them with a sponsored ad-free listening break on Pandora or give them a discount code for taking advantage of early-season shopping.

Use Audio to Transform Your Holiday Marketing Ideas

For many people, audio is the first sensory experience to trigger the holiday season. “All I Want for Christmas” hits heavy rotations long before holiday decorations take over store aisles.

Playlists help shoppers stay calm and in the holiday spirit while podcast hosts give their audiences holiday recommendations and gift ideas. Live streaming coverage of holiday broadcasts and sporting events bring families together around their smart devices.

Speaking of bringing families together, the best part about audio during the holidays is the rise in co-listening. The season is full of parties and family gatherings, most accompanied by holiday-themed streaming playlists. Thanks to co-listening, holiday ads often result in more listeners than listens.

Holiday Shoppers Turn to Audio for Inspiration

The holidays are when consumers most appreciate advertising because so many people are stressed out and looking for inspiration. What do you get your grandma when she already has two of everything?

More than 30% of Pandora listeners say they put items on their holiday shopping list after hearing, or seeing, a holiday-themed ad. That means that while you’re looking for holiday marketing ideas, your listeners are looking for holiday shopping ideas.

Advertisers on our networks can follow those audiences across shows, media, and even platforms.

Imagine one of your audience personas is listening to her favorite podcast host promote your brand before switching to a holiday playlist where she finds out you’re offering a limited-time discount code. Then, when she looks down at her phone to switch stations, she sees a carousel ad in the Pandora app with a direct link to your online store.

Stay Connected with Listeners On the Go

Listeners report taking their holiday playlists shopping, with 90% listening to audio during their shopping and 61% saying they turn to holiday-themed audio to help get them in the spirit.

Streaming audio listeners tune in, on average, to nearly five hours of digital audio per day, compared with only three hours of listening for traditional AM/FM listeners. One of the reasons streaming audio receives more playtime is its convenience. Audiences can listen on their commutes with connected devices, while running errands on their mobile phones, and at home on their connected speakers.

Bring on the Cheer with Holiday Advertising on SiriusXM Media

So what’s the ho-ho-low down? The holiday shopping season is no longer confined to Q4, meaning it’s time to bring your holiday marketing ideas into your Q3 strategic plan.

Streaming audio is a sure bet if you want to connect early and grow your audience throughout the holiday season. Sirius XM delivers 165 million hours of holiday listening each year across its platforms, including Pandora, Soundcloud, the SiriusXM Podcast Network, and more.

Are you ready to find the right audience for your holiday marketing ideas? Let’s talk.