2021 Holiday Planning Guide
2021 Holiday Planning Guide
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Holiday Prep Quiz
Can you and your team answer the below questions?
2 Do you plan to run promotions for Black Friday and / or Cyber Monday?
• Why or why not?
• If so, when are your ads going live? Consider scheduling in advance to reduce ad
review time and increase time spent live.
Do you plan to run promotions prior to Black Friday, in-between Black Friday and
3 Cyber Monday and / or post-Cyber Monday?
• Why or why not?
• If so, what’s your plan to make Black Friday bigger?
12 Does your product lend itself to New Year, New You messaging?
• Do you have a message for all potential use cases?
• When do you plan to switch messaging?
of people surveyed had already started their holiday of people surveyed say they started shopping
shopping by mid-November (before Mega Sales Days)* for the holidays in November or earlier in 2020*
Shoppers are looking to social media to discover new products and fill out their holiday gift list.
This manifests as an always on shopping mindset - allowing consumers to seamlessly shift
between communicating with friends and online shopping.
What does this It’s important to structure your account and strategies for increased sales the whole holiday season, not
mean? just during Cyber Week. Consider how your promotions or offerings can increase or change over the
quarter to match consumer interest and potentially capitalize on a less competitive time frame than
Cyber Week.
56% 43%
of people said they
More than half of consumers are still
shopping after Black Friday/Cyber Monday.
What does this mean?
of respondents said they BF/CM are not the END of the holiday shopping season,
finished their holiday shopping still make most of their for some it marks the middle. Consider how consumers
in mid-late December (Dec purchases during the celebrate the holidays differently and may not be pressed
11-31), proving that shopping month of December* by a 12/25 delivery date. Design your campaigns to
continues well into the holidays continue to drive sales post BF/CM.
for most people.*
47%
of Gen Z and Millennial shoppers say they discovered ideas or
browsed for inspiration during the holiday season on Facebook or
Instagram—up from 35% in 2019*
70%
of holiday shoppers who discover on Facebook and Instagram
agree “I often explore di erent product categories during the
holiday season than I do during the rest of the year.”
Consumers continue to stretch the traditional season of holiday shopping earlier with nearly
half of all consumers beginning their shopping by mid-November - ahead of Black Friday.
What does this It’s critical creative and targeting is designed for broader audiences during Q4. Think about all the
mean? different types of consumers who might buy your product (as a gift or for themselves) and ensure you
have creative messaging to match each combination. This is also an excellent time of year to deploy
higher funnel signal campaigns to bring discovery minded consumers into your funnel.
1”Facebook Holiday Discovery Moment Study" by YouGov (Facebook-commissioned online study of 49,563 people aged 18+ across 32 markets: AE, AR, AU, BR, CA, CL, CO, CZ, DE, DK, ES, HK, ID, IT, FR, JP, KR, MY, MX, NL, PH, PL, SG, TH, TR, TW,
RU, SE, UK, US, VN, ZA). Minimum N=1500 per market. 2 Dec to 24 Dec 2020.
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How to Think About 2021
Considerations for a new year
years
the fastest annual growth seen in rate doubling to 12.9%, holiday
trillion
the last 30-40 years.3 spending could increase by $1.5
trillion this year.2
Adventure Luggage, sporting goods, vacation wear and outdoor products for
new travel and adventure opportunities.
More consumers will shop for “want” items in a shift from last year’s emphasis on “need” items.4
What does this mean?
With more opportunities for consumers to “return-to-work” and make travel and social plans with friends and family,
shopping is expected to follow suit. Having spent more than a year inside and buying home office and grocery supplies, the
2021 holiday shopping season could be more focused on items that bring consumers joy and celebrate everyday moments.
25% of holiday shoppers say they want to see more content that is real/
authentic on Facebook and Instagram during the holiday season.5
Consumers don’t always know what they’re looking for….and that’s part of the draw.
What does this With 55 percent of surveyed NA holiday shoppers experiencing difficulty knowing what to buy for others,
mean? the need for diverse and relevant content grows in importance this holiday season. Consumers come to
FB/IG platforms in the hopes of discovering something new to explore and purchase. Consider that more
than 1/3 of Mega Sales Day shoppers surveyed say they shop online with a category in mind but without
specific items.7 Creative should feel real and honest; leverage influencers/creators and user generated
content to connect with new audiences in search of inspiration.
1”Facebook Holiday Discovery Moment Study" by YouGov (Facebook-commissioned online study of 49,563 people aged 18+ across 32 markets: AE, AR, AU, BR, CA, CL, CO, CZ, DE, DK, ES, HK, ID, IT, FR, JP, KR, MY, MX, NL, PH, PL, SG, TH, TR, TW, RU, SE,
UK, US, VN, ZA). Minimum N=1500 per market. 2 Dec to 24 Dec 2020
2”5 Economic Trends to Watch in 2021” by JP Morgan, Jim Glassman. 12 Jan 2021.
3CNN, March 2021
4”U.S. Retailers Face Extra $223B in Costs of Goods This Holiday Shopping Season” by Salesforce, Caila Schwartz. 20 July 2021
5“Facebook Seasonal Holidays Study” by YouGov (Facebook-commissioned online study of 1,535 people aged 18+). US data only. December, 2020
6Global Media Study, Video by Ipsos. (Facebook-Commissioned online study of over 25,000 people ages 18-64; internet population monthly users of mobile internet & monthly video viewers in AU, BR, CA, DE, FR, IN, JP, KR, UK and US), Oct-Nov 2020.
7 "Unboxing Singles' Day" study by Crowd DNA (Facebook-commissioned online survey of 10,999 Mega Sales Shoppers aged 18-64 in BR, CA, CN, ES, ID, MX, TH, TR, US, UK, VN), Nov 2020. Qualifying respondents made an online purchase at least once
a month and used any social media channel at least once a week.
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Q4 Shopping Considerations
What to consider when planning for the biggest sales moment of the year
Nov/Dec 2020 had all but eleven days break $2B in revenue - compared to 32 days in 20219.2
What does this Spend is up exponentially in Q4 for the entire industry - to break out of the noise advertisers must
mean? consider creative and promotions that entice and excite customers.
In 2020, more than half of consumers surveyed reported shopping on Black Friday or Cyber
Monday, with nearly all of Gen Z partaking.1
What does this While consumers are shopping throughout the holiday season, BF/CM continue to be major sales
mean? moments worth investing in. Collectively BF/CM increased 18% YoY in revenue.2 Even if an advertiser
can’t offer a steep discount for this sales moment, just running ads during this time period can be a
revenue driver.
In 2020, timely delivery was the most cared about consideration for holiday shoppers, with Free
Shipping in a close second.1
What does this Consumers expect ease in their shopping experiences, especially as they’ve grown accustomed to the
mean? convenience online shopping brings. This holiday season advertisers should plan to over communicate
shipping expectations and even consider free shipping messages to tap into this consumer interest.
Don’t discount the value of leveraging a “free shipping” message for Black Friday/Cyber Monday if a
larger discount can’t be offered.
1”Facebook Holiday Discovery Moment Study" by YouGov (Facebook-commissioned online study of 49,563 people aged 18+ across 32 markets: AE, AR, AU, BR, CA, CL, CO, CZ, DE, DK, ES, HK, ID, IT, FR, JP, KR, MY, MX, NL, PH, PL, SG, TH, TR, TW,
RU, SE, UK, US, VN, ZA). Minimum N=1500 per market. 2 Dec to 24 Dec 2020.
2”2020 Holiday Shopping Trends” by Adobe Digital Insights
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Q4 Auction Trends
Things of note looking at the auction
The auction will begin to get more competitive around mid-October and for
the most part likely won't drop significantly until around January 1st.
What does this mean? If you aren't sure what strategies work best for you, now is the time to test. It's also the
time to prospect heavily so that your retargeting dollars can be as efficient as possible
during the holiday season.
Black Friday and Cyber Monday are just a moment in the holiday sales rush.
What does this mean? As new shopping habits formed in 2020, consumers expanded the traditional
shopping period. For many, Cyber Week is just a moment in the middle of the holiday
shopping rush. Keep an always-on approach to holiday strategies and consider
varying promotions throughout the season to ensure we’re casting the widest net of
profitability.
Total
Advertiser
bid X Estimated
action rate X User value = Value
1”Facebook Holiday Discovery Moment Study" by YouGov (Facebook-commissioned online study of 49,563 people aged 18+ across 32 markets: AE, AR, AU, BR, CA, CL, CO, CZ, DE, DK, ES, HK, ID, IT, FR, JP, KR, MY, MX, NL, PH, PL, SG, TH, TR, TW, RU,
SE, UK, US, VN, ZA). Minimum N=1500 per market. 2 Dec to 24 Dec 2020.
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NOTE: if performance is poor in the auction and the above core best practices
haven’t been engaged, I will likely be unable to offer additional strategies.
Consider the above table stakes for efficient performance.
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Do you know the difference between bid strategies and which works best for
your goals?
Lowest Cost with Bid Cap
• Description: gives FB the freedom to search for the cheapest conversions
but sets parameters on how much it can bid in the auction
• PROS: drives the lowest conversions as they are available and prevents CPAs
from getting too high
• CONS: can throttle spend if bid cap isn't realistic, can take longer to spend if
Bid Strategies conversions aren't available
Cost Cap
• Description: sets a goal CPA and allows FB to spend whatever it takes to get
to this CPA, prioritizing the cheapest conversions
• PROS: still prioritizes savings, provides more control than bid caps (a bid cap
doesn't equal CPA)
• CONS: can throttle spend if Cost Cap is unrealistic, can take 7 days (like all
other bid strategies) until CPA is stabilized
ROAS Bidding
• Description: sets a goal ROAS that FB must do it's best to meet, regardless of
CPAs
• PROS: can help advertisers prioritize highest value conversions
CONS: can cause CPAs to rise (in efforts of driving ROAS); can throttle
volume to keep ROAS high
If we are only ever optimizing for Purchases we are only ever targeting people
who are right now, in-market, ready to purchase your product. As we scale on
FB and exhaust that low-hanging audience we need to consider people who
would purchase but need some convincing to continue to keep CPAs low.
Optimizing for ViewContent or AddToCart to a broad audience can expand
Higher-funnel Signaling your targeting, help you drive brand awareness, fuel your retargeting
audiences, help you test creative messaging efficiently and open up conversion
opportunities to new demos. Consider too that your historical target market
for your product could actually be the recipient of your product in Q4; if that’s
the case, higher funnel signaling might enable you to reach those who are
unlike your target market but are planning on gifting to them.
Increase your optimization window from 1-day click to 7-day click/7-day click,
1-day view. Expanding this window could allow you to reach wider audiences
Optimization Windows
and those that might not have shopped you on a 1-day click conversion (higher
intent)
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Creative Considerations
Things to keep in mind when thinking about creative
1 What creative and messaging works best for your target demo?
• What works best for the friends, family and co-workers of your target
demo who might actually be buying the product or shopping your brand
for the first time?
2 How are you talking about your product that can encourage both self-
purchasing and gifting?
• Remember consumers are still purchasing for themselves in Q4 - even
non-holiday related items like home staples.
Are you optimizing your creative for different placements and for different
4 places in the funnel?
• Consider different placements play different roles in the conversion
journey (i.e., Stories is great for discovery, Feed is great for DR action).
Keep automatic placements on but optimize creative for different
placements using placement asset customization.
• How are you speaking to site bouncers differently from cold audiences?
Or cart abandoners differently from past purchasers?
7 Are you running both motion and static assets in every ad set?
• FB research has shown ad sets with both motion and static assets
outperform ad sets that have just one or the other.
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Pixel Health
Pixel health is critical to success on Facebook
4 What is the last date you will allow yourself to make changes to your
website?
• To mitigate the chances of any website changes affecting profitability
on FB, choose a date to code freeze all website updates.
Want help?
If you answered no to any of these questions ask me how I can help you!
Spend Considerations
Implement a clear spend plan to help ensure success
1 Don't panic.
• High CPMs can make advertisers nervous, but keep an eye on actual
conversions to assess profitability. Remember often times CPMs are
highest when conversion rates are highest.
• Consider raising the budget earlier in the week - this can help you move
through the learning phase faster and fully capitalize on the opportunities
as they arise
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thanks!