Your ultimate advertising playbook for Holiday 2023

Create holiday ad campaigns that convert with Microsoft Advertising’s insights and tips

At this very moment, your consumer is scrolling for holiday gifts, searching for something special. The gift Mom will love. The gratitude a partner will feel. And, as brands across the globe prepare campaigns to reach festive season shoppers, ad teams face many questions, including:

What are the highest converting months? Online or in-store—where to dedicate our ad dollars? Are consumers splurging or saving this season? Do we target mobile, desktop, or both?

We have answers.

To empower your team to achieve more this holiday season, Microsoft Advertising created a holiday advertising guide packed with key insights and actionable tips—Your Festive Season Marketing Playbook.

Because building smart ad strategy has everything to do with knowing the latest trends and unique expectations shoppers have in 2023.

These are just some of the insights we’ll share with you:

• Starting early is key. In fact, brands report a spike in website visits and purchases in September and October across the US and EMEA—44% of clicks and 40% of conversions at 5% lower CPC, respectively.¹ Australian shoppers plan to start their shopping around the beginning of November. Gear up to budget and flight for the full holiday season.
• Holiday conversions will come from October clicks. On average 67% of November purchases and 50% of December purchases were directly attributed to consumer clicks in October.² To capture your deal seekers’ journey made up of multiple searches, use remarketing, in-market audiences, and Microsoft Advertising’s automated bidding strategies.
• Deal seeking is the new “shopping fever.” Over 2/3 of US shoppers are spending the most time looking for coupons and deals.¹ EMEA deal-seekers spend +33% more time searching, compared to the average shopper.³
• Diversifying your ad strategy pays off. On the Microsoft Advertising Network, 28% of holiday clicks were mobile, and mobile conversions make up 22% of total retail conversions.⁴

Download Your Festive Season Marketing Playbook to discover what you can do right now to amplify your ad reach and create holiday campaigns that convert.

Happy festive season from all of us at Microsoft Advertising.