Peak Season Strategy 2025: Top 3 Must-Do Marketing Moves

The peak season from Black Friday to New Year’s Day presents one of the biggest revenue windows of the year. 

Last December alone, retail sales reached R169 billion. It shows how powerful the season can be for those who get their strategy right. Research says 60% of consumers would rather buy fewer but higher-quality items rather than many cheaper ones. 

Do you want to maximise sales, boost return on ad spend (ROAS) and build long-term customer loyalty? Here are three marketing must-dos for the upcoming peak season. We also share a strategic seasonal roadmap for the year (October to January), so you don’t treat each event in isolation.

1. Tailor Your Peak Campaigns to Specific Shopping Motivations

Many brands treat Black Friday as a broad‐discount extravaganza and think that the “lowest price wins.” However, new insights from Google Search behaviour reveal that today’s shoppers are increasingly purposeful in their purchase decisions.

Why This Matters For Peak 2025

• 31% of shoppers choose a functional reason for their purchase rather than a financial one (18 %). 
• 60% consumers have an appetite for utility-driven buys (e.g., “I need a reliable washing machine” rather than “just because it’s on sale”).
• Shoppers are not simply bargain-hunting. They are making intentional purchases with underlying motivations.

Campaigns that blanket all consumers with the same discount message risk missing large segments who care about why they are buying, not just how cheap a product is.

Key Recommendations

1. Focus your creatives

‍Don’t just shout “50 % off!” Craft messages that highlight the functional benefits.

Example: “Replace that ageing fridge before summer.” or “Upgrade to a durable smartphone for fast-moving content.” or “Upgrade your home before the holidays.” or “Essential tech for the new year.”

Use visuals and copy that anchor the reason for buying.

2. Curate your audiences

‍Use custom segments in Google Ads (or equivalent platforms) to segment audiences based on purchase intent.

Example:

• Segment A: “Needs replacement appliance”
• Segment B: “Gift shopper for Xmas”
• Segment C: “Discount hunter”

By tailoring creative and bids to each segment, you increase relevance and ROAS.

3. Align offer timing

‍For functional-buy motivations, early access or limited stock messaging works well.

Example: “First 50 units” or “Only at store X.”

For price-driven bargain-hunters, time the lowest price around key hours (e.g., midnight launch) to drive volume.

4. Cross-channel coordination

‍Make sure in-store and online messaging are aligned. If someone browsing at a store sees an ad emphasising “we understand your need for replacement” then visits online, they should be reaffirmed with relevant messaging rather than generic sale slogans.

5. Measure beyond clicks

For functional buys, the path may include longer research time, multiple touchpoints and offline visits. Track store visits, phone enquiries and assisted conversions.

Common Pitfalls to Avoid

• Relying solely on “depth of discount” as the hook may draw bargain-seekers, but neglects heavier-value purchase segments.
• Using one creative for all audiences (gifters, function-buyers, bargain-hunters) and expecting equal return.
• Ignoring the research behaviour that precedes purchase (see next section).
• Launching campaigns too late: if the shoppers with functional needs have already researched in October, waiting until the last minute will lose them.

Nowadays, consumers are more value- and convenience-oriented.

2. Maximise the Shopper’s Research to Boost Omnichannel Sales

Why This Matters For Peak 2025

Today’s shopper does not simply walk in and buy. They research. They compare. They hop between channels. 

Search interest for phrases including the word “reviews” across consumer retail categories rose by ~30 % in last year’s peak season, and in the apparel category, it spiked upto ~40 %. 

75% of shoppers use three or more channels for combined shopping and research. 

These behaviours indicate that the “research phase” is both extended and multi-channel, and brands that neglect to optimise this phase are leaving revenue on the table.

Strategic Imperatives

• Content that builds confidence: Reviews, ratings, testimonials, product comparison pages and video demos are no longer optional. They are prerequisites. Highlight them in ads, landing pages and store displays.‍
• Ensure visibility of local stock & in-store availability: For example, retailers used Local Inventory Ads to show real-time nearby store stock and achieved a 10 % higher online conversion rate and 15 % higher gross merchandise value. ‍
• Optimise for mobile: Research shows shoppers increasingly use mobile in their journey. Ensure your research-friendly content loads quickly, is mobile-optimised and easy to navigate.‍
• Drive omnichannel continuity: A shopper might discover via search, read reviews on mobile, visit a store to test, then buy online (or vice versa). Use tracking, remarketing and unified CRM to follow this journey seamlessly.
• ‍Use “review-surge” windows: Recognise that search interest climbs for “reviews” around peak season. Consider launching review-centric campaigns slightly ahead of the rush to capture that research spike.

Metrics To Track

• Time between the first research touch-point and conversion
• Number of channels touched before purchase
• Rate of online search → store visit conversion
• Bounce rate and time-on-page for review/FAQ pages
• Store inventory visibility and “click-&-collect” uptake

By optimising the research phase, you don’t just capture the bottom-of-funnel sale, you influence earlier stages where brand differentiation is easier and cheaper.

3. Connect and Cross-Promote Each Retail Moment 

Why This Matters For Peak 2025

Too many brands treat each retail event in isolation: Black Friday, then Christmas, then New Year, then back-to-school. But the data emphasises that consumers view these as part of one continuous shopping season. 

Treating October through January as a single retail roadmap builds brand momentum, drives repeat sales, and extends customer lifetime value.

October–January Roadmap

Here’s a suggested strategic calendar for the 2025-26 peak season:

‍October: Build anticipation & loyalty

• Launch “VIP” or “first-access” programmes (email or WhatsApp) to build ahead of the rush. 
• Use content marketing and early ‘teaser’ ads (“coming soon” or “get ready for exclusive access”) to prime your audience.
• Use loyalty programmes to re-engage last season’s customers and gather insights for segmentation.

November: Cross-promote Christmas & early Black Friday

• Offer modest but meaningful discounts to your VIP segment ahead of a wider audience to capture early-mover shoppers.
• Run dual messaging: one for Black Friday (“major savings”) and another for early Christmas gift-shopping (“get ahead” or “early exclusives”).
• Use behavioural data from early purchasers to refine audience segments, messaging, and bids ahead of the main weekend.

Black Friday Weekend: Drive volume & gift-moment

• Use high-volume campaigns (e.g., Google’s Performance Max) centred on three shopper types (functional replacement buyers; bargain-hunters; gift-buyers). 
• Post-purchase: Send email vouchers valid until 25 December to drive Christmas purchases from the same customers.
• Ensure inventory, fulfilment and supply chain readiness so volume spikes can penalise poor logistics.

December & January: Emotion, clearance & retention

• Shift tone: December is less about discounts, more about emotion, family, and holiday spirit. Use full-funnel campaigns featuring lifestyle and summer scenes. 
• Mid-December onwards: Bid on keywords aligned to New Year’s resolutions (“fitness tracker”, “home storage” and “pilates equipment”).
• Boxing Day to January: Offer VIP-only bundles and back-to-school prep promos (for January).
• January: Final clearance, new-year themed messaging, and focus on lifetime value (LTV) rather than just acquiring new customers.

Why This Works

• A continuous roadmap ensures you nurture the growing shopper intent from October onwards, rather than starting from zero at each retail event.
• Cross-promoting ensures major events amplify each other (Black Friday → Christmas → New Year) rather than competing for attention.
• Retention-oriented tactics (voucher for December purchases, VIP programmes) help extend customer lifetime value rather than one-off transactions.

Implementation Considerations

• Ensure your cross-team coordination (marketing, merchandising, logistics) aligns around the roadmap. Siloed departments will under-deliver.
• Maintain flexibility: While the roadmap provides structure, consumer behaviour may shift (e.g., supply-chain disruption), so monitor & adapt.
• Make data accessible in real-time: Track KPIs at each phase (anticipation, early-promo, peak weekend, post-peak) so you can optimise mid-course.

How To Integrate the Three Must-Dos For The Peak Season?

Combining these three strategic imperatives (motivation-tailored campaigns, research-phase optimisation, and a connected seasonal roadmap) creates a powerful framework for peak season 2025. But successful execution requires:

• Data preparedness: Know your segments, track consumer behaviour, and integrate offline and online data.‍
• Creative agility: Have multiple creatives ready for different shopper motivations, and be ready to pivot.‍
• Channel coordination: Ensure search, display, video, store visits and email are aligned.‍
• Operational readiness: Logistics, inventory, fulfilment, and customer service must keep up with marketing promises.‍
• Retention mindset: Don’t treat this season as purely acquisition-driven. Use every touchpoint to build loyalty and lifetime value.

For retail brands facing a R169 billion-plus peak-season opportunity, the difference between a good season and a great one lies in this strategic rigour.

Suggested Metrics to Monitor During Peak Season

Metric & Why It Matters

ROAS (Return on Ad Spend) by segment
Why it matters: Measures the efficiency of campaigns across functional, bargain and gift segmentsShare of research touches per shopperWhy it matters: Helps identify how many channels each shopper uses before purchaseStore-visit conversions from online ads
Why it matters: Captures omnichannel impact and offline sales driven by digitalTime from first ad touch → purchase
Why it matters: Indicates how quickly your campaigns are converting

‍Customer retention / repeat purchase rate into Q1 2026
Why it matters: Indicates whether you’re building long-term loyalty, not just one-off salesInventory-to-sales ratio during Black Friday weekend Why it matters: Measures how you perform at the clearing stage and avoids overstock/understock

The Road Ahead

As you prepare for the upcoming peak season, remember this: it’s not just about more marketing, but smarter execution. 

Understanding why shoppers buy (functional vs financial), recognising when and how they research (multi-channel, mobile, and longer journeys), and treating the season as an interconnected journey (October → January) will give your brand the edge.

Deliver value, ease friction, stay relevant through the research phase, and map your marketing across the full season. Don’t focus on isolated events. Position your retail brand not only for a strong peak season but for long-term loyalty and growth.

Need a fresh perspective? Let’s talk.

At 360 OM, we specialise in helping businesses take their marketing efforts to the next level. Our team stays on top of industry trends, uses data-informed decisions to maximise your ROI, and provides full transparency through comprehensive reports.