Omnichannel Holiday Shopping: 4 Strategies Advertisers Can’t Ignore in 2025

This post was originally published in 2024 and updated for 2025 with new stats and recommendations.

Shoppers Aren’t Staying in One Lane

Holiday shopping in 2025 is a moving target. A single purchase might start with a TikTok video, shift to an Amazon search, and end with a click-and-collect pickup at a local store. More than 70 percent of shoppers now say they regularly move between online and offline touchpoints when buying holiday gifts.

That kind of behavior makes it clear: advertisers can’t afford to think in silos. A strong holiday campaign has to connect the dots between channels — and make the experience feel seamles, no matter where the shopper shows up.

If you missed our take on the new holiday timeline and why brands need to launch earlier than ever, catch up here.

Why Omnichannel Matters More This Year

Budgets are tighter, and shoppers are more intentional. Average planned spend is down, and nearly 80 percent of consumers say price is the number-one factor in their holiday decisions. But convenience is right behind it.

That’s why omnichannel strategy matters. A shopper who starts on social might end on a retailer site, but they expect the messaging, promotion, and even creative to line up along the way. If your campaign feels disjointed, they’ll move on to a competitor who makes the path effortless.

Where Shoppers Are Spending Their Time in 2025

Not every platform delivers the same return, and chasing every channel is a recipe for wasted budget. The biggest opportunities this holiday season come from the platforms shaping how people discover and buy:

• TikTok and YouTube Shorts are driving discovery, especially for Gen Z. Short-form video is where gift ideas are sparked.
  
• Amazon Ads and Walmart Connect remain the backbone of retail media. They combine search intent with closed-loop sales data that prove impact.
• Instacart Ads are carving out a role for last-minute and grocery-adjacent gifting, where convenience is the key driver.
• Meta (Facebook + Instagram) still commands scale across generations, particularly for mid-funnel engagement.
• Connected TV (CTV) has become a holiday staple, building awareness while pushing shoppers to search and buy on retail sites.
• Google Shopping and Local Inventory Ads bridge online research with in-store pickup, especially for shoppers looking to avoid shipping delays.
  

The key isn’t being everywhere. It’s picking the platforms your audience actually uses at each stage — and making sure your message carries through consistently.

Four Ways to Build a Smarter Omnichannel Holiday Campaign

1. Start with the shopper, not the channel

Omnichannel isn’t about showing up everywhere — it’s about showing up where it counts. First-party data can tell you where your customers actually begin their journeys. For some, it’s TikTok discovery. For others, it’s searching on Amazon.

Example: A beauty brand noticed Gen Z audiences engaging heavily with TikTok tutorials, while older shoppers converted through Google search. Instead of splitting spend evenly, they built creative for TikTok to spark interest, then reinforced it with search ads that caught buyers ready to purchase.

2. Sync creative across touchpoints

Holiday campaigns work best when they feel consistent, even as shoppers bounce between channels. That doesn’t mean copy-pasting creative. It means carrying the same value proposition across platforms. A promo code, bundle offer, or brand story should follow the shopper no matter where they click.

Example: A home goods retailer ran a “Holiday Bundle & Save” campaign. The offer showed up in TikTok reels, retail search ads, and connected TV spots. The creative looked different in each channel, but the same message and offer kept the shopper on track until checkout.

3. Connect online and offline experiences

Shoppers may start online, but many still finish in-store. Click-and-collect, curbside pickup, and local inventory ads bridge the gap between digital and physical. Highlight these options so customers see your brand as the easiest choice, not just the cheapest.

Example: A sporting goods brand promoted “Order Online, Pick Up Today” on social and search. Many shoppers browsing last-minute gifts on mobile converted because they could reserve and collect the same day, avoiding shipping delays.

4. Measure holistically, not in fragments

The biggest mistake in omnichannel campaigns is judging each channel in isolation. Omnichannel success shows up when one channel lifts another — like CTV driving more branded search, or social ads leading to higher in-store foot traffic. A measurement plan that captures the full funnel gives you the real picture.

Example: A consumer electronics brand tracked how a holiday CTV campaign influenced retail searches. They found search queries for their product name spiked during the weeks the CTV ad was live, proving the upper-funnel spend fueled lower-funnel conversions.

Omnichannel Wins the Holiday Shopper

Holiday 2025 isn’t about picking the “best” channel. It’s about weaving channels together so the shopper’s path feels natural and consistent. Brands that align creative, lock in placements early, and connect online with offline will earn both attention and conversions.

And if you want to understand what’s driving shoppers’ decisions, start with Dear Advertiser: A Letter from Your Holiday Shopper.

Build Your Omnichannel Holiday Plan

For more strategies, creative tips, and channel-by-channel insights, download the 2025 Holiday Shopping Package.