TripleLift’s Holiday Season retail media guide finds more than half of UK marketers will increase off-site spend before the holidays, yet they feel unprepared for campaign execution.
Today, TripleLift, the world’s leading Creative SSP, released the Holiday Season Edition of the “The Creative Edge in Retail Media” guide, revealing that just under a half of UK marketers initiate their Q4 retail media off-site planning between May and July. Effective Christmas retail media campaigns are developed well in advance, and these results signal potential missed revenue opportunities for the holiday months if marketers don’t act now.
Christmas campaign execution is challenged by both strategic and resource-based constraints, with having limited access to advanced creative technology indicated as a top barrier by 40% of marketers. Budget limitations (36%) and inventory constraints (31%) further impact scalability, while over a quarter are uncertain about which retail partner best aligns with their goals, highlighting the need for clearer guidance, stronger technology access, and better forecasting to drive Q4 success.
“The Christmas season is a make-or-break period for many brands, and success hinges on proactive planning,” said Frazer Locke, SVP International Sales at TripleLift. “Marketers who start their Q4 retail media off-site planning early and adopt an always-on creative strategy are better positioned to capitalize on opportunities. Leveraging advanced creative technology and focusing on best practices like A/B testing and format recommendation will help overcome resource constraints and predict consumer trends more accurately, ultimately achieving better outcomes during the Christmas period.”
As Amazon Prime Day unfolds this week, it presents a perfect opportunity for marketers to optimize budget allocation, secure prime ad placements, and obtain valuable audience insights. As four in 10 marketers struggle to effectively predict consumer interest and shopping trends during critical periods, Prime Day is the perfect moment to capture critical intelligence that will help marketers shape their holiday retail media strategies to ensure a successful Q4.
Christmas Planning Strategic Timeline
The Holiday Season Edition of our retail media guide includes a strategic timeline packed with insights to set you up for success. For Christmas season prep, consider this timing:
- Early Phase (September-October): More than half of marketers expect to increase their spend during the pre-Christmas period – the perfect opportunity to build awareness with educational content and gift guides.
- Peak Phase (November): Over two-thirds of marketers plan their largest budget increases during Black Friday/ Cyber Monday, but winners understand that urgency messaging and competitive pricing are what can influence active deal-seekers.
- Last-Minute Phase (December): 65% of marketers plan to increase holiday campaign spend in December. Focus on convenience and reliability, highlighting shipping deadlines, expedited delivery, and click-and-collect options to appeal to procrastinators.
Honing Christmas Messaging & Audience Targeting
Seasonal creative strategies play a pivotal role in campaign success, with Christmas-specific best practices (73%) and A/B testing for holiday messaging (61%) ranked as the most impactful.
Audience targeting strategies during the Christmas season are heavily shaped by shopper behavior and purchase intent. Seasonal segmentation strategies are the most widely used (75%), reflecting the importance of timing during peak retail moments. Other popular approaches include category-specific targeting (58%) and differentiating between gift buyers and self-purchasers (57%), both aimed at aligning messaging with shopper intent.
The Creative Technology Revolution
The industry conversation has been dominated by audience targeting and measurement, but the real competitive advantage lies in creative technology. Our research shows that online video (79%) and native advertising (75%) are considered the most effective off-site formats for Q4 holiday campaigns, outperforming both display (68%) and Connected TV (37%). Their ability to deliver high engagement and support rich storytelling likely drives their strong performance during the peak shopping season.
Post-Christmas Analytics and Learnings
Holiday retail media isn’t just a seasonal sprint but the foundation for year-round success. With a third of UK marketers planning to decrease spend during the post-holiday months of January through March, leveraging key campaign data would be essential to their continued success. Developing an ‘always-on’ strategy informed by holiday customer data, campaign performance patterns, and key audience segments would ensure that customers stay engaged long after they switch off the Christmas lights.
As the world’s leading Creative SSP, TripleLift is uniquely positioned to help brands make retail media creative and develop seamless experiences that feel native to each shopping environment.
Research Methodology
The study was conducted in partnership with Advanis, surveying 201 UK marketing professionals from April 28 to May 14, 2025. The complete report is available for download here.
About TripleLift
TripleLift is the world’s leading Creative SSP, transforming standard ad placements into high-performing, scalable experiences across desktop, mobile, CTV, and Retail Media. The company’s integrated platform seamlessly unites premium supply, creative technology, and data into one cohesive programmatic solution.
Through its focus on creative excellence, TripleLift empowers publishers, drives better outcomes for advertisers, and builds superior experiences for consumers, delivering value across the entire digital advertising ecosystem.
As part of the Vista Equity Partners portfolio, TripleLift is NMSDC certified, qualifies for diverse spending goals, and remains deeply committed to people, culture, and community. The company is headquartered in New York, with offices worldwide. Learn more at TripleLift.com.