The 2025 holiday shopping season is shaping up to be more dynamic than ever. Consumer behavior is shifting fast, media habits are expanding, and marketers are adjusting their mix to meet audiences where they are. Based on Smartly’s latest retail insights, here are three emerging trends that should shape your holiday playbook this year.

1. CTV and Video Are Powering the Next Wave of Holiday Discovery

Social has long been the foundation of digital discovery, but this year, brands are extending that momentum to connected TV (CTV) and video.

• CTV viewing time is projected to grow 7.7%, reaching 2 hours and 35 minutes a day.
• 78% of U.S. adults now regularly use multiple screens, according to EMarketer.
• 67% of marketers say video is their most valuable creative format.

With audiences toggling between their phones, TVs, and laptops, multi-screen storytelling is expected. CTV gives brands a way to scale their social learnings across larger screens and tap into intent earlier in the customer journey.

What this means for marketers:

• Repurpose social-first assets into dynamic CTV video creative.
• Integrate product feeds and dynamic creative optimization (DCO) for personalization at scale.
• Use cross-channel measurement tools like Smartly’s Intelligence Suite to see how social and CTV combine to drive results.

Learn more: CTV Meets Social: How Marketers Are Scaling Video Smarter

2. CPAs Drop in November, Making It Prime Time to Invest

If you’re waiting until December to scale spend, you might miss the moment.

Despite higher costs, CPAs actually decrease throughout November, driven by large increases in conversion rates (CVR%). In 2024, CPAs were even lower than the year before:

• 36% lower on Black Friday than the October average
• 42% lower on Cyber Monday

High engagement and intent during November make it one of the most efficient times to capture performance at scale.

What this means for marketers:

• Lean into November as your conversion catalyst.
• Use predictive signals and real-time budget allocation to identify winning audiences early.
• Test creative variations before peak sale days to optimize for lower CPAs and higher ROAS.

Related: 5 Ways to Improve Cross-Channel Advertising for Holiday Shopping and Beyond

3. Singles Day Is Gaining Steam in the U.S.

While it may not yet rival Black Friday, Singles Day (November 11) is quickly becoming part of the U.S. retail calendar. Originally created in China as a celebration of self-purchasing, the holiday has grown into a global shopping event.

U.S. retailers are catching on, releasing promotions and themed campaigns that tap into rising trends of independence and self-gifting. Awareness of Singles Day in the U.S. has been trending upward for three consecutive years, signaling a growing opportunity for early-November engagement.

What this means for marketers:

• Treat Singles Day as a creative testing ground before peak season.
• Run smaller activations with “treat yourself” messaging that taps into emotional buying.
• Use performance learnings from early-November activations to optimize Black Friday and Cyber Monday creative.

Explore: How Consumers Are Shopping This Holiday Season

Wrapping It Up: The 2025 Holiday Advantage

From multi-screen video engagement to earlier peaks in performance, 2025’s holiday success will depend on starting earlier, scaling smarter, and staying connected across channels.

With Smartly, marketers can:

• Automate creative production with AI Studio
• Orchestrate campaigns seamlessly across platforms
• Gain real-time insights through the Intelligence Suite

Whether you’re testing new CTV formats, scaling multi-platform creative, or identifying early performance signals, Smartly gives you the clarity and control to power better ads this holiday season and beyond.

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