The holiday season is both the busiest and brightest time of year for business owners. Storefronts start sparkling, inboxes fill up with deals, and customers are ready to shop.
With holiday retail sales projected to increase by 3.4% this year, there’s a huge opportunity for anyone who’s willing to plan ahead.
But with so much excitement comes just as much pressure to get your strategy right.
It’s all too easy to get lost in the glitter and noise. Throw in a few classic mistakes, and you risk putting your brand on the naughty list. No one wants to see their hard work get lost in the holiday chaos or, worse, overlooked by shoppers looking for something special.
That’s why we’ve gathered the most common holiday marketing slip-ups we see (and how to dodge them) so you can keep your campaigns merry, bright, and at the top of your customers’ wish lists.
Let's unwrap these common blunders so you can have your most successful holiday season yet.
Mistake #1: Starting Too Late
Every year, it feels like the holiday season starts a little earlier. You see decorations in stores before Halloween candy is even on clearance.
While it might feel premature personally, professionally, you can't afford to wait. Procrastination is the thief of holiday profits. If you’re just starting to think about your Black Friday deals in early November, you’re already behind.
Think about it from your customers' perspective: by September and October, nearly 60% of consumers have already started their holiday shopping research. According to our holiday shopping survey we conducted in 2025, nearly half of all consumers start shopping before November.
They’re making lists (checking them twice), comparing prices, and deciding where they'll spend their money long before the first frost. If your brand isn't part of that initial consideration phase, you're fighting an uphill battle to capture their attention later.
How to Fix It: Plan Early and Work Backward
Your holiday marketing strategy shouldn't be a last minute scramble. It should be a well thought out plan that begins in the late summer.
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Start in August or September: This is the perfect time for brainstorming. What are your goals? Who are you targeting? What promotions will you run? Finalize your core offers and messaging.
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October is for Creation: Use this month to create your assets. This includes writing email campaigns, designing social media graphics, shooting product photography, and producing video content. Get everything approved and ready to go.
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November is for Execution: By November 1st, you should be ready to launch your initial "early bird" campaigns. This is when you can start teasing your Black Friday deals and building anticipation. You'll be ready to hit the ground running while your competitors are still in a panic.
Mistake #2: A Generic "Happy Holidays" Message
Sending a generic, one size fits all holiday message is like giving everyone on your list the same exact pair of socks. It’s a nice gesture, but it’s impersonal and forgettable. Your customers are individuals with different histories, preferences, and relationships with your brand. Treating them all the same is a missed opportunity to build a real connection.
Personalization is no longer a "nice to have" feature. It's a customer expectation. Studies show that 71% of consumers expect companies to deliver personalized interactions. When they receive them, they are far more likely to buy. During the holidays, when inboxes are flooded with offers, a personalized touch is what will make your message stand out.
How to Fix It: Segment and Personalize
Dive into your data to create more meaningful campaigns. You have more information about your customers than you think.
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Segment Your Email Lists: Don't send the same email to everyone. Create segments based on past purchase history, browsing behavior, or loyalty status. For example, you could send a special offer to your VIP customers who have spent over a certain amount this year. Or, you could send a "we miss you" discount to customers who haven't purchased in a while.
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Use Dynamic Content: Most modern marketing platforms allow you to use dynamic content. This means you can show different product recommendations or offers within the same email based on the recipient's data. If a customer was browsing a specific category on your site, show them related items in your next email.
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Personalize Subject Lines: Simply adding a customer's first name to a subject line can increase open rates. Go a step further by referencing a past purchase or an item they left in their cart to create a sense of personal attention.
Mistake #3: Forgetting About Your Existing Customers
The holiday rush often brings a frenzy of trying to attract new customers. Acquiring new shoppers is great, but you should never do it at the expense of the loyal customers who have supported you all year long. It costs five times more to attract a new customer than to retain an existing one. Plus, your loyal fans are more likely to spend more and become evangelists for your brand.
Ignoring your best customers during the busiest time of the year can make them feel unappreciated. If they see you offering better deals to first time buyers, it can leave a sour taste in their mouth. The holidays are the perfect time to show your appreciation and strengthen those relationships.
How to Fix It: Roll Out the Red Carpet for Loyals
Make your existing customers feel like VIPs. They are the bedrock of your business, so treat them that way.
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Offer Exclusive Early Access: Give your loyal customers first dibs on your holiday sales. Send them a password protected link to your Black Friday deals 24 hours before you release them to the general public. This creates a sense of exclusivity and makes them feel special.
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Send a Genuine Thank You: A simple, heartfelt "thank you" can go a long way. Consider sending a dedicated email to your best customers that doesn't try to sell them anything. Just thank them for their business over the past year. For your top tier customers, a small, unexpected gift or a handwritten card can create a customer for life.
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Create a Loyalty-Specific Offer: Craft a promotion that’s only available to repeat customers. It could be an extra percentage off, a free gift with purchase, or double loyalty points on all holiday orders.
Mistake #4: Ignoring the Mobile Experience
Let’s say a potential customer sees your ad on Instagram while waiting in line for coffee. They tap the link, excited about your amazing deal, only to land on a webpage that’s impossible to navigate on their phone. The text is tiny, the buttons are hard to press, and the checkout process is a nightmare. They'll abandon their cart faster than you can say "Jingle Bells."
This scenario is all too common.
During the holiday season, more than half of all online traffic comes from mobile devices. Furthermore, mobile accounted for over 80% of all online traffic this year, a number that continues to grow. If your website and emails aren't optimized for mobile, you’re essentially closing your doors to a huge portion of your potential customers.
How to Fix It: Think Mobile First
Your mobile experience can't be an afterthought. It needs to be a primary focus of your holiday strategy.
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Test Everything on Mobile: Before you launch any campaign, test it on your own phone. Open your emails. Click through to your landing pages. Go through the entire checkout process. Is it smooth and seamless? If you get frustrated, your customers will too.
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Optimize for Speed: Mobile users are impatient. Your pages need to load quickly. Compress images, streamline your code, and make sure your site is fast and responsive. A one second delay in page load time can lead to a 7% reduction in conversions.
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Simplify Navigation and Checkout: Use large, easy to tap buttons. Keep your forms short and simple. Offer mobile friendly payment options like Apple Pay, Google Pay, or PayPal to make checkout a breeze.
Mistake #5: Creating a Disconnected Customer Journey
Your customer journey should feel like a cohesive story, not a series of random, unrelated encounters.
A customer might see your ad on Facebook, click to your website, sign up for your emails, and then see a retargeting ad on a news site. If the messaging, branding, and offers are inconsistent across these touchpoints, it creates a confusing and disjointed experience.
For example, if your social media ad promotes a 30% discount but the website only shows 20%, you’ll create frustration and erode trust. Consistency is key to building a strong brand identity and guiding customers smoothly from discovery to purchase.
An omnichannel strategy, where all your channels work together, leads to much higher customer retention rates compared to single channel campaigns.
How to Fix It: Unify Your Brand Voice and Offers
Make sure every single piece of your holiday marketing works together in harmony.
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Maintain Consistent Branding: Use the same logos, color schemes, and fonts across all your channels. Your brand voice should also be consistent. Whether it’s witty and fun or warm and comforting, it should sound like your brand everywhere.
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Sync Your Promotions: Double check that your offers are the same across all platforms. The discount advertised in your email should match the discount on your website. This seems obvious, but it’s a mistake that happens surprisingly often during the chaotic holiday season.
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Use Retargeting Wisely: Retargeting is a powerful tool, but use it to continue the conversation, not just to shout the same message. If a customer abandoned a cart with a specific sweater in it, your retargeting ad should feature that sweater, maybe with a message like, "Still thinking about it?"
Turn Holiday Mistakes into Marketing Wins
Getting all these pieces to work together can feel overwhelming, especially when you're also managing inventory, customer service, and everything else that comes with the holiday rush. If you want to make sure your marketing sleigh is flying high this season, you don't have to do it alone.
Our team at Kinetic319 lives and breathes digital marketing. We can help you craft a holiday strategy that not only avoids the naughty list but puts you at the top of the nice list with your customers.
Let's work together to make this your most successful holiday season ever. Reach out to us today to get started