Traditional festive season sales aren’t completely gone out the window. People still want discounts and giveaways—but they’re looking to find more online. They’re also starting their festive season shopping earlier than ever, rather than waiting for the ‘official’ launch of the festive shopping season on Black Friday on 27 November.

This shift towards an earlier shopping season isn’t entirely new. Last year, people on Pinterest had already finished 50% of their Christmas shopping by the time Black Friday rolled around.¹ And for 2020, we’re seeing shopping start even earlier. Because of COVID-19, people are planning further ahead and getting things delivered to their homes.

Your bottom line? Don’t wait until it’s Black Friday to start your festive season campaigns online. Inspire people to shop, all season long.

• Recreate the in-store vibe: People still crave the delight that comes from finding a perfect gift in a shop. So that your e-commerce experience mimics being in a physical shop, let shoppers discover your products in a visual way. On Pinterest, you can use formats like Carousels or Collections to help people to browse multiple products at once.

• Show that your brand cares: With safety still a major concern, share how your brand is looking out for customers with helpful logistics offerings, such as speedy delivery windows, click-and-collect options and contact-free gifting solutions.

• Tout the deals: To capture festive season shoppers, make sure that your promo is prominent by making discount and sale details front and centre in your creative. Pins with actionable CTA's in the text overlay are likely to have higher click-through rates.