The holiday season offers time for connection, celebration — and new campaigns

Unwrap our holiday insights to take advantage of the festive season.

Deck the halls with data-driven shopping insights

November and December are brimming with cherished traditions, religious gatherings and cultural events, making this the most wonderful time to reach customers as they celebrate, gather and give. There’s an opportunity to connect to a broad and diverse audience with a focus on celebration, religious traditions and togetherness.

Holiday retail sales reached a record

Holiday retail sales reached a record high of $994.1B

with growth fueled by both online and in-store.1

Even as digital shopping rises, physical stores continue to be a vital part of the shopping journey for the Holiday season. Which means omnichannel campaigns are essential to reach everyone, everywhere.

Walmart Connect is here to help advertisers make an impact with their dollars. Engage your ideal customers as they discover products and find inspiration across our full-funnel solutions. Take advantage of our insights, product tips, and creative ideas to put a bow on your holiday strategy.

Walmart is the gift that keeps on giving

Whether it’s for decorating the house, wrapping a gift, or splurging on the latest deal, many Americans choose to do their shopping at Walmart during the Holiday season.2

Walmart was #1 in omni unit market share in several categories during the holidays:

Walmart customers keep coming back for value, price, convenience and variety — especially during the holidays, when we saw online unit sales jump 20% year over year.2 With all this shopping data at your fingertips, you can make smarter ad decisions and connect with customers wherever they are in their journey.

Sleighing shopping behaviors

By partnering with Walmart Connect, you can put your brand in front of customers when they’re making key holiday shopping decisions — helping you win more sales and stand out during the busiest season of the year. Walmart customers are looking for inspiration, a majority of surveyed customers noted that coming up with gift ideas in their budget was a big challenge for them.5 Advertisers have the opportunity to guide customers to the right products for their holiday needs with personalized recommendations across multiple digital touchpoints.  

Top sources of purchase inspiration for surveyed Walmart customers: Social media 43% 62% planner if their was toc Al recommendations 32% Articles/blogs 30% ghts-image-02.svg Curated suggestions on retailer websites 29% Influencer content with product reviews 19%
Unbox these product tips: Spark inspiration as Walmart customers look for creative gift ideas by layering our first-party data across Tik Tok, Pinterest and Meta. Create custom audiences based on search and browse behaviors and target that audience across social channels. The journey is easy, lead customers to your item page or a Brand Shop and Shelf to showcase related items for the holidays.

With the Holiday season comes high traffic events like Black Friday, Cyber Monday, and of course, Walmart Deal Days. In fact, 75% of surveyed industry shoppers planned to shop during at least one promotional event during the Holiday season; a 14% uptick since the prior year.6

Even as holiday retail sales reach new heights, value remains top of mind. Customers are determined to find the holiday essentials at a good value without sacrificing quality or the joy of giving.

Surveyed industry shoppers were willing to swap brands or retailers to maximize value. Of those… 

62% planned to shift brands if their preferred brand was too expensive
Creative tip: Highlighting limited time offers can help capture the attention of customers who are looking for savings and motivate purchase decisions. Balance price and quality messaging by complementing price messaging with the key benefit(s) of your brand or product to illustrate holistic value.

Surveyed Walmart customers did research online, but before tying the bow on their final purchase, they tended to visit stores to complete their purchases. In fact, of surveyed Walmart customers, 56% of those shopping for hosting needs8 and 35% shopping for gifts7 completed their holiday shopping over three or more regular shopping trips.

Before shopping in the 2024 Holiday season, how did surveyed Walmart customers research for... Gifts 49% Research online, buy in-store 51% Research online, buy online 24% Research in-store, buy in-store 13% Research in-store, buy online Entertaining 44% Research online, buy in-store 44% Research online, buy online 25% Research in a store, buy in-store 9% Research in-store, buy online
Research vs. shopping graph Timing for research and shopping for gifts: More than 4 weeks before the holiday: 49% researched 21% shopped 3-4 weeks before: 20% researched 25% shopped 1-2 weeks before: 15% researched 23% shopped Less than 1 week+: 8% researched 20% shopped Timing for research and shopping for entertaining: More than 4 weeks before the holiday: 38% researched 14% shopped 3-4 weeks before: 21% researched 20% shopped 1-2 weeks before: 21% researched 27% shopped Less than 1 week+: 13% researched 28% shopped
Product tips to light up sales: Sponsored Search placements can help you capture attention as customers research products on our site and app. Consider adding Sponsored Videos ads to complement Sponsored Brands and Sponsored Products ads to help educate customers on item benefits as they actively browse and compare products in your category to find the perfect gift.

Key holiday audiences 

The Holiday season brings a wealth of celebrations — and an influx of customers. From the holiday host to the expert gift-giver, from the relax-and-unwinders to the dedicated deal-finders, each customer has their own set of motivations and unique needs to fulfill. Learn more about what motivates these different customers so you can tailor your advertising and strategies to resonate with each segment.

Creative tip: Reinforce your message across channels, since more than 3 in 5 surveyed customers said they are online, while in Walmart stores, to inform their purchase decisions.

Gifters

Walmart gifters make the most of holiday deals and focus on finding the perfect gifts for everyone on their list. Most shop in-store, enjoying the chance to see and touch products.7 But there’s also a growing interest in digital convenience with about half using Walmart.com and a quarter using Walmart’s app for curbside pickup or home delivery.7

Whether browsing the aisles or scrolling online, these customers balance value, convenience, and variety to find the right gifts for family and friends.

How surveyed Walmart customers shopped across channels for gifts: 78% In-store 46% Walmart.com 27% Walmart app for curbside store pickup 27% Walmart app for home delivery
Top categories purchased for gifting:9 68% Food & Beverage 68% Clothing & Accessories 65% Toys 64% Holiday Cards & Décor
Top reasons customers chose Walmart for their gift shopping:9 74% Price/low cost 51% Convenient location 46% One-stop shop 37% Easy to locate items in-store 33% Easy to locate items online
Sleigh the season with this product tip: Consider using contextual targeting for Display campaigns to reach customers as they actively browse similar products for the right gifts. Combine your Onsite Display efforts with Sponsored Search as customers exposed to a brand's Onsite Display and Sponsored Search ads spent up to 40% more, on average, on brand items vs. customers only exposed to a brand's Sponsored Search ads".

 

Entertainers

For the holiday host-with-the-most, they can shop at Walmart for everything from seasonal décor to food and drinks. Most surveyed customers still gravitate toward the in-store experience, enjoying the ability to browse aisles for the perfect party accents and the freshest ingredients. At the same time, a significant number of surveyed customers are embracing digital solutions — using Walmart’s site and app for curbside pickup or home delivery to save time and simplify preparations 8. 

How surveyed Walmart customers shopped across channels for entertaining: 10 78% In-store 39% Walmart.com 26% Walmart app for curbside store pickup 26% Walmart app for home delivery
Top categories purchased for entertaining:10 94% Food & Grocery 68% Non-alcoholic Beverages 67% Household Essentials
Top reasons customers chose Walmart for their entertaining shopping:10 73% Price/low cost 50% Convenient location 50% One-stop shop 38% Easy to locate items in-store 31% Easy to locate items online
Stock up on product tips: Bring in the holiday spirit with experiential in-store moments and digital screens across the store. Consider activating In-store Demo to help customers sample food for their holiday spread - and encourage brand recognition and basket-building with Deli and Bakery screens, as customers check off their hosting checklist.

Unwinders

The holidays are filled with excitement and joy, but they can also bring a fair amount of stress. Many people are busy balancing family gatherings, gift shopping, and the desire to make each moment special, which results in only 31% of Americans saying they truly get to relax during the season11. 

"It's stressful to get everything done...but in the moment, celebrating Christmas with my children and extended family, I was happy and content because I was with my family.14"

For many, self-care during the holidays can be about finding joy in treating themselves. Over half (53%) of surveyed Walmart customers purchased a gift for themselves last Holiday season,8 Amongst all holiday shoppers, Gen Z (60%) and Millennials (58%) lead the way in embracing this trend13. 

Creative tip: The holidays are about more than gifting. Positioning products as meaningful acts of self-care can open up a whole new audience. Relaxation-focused items can resonate with customers seeking a little break amid the holiday rush, making self-care just as essential as gifting or entertaining. By meeting this need, Walmart can help customers find both joy and balance during the holidays.

Putting a bow on your holiday strategy with Walmart Connect

As the Holiday season brings together millions of Americans in celebration, Walmart Connect offers advertisers a unique opportunity to reach customers where traditions, value, and convenience intersect.

Our insights reveal that Walmart customers are highly engaged and motivated by inspiration, value, and the ease of shopping both online and in-store. With record-breaking holiday retail sales and Walmart’s leadership in omnichannel market share, advertisers can confidently connect with audiences — whether they’re searching for the perfect gift, preparing to host, or treating themselves. By leveraging Walmart Connect’s full-funnel solutions, you can meet customers at every stage of their journey, from discovery to purchase, both online and in-store. Our data-driven approach empowers you to inspire customers with personalized recommendations, creative campaigns, and timely offers that resonate with their needs and motivations. Walmart Connect ensures your brand stands out — helping you spark sales and make a lasting impact this Holiday season.

Insights and actions to help grow your sales

Check out these resources for insights and best practices when building out your Holiday campaigns. 

case study
Full-funnel ads shell out big results for nut brand Read more
case study
Lavazza boosts sales and new customers with Walmart Connect Read more

Sources: 1NRF Says Holiday Season Was a Notable Success as “Consumers Came Out to Spend,” January 2025. No endorsement of third party data. 2Walmart first-party data, February 2025; reflecting Nov. 2, 2024–Dec. 26, 2024, vs. a year ago. 3NielsenIQ Panel On Demand Omnishopper, Nov.–Dec. 2024. No endorsement of third party data. 4Circana Checkout, Nov.–Dec. 2024. No endorsement of third-party data. 5Suzy, 2024 Holiday Lookback Gifting Survey, March 2025. No endorsement of third party data.  6Deloitte Holiday Retail Survey, Aug. 30–Sept. 6, 2024. No endorsement of third-party data. 7Holiday Lookback Gifting Survey Provided by Walmart Media Insights Research Services Team for the 2024/25 Holiday Season, March 2025. 8Holiday Lookback Entertaining Survey Provided by Walmart Media Insights Research Services Team for the 2024/25 Holiday Season, March 2025. 9Walmart first-party data, Walmart Claims Survey, September 2022, Walmart Customer Spark Panel, provided by Scintilla. 10Walmart first-party data, Feb. 1, 2023–July 31, 2024; ad-exposed customers during a 14-day window prior to conversion; includes all Walmart Sponsored Search and Walmart Onsite Display ads from 26 impact studies across Food & Beverage, Consumables, Entertainment, Toys & Seasonal, and Home & Hardlines categories. Ad spend measured across brands’ full product portfolio. 11Statista Consumer Insights Christmas and Holiday Season Survey, October–November 2024. No endorsement of third-party data. 12Walmart Customer Insights & Strategy: Seasonal, FY25 Holiday Customer Review, March 2025. 13Kantar Retail: U.S. Holiday 2024 Macro Review, ShopperScape, 2019–2024. No endorsement of third party data.