Discover

Seasonal

and high-traffic insights

Customer insights, tips and best practices to help you plan and optimize to better connect with Walmart customers during peak traffic moments throughout the year.

boy tree

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

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

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

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.

Purchase inspiration

categories during the holidays

Unbox these product tips

Spark inspiration as Walmart customers look for creative gift ideas by layering our first-party data across TikTok, 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.

Seasonal shopping events

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 percent willing to shift brands

…and…

42 waited for deals

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.

Customers do their research

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.

How do they research for holiday gifts and entertaining?

research online vs in-store

...and when...

timing for research and shopping

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 oon items 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.9

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.

Gifters by the numbers

gifters stats

Sleigh the season with this product tip

Consider using contextual targeting for Displauy campaigns to reach customers as they actively browse similar productws 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.10

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

Entertainers by the numbers

entertainers stats

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 season.11

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 trend.13

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.