In this article…
As marketers gear up for the 2025 holiday season, economic turbulence, tariffs, and shifting digital habits are changing how and where consumers shop. Black Friday and Cyber Monday are still set to be the crown jewels of retail, but winning this year means leaning into data, omnichannel activation, and tools that help you do more with less as you start your Black Friday planning.
Let’s explore this year’s Black Friday trends in relation to last year’s and how to make the most of every opportunity in the 2025 holiday season.
Spending trends we saw in 2024
After years of economic uncertainty, Black Friday 2024 marked a return to retail “normalcy” with record-setting online and in-store shopping that reflected growing optimism and smarter behaviors:
- Online Black Friday sales increased by 10.2% from 2023, largely due to better-timed deals and earlier shopping.
- Mobile shopping made up 69% of global purchases.
- In-store traffic rebounded, surpassing online during Cyber Week for the first time in years.
- Buy now, pay later (BNPL) added $686 million to online sales — an 8.8% YoY increase — as consumers spread out their holiday spending.
- Retailers using AI tools (like chatbots and shopping assistants) saw up to 15% more conversions.
Ultimately, last year’s Black Friday e-commerce trends showed that shoppers prioritized flexible payments, value, and easy, personalized buying experiences.
Key products and categories in 2024
After years of favoring lower-cost essentials, consumers returned to higher-ticket purchases during Cyber Week. The share of expensive goods sold online rose over 15% compared to pre-season figures, with AI-powered product recommendations leading consumers to top-selling products like:
- AirPods Pro
- Ninja Creami
- Our Place Always Pan
- Vitamix blenders
- Oura Ring
The highest-performing gift categories included electronics, apparel, furniture and bedding, groceries, and cosmetics.
2024 Black Friday trends we expect to continue in 2025
As we reflect on a record-breaking 2024 holiday season, we predict many of the key Cyber Monday trends and Black Friday strategies for retailers in 2024 will carry over and intensify in 2025:
- Mobile will remain the primary shopping channel.
- The shift to early shopping will persist.
- AI-driven efficiencies will play an increasing role.
- Retailers that focus on the customer experience will capture the most wallet share.
As a marketer, you can use these insights to plan your Black Friday e-commerce strategy and meet audiences where and when they scroll and shop.
Projected growth YoY
While 2025 holiday retail shopping may not match the explosive growth of 2023 to 2024, consumers are still expected to show up in force for Black Friday in 2025. The National Retail Federation projects that overall U.S. holiday sales will rise between 2.7% and 3.7% compared to last year.
Experian’s 2025 Q1 consumer data paints a more nuanced picture:
- Mass retail transactions remain above 2024 levels, but YoY growth is slowing, from +8% in January to +4% in May.
- Department stores, which grew 10% YoY in January, have since declined to -3% by May.
- Apparel saw a similar trajectory, slipping from +7% growth in Q1 to slightly negative growth leading up to the summer months.
This slowdown suggests early signs of consumer fatigue, especially in discretionary categories, as inflation and tariffs continue to erode the spending power of price-sensitive consumers and small brands that rely heavily on imports.
Emerging trends and behaviors to expect in 2025
With inflation still weighing on household budgets and new tariffs potentially reducing consumer spending power by up to $78 billion, brands and shoppers are entering the holiday season with uncertainty. Roughly 91% of consumers may adjust their buying habits in response to tariff-driven price increases and inflation.
Consumers are still motivated by value, but they’ll expect more for their money and may start deal-hunting even earlier this season. You’ll need to be agile with your messaging, inventory, and budget allocation, as shoppers will still spend when the experience is seamless, personalized, and smart.
Let’s explore the key trends shaping the 2025 holiday season and how you can build them into your omnichannel marketing plan before the rush hits.
Omnichannel campaigns
In 2025, holiday shoppers will be more intentional than impulsive, which means they may zigzag between channels —browsing products on TikTok, watching TV ads, researching on Google, and checking out in-store or online before purchasing. They’ll want consistent, personalized experiences no matter where they engage.
This means you can’t rely on a single sales touchpoint anymore and must deliver a seamless experience wherever your audience spends time. Forrester shows 21% of global B2C leaders are already prioritizing omnichannel, which makes it a competitive necessity.
Fortunately, these efforts pay off. Omnichannel shoppers spend 1.5x more per month than those who shop on a single channel.
How Experian helps
Experian simplifies omnichannel marketing. Our identity graph connects hashed emails, mobile ad IDs (MAIDs), connected TV (CTV) IDs, and more so you can define your audience once and reach them consistently across every major channel.
With unified data, identity, and activation, we help you cut through platform silos and deliver coordinated, cross-device campaigns that actually feel connected.
Mobile first
In 2024, over 70% of orders and $195 billion in sales happened on mobile devices, according to Salesforce. As more consumers browse holiday deals from the couch, car, or checkout line, mobile-first shopping is among the top Cyber Monday retail trends and the main channel for on-the-go purchases.
For marketers, this means your mobile experience can make or break your Black Friday results. Responsive design, fast load times, and smooth checkout flows are the new expectations. Brands that invest in sleek mobile sites, intuitive apps, and frictionless buy online, pick up in-store (BOPIS) options will better meet and convert customers where they are at key moments.
How Experian helps
With Experian, you can reach mobile-first shoppers precisely at scale. Our identity graph connects MAIDs to individuals, so you can activate campaigns across mobile apps, SMS, and social with confidence. Define your audience once and deliver consistently personalized offers wherever they scroll, search, or shop.
CTV
On Black Friday 2025, shoppers won’t just be scrolling — they’ll be streaming, too. CTV continues to surge as a key channel for holiday shoppers, with viewership far outpacing ad spend. In 2024, CTV drove 31% of digital audience activation revenue. With nearly half of U.S. viewers expected to tune into free ad-supported TV (FAST) in 2025, CTV is becoming a core part of the Black Friday media mix.
Still, many marketers underestimate the channel, assuming it’s strictly an upper-funnel awareness channel rather than a direct driver of conversions. In reality, CTV can influence high-intent holiday shoppers closer to purchase than many assume.
With more consumers engaging with FAST during the holidays, CTV offers scalable, measurable reach and can fuel conversions across the entire funnel. And when paired with identity resolution and cross-device targeting, it becomes a powerful full-funnel tool.
How Experian helps
Experian gives marketers the household-level insights and activation capabilities to reach the right shoppers at the right frequency across platforms — a must for a high-volume weekend like Black Friday. Our identity graph connects devices within a household to manage frequency, unify messaging, and eliminate waste.
Plus, with support for Universal IDs like Unified I.D. 2.0 (UID2), you can activate audiences across CTV environments — including FAST — using login-based, privacy-compliant signals for a campaign that connects, converts, and performs on the biggest shopping weekend of the year.
Signal loss
Although Google has reversed its plan to phase out third-party cookies, 40% of browser traffic no longer supports them. You now need various identifiers across devices and platforms to get a complete customer view, especially during Black Friday when reach and precision are key.
That’s why marketers are shifting to alternative IDs like UID2, ID5, and Hadron ID to maintain reach. In 2024, we saw a 50% increase in Experian clients using alternative IDs and a 30% jump in the number resolved to individuals in our Digital Graph. These IDs are unlocking up to 60% incremental reach in campaigns compared to cookies.
Preparing a multi-ID approach and incorporating privacy-first strategies, such as contextual targeting, can give you a competitive edge this holiday season.
How Experian helps
Experian’s identity solutions connect all your digital and offline identifiers into a single, privacy-forward customer profile. This lets you recognize and reach your audiences no matter what device or platform they’re using.
Plus, with Contextually-Indexed Audiences, you can activate high-performing segments instantly in major demand-side platforms (DSPs) without cookies to maintain and improve addressability during the holidays.
RMNs
Retail media networks (RMNs) are set to capture 20% of digital ad spend in 2025. In particular, off-site retail media is expected to surge 42.1% this year, driving more Black Friday campaigns into channels like CTV, programmatic, and social.
This shift reflects a growing demand for full-funnel strategies, broader reach, and cross-channel measurement. RMNs that extend their first-party data beyond owned platforms will be best positioned to deliver results during peak shopping periods like Cyber Week.
However, off-site success hinges on clean, connected data. Many RMNs still face fragmented views of their customers, making it harder to scale audiences and measure performance.
How Experian helps
Experian helps RMNs scale off-site by resolving fragmented identities, enriching first-party data, and enabling seamless activation across channels. Our identity graph connects key digital identifiers to unify customer profiles, while our audience insights add depth with demographic, behavioral, and purchase data.
Curation
Curation is quickly becoming a go-to Black Friday marketing strategy, helping advertisers connect with high-value audiences by blending inventory with audience and contextual data. In fact, by 2026, private marketplace ad spending is projected to grow by $31 billion.
Instead of choosing between wide-open auctions or direct publisher deals, curation offers a powerful middle ground through curated private marketplaces (PMPs) built on first-party publisher data, contextual signals, and alternative IDs.
How Experian helps
Now unified with Audigent, Experian is setting a new standard for curated media buying. Our Curated Deals combine Experian’s powerful identity and data capabilities with Audigent’s flexible activation and audience customization.
You can activate high-performing audiences across DSPs or directly through Audigent’s PMPs to maximize precision, privacy, and scale ahead of the biggest shopping week of the year.
AI-powered shopping experiences
AI is becoming a co-pilot for holiday shoppers and reshaping the customer journey. From researching gift ideas and comparing prices to relying on personalized product recommendations and AI chatbots for faster service, consumers are using AI to shop smarter.
Salesforce reports that AI influenced 19% of holiday purchases in 2024 — a 6% increase from the previous year. In an Experian survey, shoppers shared they’re also using AI to help with BOPIS logistics and even choosing which BNPL option to use at checkout. Influencer content powered by AI and social algorithms is also guiding purchases in real time.
This holiday season, brands that weave AI into their digital storefronts, payment options, and social strategies will drive conversion.
How Experian helps
Experian uses AI and machine learning to help marketers deliver faster, smarter Black Friday campaigns. Our Digital Graph improves targeting with advanced household connections, while machine learning models fill in data gaps and identify high-intent shoppers. We also offer AI-powered audience recommendations and real-time contextual signals, enabling you to quickly build and activate the right segments at scale.
How to prepare for Black Friday 2025
Now that we’ve covered Black Friday trends for this year, it’s time to talk about how you can build them into a data-powered marketing strategy. Here’s where we suggest you focus your Black Friday planning for Cyber Week 2025.
Understand and segment your audience
Winning Black Friday 2025 starts with knowing your audience and how they shop so you can reach them at optimal times with messaging that resonates. Whether you’re targeting early-bird deal hunters or last-minute gifters, audience precision is the foundation for success this holiday season — and Experian can help.
Purchase intent
Drive performance by identifying consumers actively in the market for holiday purchases. With Experian’s holiday shopping audiences (available across major DSPs and platforms like Audigent, The Trade Desk, and DirectTV), you can reach:
- Last-Minute Shoppers
- One-Stop Holiday Shoppers
- Post-Holiday Shoppers
- Heavy Gift Givers
These intent-rich segments can help you capture demand at every phase of the season.
Spending behavior
While some consumers may splurge this year, others are tightening their belts due to economic turbulence. Experian’s pre-built holiday audiences help you target accordingly, with segments like:
- Holiday High Spenders and Moderate Spenders
- Big Box/Club Stores
- Discount Holiday Shoppers, Black Friday, and Cyber Monday Shoppers
These segments can help you optimize campaign spend based on wallet size.
Channel preferences
Knowing where your audience shops is just as important as how much they spend or what they buy. Experian offers audiences like:
- eCommerce Diehards
- Brick-and-Mortar Diehards
- Impulse Buyers
- BOPIS Shoppers
Tailor your media mix and creative strategy to align with their channel behavior, whether they’re browsing in-store, online, or on social.
Demographic, lifestyle, and behavioral data
Experian helps you tap into rich demographic and lifestyle data to better understand and engage high-value segments, whether that’s suburban deal hunters, Gen Z beauty buyers, or luxury holiday splurgers.
And by layering in Experian Marketing Attributes — 5,000+ attributes that include financial behaviors, interests, shopping patterns, car ownership, media consumption, and more — you can gain a clearer picture of age, gender, purchase behaviors, and content habits for refined holiday targeting.
With our data marketplace, audiences are more accessible and actionable than ever. We offer:
- Diverse, high-fidelity partner audiences
- Easily activate audiences from 31+ premium data providers, including:
- Attain: Real-time, permissioned transaction data from 8 million U.S. consumers
- Alliant: Predictive audiences built from billions of consumer transactions across key verticals
- Circana: Loyalty-based CPG and general merchandise audiences
- Dun & Bradstreet: Privacy-compliant B2B audiences based on firmographic and professional attributes
- Easily activate audiences from 31+ premium data providers, including:
- Flexible activation across top platforms
- Our identity graph powers our data marketplace, enabling audiences to be easily activated and highly addressable across display, mobile, and CTV with 10+ activation platforms, including Madhive, Open AP, Optimum, and Yieldmo.
- Privacy-first audience planning
- All data in our marketplace meets strict privacy and compliance standards, helping brands scale campaigns confidently.
- Custom and pre-built audience options
- Mix and match from 2,400+ Experian Audiences and Partner Audiences to find the right shoppers and meet your campaign goals.
Our data marketplace delivers the people you want to reach, where you need to reach them, with the insights to optimize in real time.
Personalize promotions
One-size-fits-all promotions won’t cut it in 2025. Consumers expect relevance at every touchpoint and ignore what feels generic or off-base. With the abundance of Black Friday offers, shoppers are filtering fast and prioritizing brands that understand their needs, preferences, and timing.
Here’s how you can deliver on these demands:
- Deliver targeted product recommendations: Whether through chatbots or personalized emails, consumers want help quickly finding what they need. Brands that invest in smart recommendation engines position themselves to drive cart additions and increase average order value (AOV).
- Customize promo codes by segment: Everyone loves discounts, but not all shoppers should get the same one. Use customer segments like high-spenders, last-minute shoppers, or deal-hunters from Experian’s syndicated holiday audiences to offer custom promo codes, boost conversions, and avoid over-discounting with those who would buy regardless.
- Optimize the timing of offers: Timing is everything during Cyber Week when inboxes and feeds are flooded. Use our behavioral and lifestyle data to determine when your segments are most active and likely to buy, and schedule your best offers for maximum impact.
- Use Experian Activity Feed: Black Friday 2025 will span devices, stores, and channels. Activity Feed connects the dots between online ad exposures and offline sales, helping you measure the impact of your campaigns and identify what drives conversions.
Case study: How Cuebiq increased match rates with Activity Feed
Using Activity Feed, Cuebiq, resolved digital ad exposures to MAIDs so they could know the impact of their campaigns on in-store visits and purchases.
Within three weeks, they resolved 85% of ad events to households across web, mobile, and CTV, giving their clients a clearer view of what drove store traffic and sales.
“In just a few weeks, they were able to maximize the match rate across the fragmented digital inventory, solving a huge problem when it comes to cross-channel attribution.”
Luca Bocchiardi,Director of Product, Cuebiq
Experian can help you win big this holiday season
Marketers are entering this season with more pressure, more complexity, and more opportunity than ever before. Whether you’re grappling with signal loss, evolving your omnichannel mix, or launching your first curated PMP, Experian has the data, identity infrastructure, and activation tools to help you win. Download our 2025 Holiday spending trends and insights report, in collaboration with GroundTruth, to access our predictions for this year’s holiday season.
Want help building your Black Friday marketing strategy? Let’s talk.
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Every year, the Experian team attends the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas, to immerse ourselves in the world's most significant consumer tech showcase and stay at the forefront of the latest technological advancements and innovations that shape the AdTech industry. This year's event was a vibrant melting pot of innovation and vision, from streamers taking a bigger bite of the advertising pie to the emergence of AI-powered solutions and drone delivery services. Amidst these advancements, the dynamic interplay of technology, media, and advertising raised important questions, especially in the context of evolving regulations and cookie deprecation. During CES, we captured insights from various thought leaders, and in the coming months, we'll be sharing these valuable perspectives with you. Watch the video below for full insights coming from our content studio onsite during the event. Or, keep reading for a recap on four key trends from CES and what they mean for your business in 2024! “My first CES was a major success. You could feel the buzz in the air as new ideas and partnerships were being created within and across industries. The intersection of the different players within retail media, connected TV, retail technology, the demand and supply-side, and agencies all in an ever-changing world of regulation and privacy begs for a solution that can maximize a successful outcome for all.”anne passon, sr director, sales, retail & cpg 1. Audience targeting: How first- and third-party data work together A central theme at CES was the importance of audience targeting, highlighting the crucial role of first-party data. However, it’s clear that to maximize its potential, this data needs to be augmented with sophisticated identity solutions and enriched with third-party insights, all while navigating the complexities of privacy regulations. This integrated approach is vital to understanding audiences and for creating more effective marketing strategies that comply with privacy regulations. 2. Standardizing metrics in retail media networks The challenges around retail media networks, particularly in terms of standardizing metrics like incremental return on ad spend (iROAS), were a hot topic at CES. This complexity around this topic underscores the need for neutral, expert third parties to help bring clarity and consensus, aiding businesses in navigating this multifaceted domain. 3. The challenge of switching data solutions Discussions covered the broader challenges associated with transitioning to new data solutions. For businesses, this involves a critical assessment of the benefits versus the costs and complexities of adopting new platforms or systems. This decision-making process is increasingly significant as data strategies become integral to marketing success. 4. Identity solutions in a cookieless future With the industry moving toward a cookieless future, the spotlight at CES was on the importance of robust identity solutions. Understanding the functionality and necessity of various universal IDs is essential to minimize data loss and maintain effective targeting. Investing in flexible and adaptable identity solutions like the Experian Graph is essential to maintain effective targeting and audience engagement in this new landscape. Announcements and advertising innovations at CES 2024 CES was a stage for significant announcements and innovative marketing initiatives: Criteo and Albertsons announced their collaboration in retail media. Instacart's partnership with Google for enhanced shopping ads and AI shopping carts. NBCUniversal's advancements in streamlining programmatic advertising. Brands like Netflix, LG, Freewheel, and Amazon Ads also captured attention with their creative marketing strategies, ranging from unique collaborations to themed promotions and captivating events. These insights from CES provide a glimpse into the future of technology, media, and advertising. They highlight the need for adaptability, innovation, and informed decision-making in these dynamic industries, especially in the context of privacy regulations. Stay tuned for our series of posts where we'll dive deeper into these topics, sharing exclusive insights from industry thought leaders. Follow us on LinkedIn or sign up for our email newsletter for more informative content on the latest industry insights and data-driven marketing. Contact us Latest posts
In this article…A history of ad-supported TVThe resurgence of ad-supported TV models Free ad-supported streaming vs paid ad-supported TV What FAST popularity means for marketersThe future of ad-supported TV In the early days, streaming services were presented to viewers as convenient alternatives to cable that allowed you to get content whenever you wanted it — without ads. But as standalone streaming platforms have grown in number and prominence, often charging high monthly costs for subscription-based content and continually hiking their rates, many are warming back up to the idea of ads if it means lower monthly fees. Cue free ad-supported TV (FAST) streaming services: free video content with no paid subscription requirement. These services generate revenue through advertising and deliver content with periodic commercial breaks to support their free model. This option has become popular as viewers have sought out cost-effective alternatives to traditional scheduled television. Free streaming TV platforms such as the Roku Channel, Tubi, and Pluto TV are growing, with one in three U.S. viewers subscribing to free ad-supported TV streaming services. If premium streaming platforms keep raising their monthly costs, we can predict that FAST will continue to grow. In this article, we’ll talk about the current state of the ad-supported TV climate, including the opportunities and challenges it poses for marketers. A history of ad-supported TV Historical context is crucial to understanding the current climate of ad-supported TV and its implications for your marketing. Before the rise of cable TV, television was free for viewers, with advertisers covering the costs. The first TV commercial, a 10-second spot for the Bulova Watch Company, aired in 1941 during a baseball game and cost the company $9. This ad kickstarted the era in which advertisements funded the TV model, which quickly surpassed radio in popularity and led to an explosion of content. From 1956 to 1988, commercials became embedded in culture, giving rise to marketing icons like Ronald McDonald and memorable campaigns like Nike's “Just Do It.” From 1989 to 2006, the world saw the rise of online entertainment and advertising with the invention of the World Wide Web — and subsequently, online video broadcasting and advertising emerged. But between 2007 and 2014, over-the-top (OTT) broadcasting and connected television (CTV) innovation disrupted traditional broadcasting, with ad-supported streaming gaining greater prominence. Platforms like Netflix and Hulu allowed viewers new freedom from the confines of scheduled programming. By 2022, CTV advertising thrived thanks to programmatic advertising, which allowed businesses to reach targeted audiences with relevant campaigns. Ad-supported streaming became widespread as platforms like Netflix and Disney+ incorporated advertising into their models. Free ad-supported TV (FAST) emerged as a form of advanced television that displaced traditional cable and satellite TV. Recent years have witnessed a notable shift back to ad-supported streaming television due to the proliferation of streaming services, subscription fatigue, and the desire for cost-effective content consumption. Looking ahead to the future, TV advertising is expected to continue growing with the potential to be influenced by innovations like virtual reality and artificial intelligence. Why did the popularity fade? Ad-supported TV waned in popularity due to the introduction of cable TV and subscription-based models. Cable TV offered ad-free content for a subscription fee, which reduced the appeal of traditional ad-supported broadcasts. Uninterrupted content became a critical selling point for cable providers, but it created fragmentation for advertisers and made it more challenging for them to reach their target audience. With cable and, later, satellite TV dominating the market, advertisers had to adapt their strategies. The decline in the popularity of ad-supported TV led to a decreased reliance on traditional advertising methods, and marketers began exploring alternative avenues to connect with consumers effectively. The recent resurgence of ad-supported TV, particularly in streaming services, indicates a shift in viewer preferences. You can utilize targeted advertising cost-effectively, as viewers prefer free, ad-supported content over subscription-based models. The resurgence of ad-supported TV models The resurgence of ad-supported TV models can be partly attributed to the COVID-19 pandemic and changing viewer preferences. In 2020, stay-at-home measures led to a surge in media consumption, and people turned to streaming for entertainment. This shift provided a unique opportunity for ad-supported models to regain popularity. But as viewers explored various streaming options, subscription fatigue set in. Paid streaming proliferation increased costs, and people began reconsidering spending on multiple subscriptions. The pandemic triggered a fundamental shift in TV consumption and caused viewers to favor ad-supported streaming models that offered free content with occasional commercial breaks. In fact, LG Ad Solutions research revealed that 80% of American TV viewers use free ad-supported streaming services — and 63% express a preference for this model. This finding challenges assumptions made during the initial stages of the pandemic, where subscription-based consumption seemed dominant. The study suggests that as subscription fees accumulated, viewers sought more content without increasing costs, driving a preference for ad-supported streaming. Furthermore, the landscape of ad-supported TV saw notable entries from major streaming platforms: HBO launched its ad-supported model in June 2021. Netflix and Disney+ introduced their ad-supported tiers in late 2022. Amazon announced in September 2023 that they would be launching their ad-supported service in 2024. These developments emphasize the industry's recognition of the demand for ad-supported content and further contribute to the prominence and endurance of this model. Most popular platforms A report from Samba TV showed that one in three U.S. viewers subscribes to free ad-supported TV streaming services, such as Pluto TV, Tubi, or the Roku Channel. The report highlights Amazon's Freevee as a standout due to its high viewership growth in the first half of 2023 compared to competitors. Here are some details to note about Freevee and its major competitors: Freevee (Amazon Prime) With a focus on bringing diverse content to its audience, including thousands of premium TV shows and movies, Freevee has positioned itself as a go-to destination for those looking for quality programming without subscription fees. In early 2022, Freevee had 65 million monthly active users, and their ad prices, similar to competitor costs, range between $13 and $24 per day — around $400 and $720 per month, respectively. Pluto TV (Paramount) As a pioneer in the FAST streaming space, Pluto TV, now under Paramount, boasts a diverse range of 250+ channels. According to Statista data from November 2022, 8% of Americans watched TV on Pluto on a daily basis, with men watching more often than women. You can strategically engage with Pluto TV's varied audience for around $999 a month, with advertising costs influenced by factors like viewership and channel prominence. Tubi (Fox) Surpassing many competitors in viewership, Tubi, owned by Fox, offers an extensive collection of free content (200,000 movies and TV episodes) and enjoys 74 million active monthly users. Tubi has experienced the fastest growth among young, diverse audiences and has produced or acquired 200 titles that almost 54 million viewers have watched. You can market to viewers on Tubi for $10 to $45 daily or $300 to $1,350 monthly. The Roku Channel With over 350 channels and premium original content, The Roku Channel has become an important player in the FAST space. Approximately 38% of streaming hours in U.S. households are spent on the Roku Channel. With Roku Ads Manager, you can get started with only $500. New players The FAST industry is seeing an influx of new players all the time, which is contributing to the industry's growth and innovation. As traditional subscription-based models adapt to include ad-supported tiers, the competition in the ad streaming sphere has intensified, prompting both established and emerging platforms to explore the FAST model. Statista reports that the number of users in the FAST market is expected to reach 1.1 billion by 2028! The recent entry of industry giants like Netflix into the ad-supported realm has set the stage for significant shifts. When Netflix announced and launched its ad-supported tier in late 2022, the industry experienced a notable spike in CPMs (cost per mille/cost per thousand impressions). This reflected the initial scarcity of users on this tier. As more subscribers embraced the ad-supported offering, CPMs decreased. Subscription video-on-demand (SVOD) platforms, including Disney+, are also incorporating ad-supported tiers into their models to cater to viewers' preferences for cost-effective streaming options. Industry reports illustrate a decrease in CPMs as more users engage with ad-supported tiers, which creates a vibrant, competitive environment for advertisers like you. Free ad-supported streaming vs paid ad-supported TV The affordability of free ad-supported streaming services is attractive for viewers seeking cost-effective alternatives to traditional cable or non-ad-supported streaming platforms. Platforms like Pluto TV and Tubi provide viewers with a wealth of content without the financial commitment of a subscription. Free ad-supported streaming services like these have gained traction for their cost-effectiveness. In contrast, paid ad-supported TV models present a unique proposition — pay for the service and enjoy reduced subscription costs by opting for an ad-supported plan. These models provide users with a middle ground between subscription-based and free ad-supported streaming. The future popularity of free ad-supported streaming versus paid ad-supported streaming is likely to be influenced by a combination of viewer preferences, content strategies, ad experiences, and broader industry dynamics. As both models evolve, streaming services will continue to experiment and adapt to meet the diverse needs of their audiences. What FAST popularity means for marketers The shift towards FAST aligns with changing viewer preferences. This makes things easier for your marketing, as you can: Engage a broader audience: Without the barriers of subscription fees, and the ability to place ads in front of diverse demographics, you can customize campaigns for specific audiences and ensure your messages resonate with viewer interests. Convey your message to a captive audience: The rise of FAST also implies an increased viewership of commercials, as these services typically feature ad-supported models with limited options for viewers to skip or fast-forward through ads, creating a more captive and engaged audience. Expand your brand exposure: The cost-effectiveness of ad-supported models provides a valuable avenue for brand exposure without the hefty price tags associated with traditional TV advertising. As a marketer, it’s essential for you to understand the dynamics of ad-supported TV platforms so you can recognize unique advertising formats, optimize campaign frequency to prevent ad fatigue, and embrace the potential for localization and personalization. As advertising evolves with the growing popularity of FAST, you have an opportunity to stay ahead of the curve, craft compelling campaigns, and maximize your reach at a time when ad-supported streaming is at the forefront of entertainment. The future of ad-supported TV The re-emergence of ad-supported TV, along with recent innovations, indicates that the future of this model is bright. Teevee Corporation, a hardware startup led by the co-founder of Pluto TV, is an excellent example. It is set to unveil a groundbreaking ad-supported physical television that won’t cost consumers a single cent — as long as they’re okay with a second integrated screen that displays ads while they watch the main screen. This TV is distinct from streaming services and uses automatic content recognition (ACR) for contextually relevant ad delivery. Teevee's approach introduces a new dimension to viewer engagement that combines traditional broadcasting with targeted advertising. Major streaming platforms are actively contributing to the evolution of ad-supported TV as well. Amazon made the strategic move to bring Amazon Original titles and additional ad-supported channels to Freevee to demonstrate its commitment to the ad-supported market. The platform introduced 23 new ad-supported TV channels from major entertainment players such as Warner Bros. Discovery and MGM. As a result, Amazon's Freevee experienced tremendous growth in viewership in the first half of 2023, up 11% year-over-year. These recent advances illustrate what the future of streaming with ad-supported TV may look like moving forward, where hardware innovation meets strategic content integration, and major platforms compete to enhance their ad-supported offerings. How Experian can help Although the FAST industry is rapidly evolving, Experian stands at the forefront with powerful data-driven solutions that empower you to take advantage of this valuable marketing opportunity. Consumer Sync is a robust identity solution that empowers advertisers by facilitating collaboration and offering insights that contribute to more effective and targeted FAST campaigns. Audience segmentation, attribution, and campaign optimization play vital roles in FAST advertising. Our Consumer View solution provides industry-leading data solutions for audience segmentation, which allows marketers to predict buying behaviors and deliver personalized experiences. Connect with Experian's TV experts As you explore the possibilities of ad-supported TV, Experian offers the expertise and solutions you need to elevate your marketing strategies. Connect with our TV experts today to gain a deeper consumer understanding, refine your targeting, and ensure the success of your campaigns. Connect with our TV experts today Latest posts
Experian continues to lead in data accuracy according to Truthset's latest analysis Advertisers, technology partners, and agencies are all chasing accurate data to power their marketing strategies. But not all data is created equal. Truthset’s latest findings confirm Experian's leadership in third-party data accuracy, giving brands and agencies confidence in every decision they make. Accurate data is the foundation for predictive insight, real-time intelligence, and AI-powered personalization. Experian’s AI-driven solutions help marketers move from data to action, delivering more relevant messages with less waste. Truthset's independent study found that up to 51% of ad targeting data is inaccurate, with accuracy rates ranging between 32% and 69% across providers. This reinforces the importance of validated, trusted data from partners like Experian. The data quality challenge Inaccurate data can lead to: Wasted ad spend Without accurate data at the start, marketers can’t reach the right audiences, resulting in wasted impressions. Privacy and compliance risks In an increasingly privacy-centric world, advertisers need to be especially mindful of accurate targeting to avoid putting their brand reputation at risk. Poor campaign performance Low-quality data skews metrics and attribution models, making it difficult to measure campaign success and optimize spend. Low-quality data can come in different forms, like inconsistent or outdated information – think demographics (age, gender) and interests (dog versus cat lover), or simply the wrong relationship can be made between data sets. Data records can be incomplete or duplicative, and data segments could be misclassified or inaccurate. For example, a kids' snack food company may think they’re targeting a 35-year-old man, who lives in the suburbs with his young family, when in fact it’s a 65-year-old woman who moved to the city after her kids went to college. That's wasted investment. As data ecosystems grow more complex, that's where Experian's AI-powered simplicity comes in. We can clean, enrich, and infer missing signals, helping you act on incomplete or imperfect data with greater confidence. Building a solid data foundation Accurate data is essential for personalization and trust. According to eMarketer, more than 75% of internet users worldwide are willing to share their email address, brand interest, and name in exchange for personalized experiences. Without accurate data, marketers won’t be able to provide the level of personalization that consumers desire. But personalization at scale requires more than just data, it needs intelligence. Experian's AI-powered capabilities, including predictive models, transform clean, validated data into meaningful engagement strategies that balance performance with privacy. Independent validation from Truthset ensures that Experian’s data remains among the most accurate in the ecosystem. "As cookies and mobile ad identifiers continue to phase out, consented, durable identifiers (hashed email, postal addresses) are going to serve as the foundation for identity solutions of the future. And the only way to ensure you are transacting on the highest quality identity and demography data is to actively validate the data you rely on with a third party.” Chip Russo, President at Truthset Experian's commitment to data accuracy Since joining the Truthset Data Collective in 2023, Experian continues to be the industry leader in data accuracy. Truthset's latest Q2 2025 analysis reaffirms our leadership in data accuracy: Experian is the #1 data provider of largest volume of high-accuracy hashed emails (HEMs) Experian ranks #1 in accuracy for eight marketing data attributes, including but not limited to Age, Geography, Presence of Children, and Education Experian ranks #1 or #2 for 22 of the 24 attributes, and #3 for the two others (out of 12 companies being analyzed) Experian consistently has the largest number of HEMs that are 90% or more likely to be accurate “As a member of the Truthset Data Collective, Experian received top ranks across a variety of categories for its data. The entire digital advertising world runs on data, but focusing on data accuracy is going to drive the next phase of innovation for the industry, enhancing ROI for advertisers, CPMs for publishers, and relevant experiences for consumers.” Chip Russo, President at Truthset As Truthset's recent study highlights, the data matched between hashed emails and postal addresses is crucial, underpinning everything from targeted ads to TV audience measurement. Highly accurate HEMs linked to high-quality demographic data should be the foundation of any marketing plan. Advertisers are able to overcome the complexities of identity resolution by tying online and offline touchpoints together to deliver a consistent message across channels. Real-time relevance, powered by ethical AIExperian combines validated identity data with intelligent technology to deliver marketing that works for people and brands. Companies are striving to eliminate marketing waste and provide consumers with personalized marketing and the advertising industry can have confidence that Experian’s marketing data has been externally validated as being highly accurate. The accuracy of our data will power better marketing initiatives, like insights, targeting, identity, and measurement. Whether you're optimizing for reach, relevance, or ROI, AI is changing how marketing works. Experian’s human-centered, privacy-first AI makes it easier to adapt, act faster, and connect with consumers in ways that are more meaningful. Let's start a conversation about how we can fully realize the potential of data-driven advertising together. Contact us today FAQs What is Truthset, and why does their validation matter? Truthset is an independent data validation company that reviews and ranks data providers based on accuracy. Their ratings help advertisers understand which data sources they can trust. Experian ranks #1 in data accuracy according to Truthset. How does Experian’s performance compare to others in Truthset’s study? Experian ranks #1 for accuracy in multiple categories, including Age, Geography, and Presence of Children, and holds the largest number of hashed emails that are 90% or more likely to be accurate. Why is data accuracy so important for marketers? Accurate data is important for marketers because it leads to more efficient targeting, reduced ad waste, and better campaign performance. It also reduces compliance risk by helping advertisers engage responsibly. Experian's data is ranked #1 in data accuracy according to Truthset. How does Experian use AI responsibly? Experian’s privacy-first, AI-driven models clean, enrich, and validate data while respecting consent and ethical standards. How can advertisers get started with Experian's data? Connect with the Experian team to learn how our validated data and AI-powered solutions can strengthen your targeting, insights, and ROI. Latest posts