At A Glance
Black Friday 2023 revealed that consumers didn’t stop spending, they shopped more selectively. They bought earlier, prioritized mobile, and valued convenience and flexibility. For 2024, marketers should prepare sooner, unify data across channels, and focus on personalized, omnichannel experiences powered by Experian’s identity and audience solutions.In this article…
Holiday 2024 campaign planning is already underway, and the competition for attention will be fierce. Before budgets are finalized and promotions launch, it’s worth taking a data-led look at trends from Black Friday 2023, and what that means for your 2024 strategy.
Experian’s data shows that although shoppers remained cost-conscious, they didn’t stop spending. They simply changed how they spent—shopping earlier, mixing online and in-store purchases, and prioritizing value and convenience. For marketers, these behaviors highlight the importance of connected, data-driven experiences built on trusted identity and insight.
2025 Holiday spending trends and insights report
Download our latest report, in collaboration with GroundTruth, for data-driven insights you can use to refine your messaging and reach the right audience in their preferred channels this holiday season.
What 2023 taught us about holiday spending
Consumer spending slowed but didn’t stop. Inflation and cautious budgets reshaped buying habits, yet U.S. shoppers spent a record $9.8 billion online, a 7.5% increase year-over-year. In-store visits grew 4.6%, proving omnichannel engagement is now standard. Shopify also reported $4.1 billion in global sales across apparel, beauty, and home goods, with 75% of purchases on mobile.
Key takeaway for 2024
Consumers didn’t stop spending, they became more deliberate. Marketers must meet value-conscious shoppers with connected, data-driven experiences across every channel.
When consumers shopped in 2023
Shoppers didn’t wait for Black Friday weekend. Experian’s 2023 Holiday spending trends and insights report found that early deal-seeking peaked in October, as shoppers responded to pre–Black Friday promotions. Cyber Week (Black Friday through Cyber Monday) still played a major role, representing 8% of total holiday spending.
Key takeaway for 2024
Start promotions earlier and align creative, audience targeting, and measurement strategies by mid-summer to capture early intent.
View our 2025 Holiday spending trends and insights here.
Behavioral spending trends to expect in 2024
Marketers can expect several 2023 Black Friday trends to continue through the 2024 holiday season:
Online and mobile will dominate
Online spending continues to outpace in-store, and mobile is leading the charge. In 2023, 54% of all online Black Friday sales occurred on mobile, up 10% year-over-year. Optimizing mobile UX, digital wallets, and push notifications will be critical to keep brands visible at the point of decision.
Consumers will shop earlier
Gallup found that one in four consumers now starts holiday buying by September. Marketers need to push planning and production cycles forward and launch early-bird incentives across digital and in-store channels.
Experiences over things as gifts will grow
A growing segment of shoppers, particularly those with higher disposable income, are gifting experiences (concert tickets, classes, travel packages) over physical items. In a 2023 survey, one in five respondents said they’d prefer to get an experience as a gift over an item. Retailers can adapt by bundling tangible gifts with experiences or hosting “giftable” events that deepen engagement.
Preference for digital channels will continue
Connected TV (CTV) ad spend is expected to grow 20% in 2024, offering new opportunities to reach audiences where they watch. With Experian’s identity and audience solutions, you can target consistently across CTV, social, and digital platforms to manage frequency and performance more effectively.
What consumers bought in 2023
Clothing and electronics led both in-store and online purchases in 2023, followed by toys, health and beauty, and household appliances.
| Category | Percent of in-store buyers | Percent of online buyers |
|---|---|---|
| Clothing and accessories | 82% | 79% |
| Electronics | 73% | 66% |
| Toys | 49% | 44% |
| Health and beauty | 48% | 44% |
| Household appliances | 44% | 36% |
These patterns show that trusted brands win across every channel. Marketers can use Experian’s purchase-based and category-specific audiences to target high-intent buyers ready to buy both online or in-store.
Marketing strategies that worked in 2023
Last year was a year of growth, albeit slow growth, despite economic uncertainty. Here are some of the marketing strategies deployed that contributed to this growth.
Influencer collaborations
Influencers shaped shopping behavior more than ever: seven in 10 shoppers said creator recommendations influenced a purchase. Live product showcases and social content helped brands reach new audiences and reinforce trust.
Cross-channel marketing campaigns
Successful brands unified experiences across email, SMS, CTV, and web.
To maximize sales during the Cyber Five holiday season, activate Experian Audiences as part of your omnichannel campaign. Our offerings include meticulously curated behavioral segments based on discount indicators such as Black Friday, Cyber Monday, and Coupons/Sales. These segments help you target shoppers who are ready to take advantage of your promotions and are primed for early conversion. Our marketing data was ranked #1 in accuracy by Truthset, which means you can power better marketing initiatives, like insights, targeting, and measurement using the highest rated data.
App-only and loyalty offers
App-exclusive deals boosted app-driven sales by 12% year-over-year. Brands that offered exclusive deals through their mobile apps incentivized customers to download and use the app for their purchases, which helped to increase sales through a dedicated channel.
Limited-time and early-access offers
Flash deals, one-day sales, and member-only previews continued to drive urgency during Cyber Week. Retailers that offered limited, targeted value (like Bath & Body Works single-day storewide promotions) achieved higher conversion efficiency than broad discounting.
Predictions for Black Friday 2024
Based on what we’ve seen in 2023, we expect the following trends to shape consumer behavior on Black Friday and beyond in 2024.
Mobile will lead digital sales
Expect mobile to exceed 55% of online sales. Black Friday mobile orders increased from 2022 to 2023, with over 50% of all Black Friday sales occurring on smartphones.
As a marketer, this means you should ensure your website is optimized for smartphones and tablets. Ensure load speed is quick, navigation is simple, designs are intuitive, and mobile payment options are available. You also have an opportunity to invite your customers to sign up for SMS or push notifications so they can shop deals immediately after they’re rolled out.
While mobile should be a priority, we still recommend investing in multiple channels to capture online shoppers everywhere they’re buying. Our Offline and Digital Graphs can help you unify data, capture user activity, and view your target audience holistically to optimize ad spend, allocate resources effectively, and improve ROI.
Early planning will define success
Brands will finalize creative and inventory by midsummer to meet September shoppers. Data enrichment can help you prepare early Black Friday promos by providing deeper insights into your customers and what they want.
On average, Experian has 250 behavioral and demographic marketing attributes per individual, which means we can decorate households and people with marketing data to get a full customer profile and fill in any gaps you have on your audience. You can also consider implementing sell-side targeting to help your promotions reach the right people.
BNPL usage willrise
As inflation persists in the U.S., shoppers will still be looking for ways to stretch their money this year, and many may seek out BNPL arrangements. According to Deloitte, 37% of shoppers have used these services, and these arrangements have proven to increase conversions by up to 30%.
With so many shoppers wanting the financial convenience of making large purchases without the immediate financial burden, marketers can use data enrichment to identify their target segments most likely to use BNPL and create personalized offers and promotions for them. Your strategy should include high-value offers and messaging that appeal to budget-conscious shoppers and a checkout optimized for BNPL options.
Channel switching will surge
Consumers will move fluidly between mobile, web, and in-store experiences, which means integrating data from various touchpoints will be crucial to understanding and predicting customer behavior. Marketers must develop cohesive omnichannel strategies with consistent messaging and promotions across channels. Your campaigns should span multiple channels so customers can engage with your brand in various ways.
We work with major platforms, marketers, and agencies, which means we have existing partnerships across the ecosystem for you to connect with and bring your consumer data to life to meet your needs.
Paid search will drive the most sales
Adobe reported paid search as the largest revenue driver during Cyber Week 2023, responsible for 30% of online sales. In 2024, marketers should prioritize paid search strategies and focus on using relevant, high-performing keywords for your campaigns. You can continuously refine your strategies using AI and data analytics to target high-intent customers. Additionally, integrating insights from customer behavior data will help you create more personalized, impactful ad copy and heighten the effectiveness of your paid search efforts.
How Experian enables 2024 holiday success
Experian’s marketing solutions help brands connect identity, insights, and outcomes across every touchpoint:
- Audience intelligence. Activate curated seasonal and behavioral audiences based on verified purchasing and discount-seeking patterns.
- Identity connection. Link ad exposures to household and individual behaviors through Experian’s Digital Graph connecting digital and offline data for a unified customer view.
- Omnichannel activation. Reach shoppers across more than 150 channels through our data and technology partnerships.
- Performance measurement. Use Experian Outcomes and lift analysis to tie spend directly to visits, conversions, and sales impact.
Drive your 2024 holiday success with Experian
The brands that win Black Friday 2024 will be those that plan early, act confidently, and measure with accuracy. Experian’s identity and data foundation powers connected commerce across every channel.
Get in touch with our team to plan your 2024 Black Friday and holiday campaigns.
Get started
Latest posts
Every brand wants to be part of the culture. Few know how to show up without crashing the party. The brands that get it right stay true to who they are, and the moments they create tend to stick long after the attention moves on. At Cannes Lions 2026, leaders from Alaska Airlines, Fetch, FreeWheel, Goodway Group, Grupo Bimbo, OAAA, PMG, Quan Media Group, Significant, The Weather Company, and Wpromote talked through what real cultural relevance looks like, from finding the right moments to keeping them alive long after the attention fades. Watch the conversation below to hear what it takes for brands to earn their place in culture. Watch the conversation How brands earn their way into cultural moments Build the strategy behind the creative A clear rationale helps bold ideas earn internal support and achieve the intended outcome. Make cultural relevance feel genuine A cultural connection lands when it reflects something people already care about, not when a brand forces it. Move quickly and stay true to the brand Teams create strong brand moments when they act on an opportunity without compromising the brand’s identity. Plan the second act Once attention drops, give people new ways to relive the experience and remain part of it. Read the early audience response Comments, shares, and other reactions can show whether an idea connects before campaign data offers a more complete view. Add value to the experience Brands earn attention when they give people something worthwhile, not when they simply place a logo in the moment. Featured partners Alaska Airlines – Eric Edge, Chief Marketing Officer Fetch – Emily Starer-Wallace, General Manager of Data Partnerships FreeWheel – Larry Allen, Vice President of Global Strategy, Data, Measurement and Addressable Goodway Group – Mike Wolk, Senior Vice President of Partnerships Grupo Bimbo – Catherine Berger, Vice President of Marketing Transformation and Services OAAA – Anna Bager, President and Chief Executive Officer PMG – Chad Stoller, Global Head of Media Quan Media Group – Brian Rappaport, Chief Executive Officer Significant – Jesse Unger, Co-Founder The Weather Company – AnneMette Bontaites, Vice President of Sales Wpromote – Deanna Cullen, Vice President of Media Investment Want more conversations like this one? Connect with us to learn more about how streaming media helps brands reach real people across every screen. This is one of several conversations from Cannes Lions 2026 on how brands can show up in culture with relevance that feels real. Subscribe to our newsletter to receive our next Cannes conversation, fresh takes on cultural relevance, and honest advice from industry leaders on how brands earn a real place in culture. Subscribe to our newsletter For more from Cannes Lions 2026, continue with another conversation in the series What it takes to move patients from awareness to care What commerce media can see beyond a single retailer What streaming media reveals about cross-screen viewing Contact us Latest posts
Watch leaders from Adobe DSP, FreeWheel, Madhive, Minerva, OpenX, and Pinterest at Cannes Lions 2026 discuss how streaming media connects viewers across screens.
Pharma marketing now runs across mixed-identity conditions. Learn how to keep DTC and HCP data separate while connecting signals across activation and measurement.