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Winning the 2024 holiday season: Lessons from Black Friday 2023

Published: July 16, 2024 by Experian Marketing Services

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.

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.

CategoryPercent of in-store buyersPercent of online buyers
Clothing and accessories82%79%
Electronics73%66%
Toys49%44%
Health and beauty48%44%
Household appliances44%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.


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Layering our audience insights and our AI-driven Digital Graph onto their subscriber data, they were able to connect the dots across channels, reach the right households, and measure results instead of just impressions. In the end, they finally got a clear view of what works across every screen. Learn how Optimum Media mastered multiscreen measurement Curious how identity resolution can power your customer analytics? We can walk you through it. Chat with an expert Healthcare and pharma Healthcare marketers can’t afford slip-ups with HIPAA regulations. Identity resolution makes it possible to engage the right patients and providers with de-identified audiences rather than third-party cookies. At Experian, AI and machine learning have always been part of how we power identity resolution. In healthcare, that means using AI-enhanced modeling to connect de-identified clinical and claims data with lifestyle insights. 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Combined with our identity and modeling capabilities, this expands match rates and unlocks up to 76% net-new reach, so campaigns reach patients and caregivers in critical health moments. As a result, healthcare brands can launch campaigns that are privacy-first, highly targeted, and proven to drive meaningful impact. Audio People use audio while commuting, working out, and even folding laundry. It can be one of the hardest channels to track because of how frequently listeners switch between apps, stations, and devices. Experian’s identity resolution partnerships with Audacy and DAX change the game: Audacy helps tie scattered listening into a single view, so advertisers can follow audiences across devices and keep ads relevant in the moment. DAX pairs Experian’s 2,400+ syndicated audiences with its audio network, enabling brands to target precisely and launch impactful campaigns at scale. These partnerships turn audio into an accurate channel where ads feel personal, privacy-safe, and measurable. Gaming Gamers don’t stick to one platform. Player data gets scattered across mobile, console, and PC, so it’s tough to keep track of individuals. Experian helps stitch those signals together so publishers can finally see the whole picture, personalize gameplay, and keep players coming back. With enriched profiles, publishers can deliver offers that resonate and unlock fresh revenue by packaging high-value gaming audiences for advertisers outside the industry. Unity, a leading gaming platform, is tapping into Experian’s syndicated audiences to gain player insights and help advertisers reach gamers across mobile, web, and CTV. For global publishers, unifying player data with Experian has driven higher engagement and stronger ad ROI. Discover how to unlock revenue with unified player data How should I evaluate identity resolution providers? When choosing an identity resolution partner, look for: Data scale and quality: The value of identity resolution depends on how complete and accurate the underlying data is. The right provider should bring together a wide range of identifiers from online and offline sources, maintaining high accuracy so your customer profiles are broad and reliable. Match accuracy and recency: The best partners also refresh their data regularly and can blend deterministic (exact, one-to-one matches) with probabilistic (pattern-based matches) methods. That way, you get the accuracy of “this email is definitely that customer” with the reach of “this device likely belongs to the same person.” Privacy and compliance readiness: Compliance can’t be an afterthought. Your identity partner should be ready for GLBA, FCRA, GDPR, CCPA, and the latest state-level rules with built-in tools for opt-outs, corrections, and deletions. Integration flexibility: A good provider fits into your world, not the other way around. Look for pre-built integrations with your customer data platform (CDP), demand-side platform (DSP), or marketing tech (MarTech) stack so you can get up and running without the heavy IT lift. Data analytics capabilities: You need proof that identity resolution drives ROI. Look for closed-loop measurement that ties unified IDs directly to campaign performance, so you can see what’s working and optimize with confidence. How Experian enables enterprise-grade identity resolution Experian delivers identity resolution at the scale, accuracy, and compliance required by the world’s largest enterprises. Our solutions are: Built on trust: Backed by 40+ years as a regulated data steward and rated #1 in data accuracy by Truthset, so you can act with confidence. Powered by our proprietary AI-enhanced identity graph: Combining breadth, accuracy, and recency across four billion identifiers, continuously refined by machine learning for maximum accuracy. Seamlessly connected: Pre-built data integration with leading CDPs, DSPs, and MarTech platforms for faster time to value. Always up to date: Frequent enrichment and near-real-time identity resolution through Activity Feed for timely personalization and more responsive customer engagement. Privacy-first by design: Compliance with GLBA, FCRA, and emerging state regulations baked in at every step, supported by rigorous partner vetting. The bottom line Identity resolution turns fragmented signals into connected, measurable, and compliant experiences. From retail to gaming, brands using it see stronger personalization, engagement, and ROI. With Experian, you get the data, trust, and responsible AI innovation to make identity resolution work across every channel. 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Oct 22,2025 by Experian Marketing Services

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In our Ask the Expert Series, we interview leaders from our partner organizations who are helping lead their brands to new heights in AdTech. Today’s interview is with Allison Dewey (Director, Data & Curation) at 33Across. Navigating complexity in digital advertising Digital advertising is more fragmented and privacy-constrained than ever. How is 33Across helping marketers cut through that complexity to drive real outcomes, and what makes your approach distinct?  Reaching audiences without compromising scale or performance is one of the toughest challenges for marketers. Users consume content across multiple devices and channels, making it difficult for marketers to identify and accurately target them with the right message. 33Across segments leverage AI-powered contextual and behavioral signals across privacy-safe environments to help marketers accurately identify audiences, whether they’re streaming content on their connected TV or researching products on their mobile device. What sets us apart is that we don’t just identify valuable audiences; we help marketers also target cookieless inventory and power it with real-time signals. Marketplace integration milestones What excites you most about bringing 33Across audiences into Experian’s data marketplace? We’re excited to bring 33Across audiences into Experian’s data marketplace because it connects our unique segments with a powerful data ecosystem that marketers already trust. Buyers looking to activate audiences that are both privacy-safe and performant continue to tap into the Experian data marketplace for high-quality, high-performing data. We offer a wide range of audience verticals, including B2B, demographic, retail purchase data, interest and intent, and political data. In addition, we offer the ability to create custom segments across verticals.  Our intent-based audiences, built from contextual and engagement signals, help buyers reach consumers on CTV, desktop, or mobile devices with scale.  Being part of Experian’s data marketplace accelerates access to these audiences, drives better ROI, and helps brands future-proof their strategies today. Retail demand signals Retail brands are racing toward privacy-safe, first-party data. Which 33Across retail datasets or segments are experiencing the highest demand, and what makes them a must-have?  Retail marketers are leaning into contextual and behavioral intent signals to complement their first-party data strategies. At 33Across, we’re seeing high demand for segments tied to shopping intent, including in-market consumers browsing for categories like fashion, home goods, electronics, and health & wellness. What makes these segments essential is their real-time nature – they can capture consumer interest as it happens. For retail brands looking to expand their reach while respecting privacy, our segments offer scalable, actionable intent that drives results. B2B without cookies Reaching real B2B decision-makers at scale is tough with or without signals. How does 33Across deliver both precision and reach in this environment?  B2B marketing often struggles with balancing scale and specificity. 33Across addresses this by combining contextual precision with AI-modeled behavioral signals; this segment approach reaches professionals actively engaging with relevant content and topics, even in environments where IDs are unavailable. Marketers gain access to more signals and, in turn, better reach from 33Across’ unique publisher integrations and audience curation built from machine learning and AI. We surface intent through content consumption patterns and contextual engagement, unlocking valuable, privacy-safe signals at scale. Allowing B2B marketers to reach real decision-makers in a signal-sparse world.  Use cases With retail, B2B, and beyond, can you share an example of how brands in these verticals are utilizing your audiences? Top brands that have a user-focused approach use 33Across audiences to drive scale; performance. These brands enable our segments to precisely reach the right users across devices and increase conversion rates; brand awareness. By reaching the right users, brands have higher conversion rates and increase campaign efficiency. Supply path innovation As identifiers disappear, advertisers are looking for scalable, privacy-safe ways to reach real people. How is 33Across helping unlock more addressable inventory and drive performance? By combining contextual, semantic, and engagement-based signals, we deliver intent-based targeting that performs across CTV, display and video. Higher addressability helps marketers not only extend their reach but also deliver personalized messaging across digital channels in a privacy-compliant way.  Contact us About our expert Allison Dewey Director of Data and Curation, 33Across Allison Dewey is the Director of Data & Curation at 33Across, where she oversees data partnerships, integrations, and supply-side curation. With a deep expertise in audience targeting and signal optimization, Allison plays a key role in connecting data into the programmatic world. Allison holds a Bachelor's degree in Psychology from Bates College. About 33Across Rooted in over 15 years of data expertise, 33Across harnesses signals to enrich and expand marketers’ audiences and reach them wherever they consume content. Built from over 300 billion proprietary data signals, we apply machine learning and AI to create over 1,500 B2C and B2B segments using privacy-first principles to reach audiences.   Cookieless targeting FAQs How can advertisers reach audiences without traditional identifiers?  By using contextual and engagement-based signals, advertisers can target consumers across CTV, mobile, and desktop in a privacy compliant way, even as identifiers become less available.  What audience segments are most in demand for retail marketers?  Segments tied to shopping intent, such as consumers browsing fashion, electronics, or health products, are highly sought after because they capture real time interest and drive results.  How can B2B marketers find decision-makers without cookies?  Combining content engagement patterns with machine learning allows marketers to reach professionals actively engaging with relevant topics, even in environments where IDs are unavailable.  What makes privacy safe audience targeting effective?  Privacy safe targeting uses real time contextual and behavioral signals to deliver relevant messaging across devices and channels without compromising consumer trust.  How can real-time intent signals drive demand?  Real time intent signals allow advertisers to capture consumer interest as it happens, helping demand side platforms and brands deliver timely, relevant ads that increase engagement and drive conversions across devices like CTV, mobile, and desktop.  Latest posts

Oct 22,2025 by Experian Marketing Services

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