Winning the 2024 holiday season: Lessons from Black Friday 2023

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.

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.

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.

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.