June 18, 2025
Most of us eagerly await the holidays all year. They’re described as “magical, joyful, festive, bright, and full of life,” the words that appear in nearly all holiday shopping campaigns. It’s when everything sounds alike, inboxes flood, feeds overflow, and shoppers scroll on autopilot.
But what gets shoppers to stop, consider, and click buy during peak holiday shopping?
Creators.
According to the latest Bazaarvoice Holiday Consumer Report 2025, 86% of shoppers globally trust creator recommendations, though they still verify the information through other sources.
Creator marketing has emerged as a powerful tool for building trust, growing audiences, and driving conversions during holiday spending. By making products feel honest, relatable, and trustworthy, creators help bridge the gap between inspiration and purchase.
So, what should brands know to ride the creator content trust wave this holiday season? What content drives holiday spending? Which creators cut through the noise? And how exactly does social media drive influencer holiday gift guide?
Here are four things brands should know to ride the creator content trust wave this holiday season.
1. Creators are your cinnamon stick this holiday shopping season
Why creator marketing is the spice you need
For most of us, the first thing on the to-do list of every holiday shopping season is to make a list.
Gifts to give. Items to shortlist. Sales to track.
Creators make these tasks easier, often wrapping them in a must-have reel or a festive haul video.
While creator-driven recommendations haven’t gone fully mainstream (yet), Gen Z and millennials are quick to say ‘yes’ to every dress, bag, and gift set recommended by their favorite influencers. But most shoppers need a little more convincing.
The trust level for creator recommendations is high, but according to the report, at least 27% of people have bought gifts based on creator recommendations.
Cultural context, including holiday shopping behavior and social commerce adoption rate, shapes how people engage with influencer content. Shoppers in the US and UK, for example, are far more receptive than those in France, Germany, or Canada.
Consider creator marketing your cinnamon: a flavor bomb, essential for some recipes but truly impactful when blended into the broader holiday marketing mix.
Macy’s | Blending tradition with trends
A holiday icon, Macy, went beyond tradition and partnered with creators for its Thanksgiving Day Parade 2024. The retailer collaborated with fashion, beauty, and lifestyle creators to amplify excitement around the parade and holiday shopping collections.
This partnership was just your standard #ad post. Influencers like Kyline Cantrall, Ariana Madix, Charli D’Amelio, and many more shared nostalgic ties to the parade, behind-the-scenes peeks, and personal moments that made their followers feel part of something special.
This campaign helped Macy’s see a measurable uptick in online traffic and in-store visits. Their goal wasn’t to market a parade or push products. It simply reminded shoppers about Macy’s legacy and its role in the emotional fabric of the holidays.
With 31.3 million viewers tuning it, this set new viewership records and proved that when creator content feels personal, it pays off.
Brands should adopt a diversified, omnichannel strategy that uses creators as key trust amplifiers, not just reach boosters. Authentic content marketing is how you overcome shopper skepticism and drive genuine consumer purchase decisions.
But how does authentic content help shoppers feel confident about clicking “add to cart”?
2. If your content isn’t well-timed, it’s forgettable
What makes 41% of shoppers trust influencer content
Timing is everything during the holidays, from baking perfect cookies to snagging the best flash sales.
This rings especially true for social media influencer impact. It’s not just about what’s being said but also about when it’s being served.
Influencer marketing effectiveness hinges on delivering the right message to the right person at the exact moment they’re considering a purchase. When content is well-timed and context-rich, it doesn’t just get seen, it converts.
Take it from 41% of global shoppers who say that unboxings and product reviews are the most helpful content formats during peak holiday spending. Shoppers rely on them for insights into quality, feel, and functionality.
This kind of user-generated content answers the question shoppers care most about:
“Is this gift actually worth it?”
With age comes a natural shift in preferences. This holds regionally, too, with American, English, French, and Australian shoppers strongly preferring product-centric formats. German shoppers, however, show a higher preference for gift guides (43%) compared to the global average (27%).
Google | When the holidays call, you answer
In a season all about staying connected, Google flipped the narrative on Google Meet. What was marketed as another business tool was then reframed as the heart of togetherness and connections.
In 2023, they partnered with family-focused creators like Francis Lola and Taylor Hill to highlight how video calls are the new-age fireplace chats. Instead of pushing features, their content leaned into memories and storytelling. The campaign used festive filters and cozy moments to show how Google Meet helped families stay close, even miles apart.
They timed these posts right during the peak holiday shopping season to help people stay connected. They met customers who were already emotionally present with well-timed, contextual posts that made people feel something and then act on it.
Winning the holiday season doesn’t come as a single strategy wrapped in a bow. Brands must lead with authentic content marketing that’s age-appropriate, format-flexible, and delivered at the right time. In the age of fake news and AI content, this can only happen through trust building.
2. Trust is a chocolate cake
Influencer marketing effectiveness depends on layered, earned trust
Creator content is everywhere during the holidays, from curated wishlists to surprise unboxings. But while it may fill our feeds, it doesn’t always fill our carts. Our data shows that a combined 86% express some level of trust in creator recommendations, but often with strings attached.
Think of it like a chocolate cake: rich, layered, and unforgettable when done right.
But it’s not something that you throw together at the last minute. In the world of holiday shopping, trust must be built intentionally, and one layer at a time.
Some shoppers trust creators across the board. Others only buy when content comes from specific voices or covers particular categories. This selective trust shows us that creators aren’t just another media channel, they’re a trusted channel. But only when they look, sound, and shop like real buyers.
Trust also shifts by market. Shoppers in the US lead in trusting creator content, with German consumers following closely. But no matter the region, one thing is clear. Authentic content marketing is the foundation for strong creator-brand connections influencing holiday spending.
Coca-Cola | Holiday magic stacks trust, one bottle at a time
Coca-Cola has never just sold a drink during the holidays. It sells a feeling. In 2024, it delivered that feeling with an AI-powered bow on top. Their “Create Real Magic” campaign was more than a nostalgic nod to red trucks and Santa. It was a layered, trust-first experience that merged timeless icons with technology. From localized film remakes to interactive snow globes that let consumers talk to Santa in real time, this campaign was a masterclass in emotional storytelling.
Influencers joined in, too, promoting the brand and sharing their festive memories. This is the impact of content marketing in 2025: not just reach but resonance, not just sparkle but sincerity. When brands blend emotional familiarity, cultural tradition, emerging tech, and social storytelling, trust starts to bake. And just like a rich chocolate cake, the layers that make it unforgettable.
This means that brands should:
- Focus on resonance, not just reach. Go deeper than festive backdrops and sparkly promo codes to lean into authentic content marketing, prioritizing value, fit, and relevance.
- Collaborate early with credible creators. Avoid last-minute chaos, high holiday costs, mismatched partnerships, and falling victim to inflated metrics or fake followers.
- Layer up how they build trust. Drive home the big wins with elevated influencer marketing effectiveness and a successful content marketing campaign.
4. The best parties have the best guests
Partnering with the right creators will always be a win-win
The holiday market is noisy, crowded, and largely distracting.
When inboxes are overflowing, and every scroll feels like an ad, which voice cuts through the noise? Who do shoppers actually listen to?
Across all markets, friends and family on social media still remain the most trusted source for holiday gift recommendations.
This only confirms what we knew: social media influencers’ impact on youth is more than aspirational. It’s actionable. Germany and Canada tend to show a lower receptiveness, while shoppers from the US and UK show more eagerness toward influencer recommendations. This indicates a high potential for social media influencer impact in these regions.
L’Occitane | The beauty of choosing right
Another legacy brand, L’Occitane, truly understands the value and importance of thoughtful beauty. With sensorial, gift-ready products that define indulgence, getting the holiday details right is a core component of their campaigns. This includes the creators they collaborate with.
L’Occitane scaled their influencer campaigns while keeping the personal touch using Bazaarvoice Vibe, where they easily discovered and activated 53 micro-influencers. They were creators of beauty and lifestyle who genuinely aligned with the brand’s values and aesthetic.
Just in time for the holiday shopper wave, they had a flurry of festive content ready to go. Their partnership with creators resulted in 80 Instagram stories that felt less ad-like and more human. This campaign generated $23K in earned media value and also gave this legacy brand the confidence and control to do more of what they do best.
Brands and retailers should not adhere to a one-size-fits-all influencer playbook. Instead, double down on user-generated content, tap into micro-communities, and build creator rosters that reflect demographic and cultural specificities.
Make sure your holiday party wins hearts (and carts) by bringing the best guests to the party: those who make content and conversations better.
One creator. One campaign. Holiday wins that last into 2026
The holidays are not the time to play guesswork with your content. Shoppers are hungry for value in both price and information. That’s where creators influence, connect, and move shoppers closer to purchasing. Explore our Holiday HQ to unlock the strategies you need for a successful season.
But trust and transparency are key. Brands cannot ‘fake it till they make it’ when it comes to any content. Shoppers want to hear from real voices who look, sound, and shop like them. That’s where trust is built, and conversion begins.
Creators can become your high-performing trust and revenue engines. But only when briefed well and given the right tools.
So, if you’re still waiting to finalize your marketing strategy, this is your sign: the holiday shopping clock has started ticking! But if you want to skip the stress and scale content smartly, we’ve got you covered.
Bazaarvoice Vibe helps you unlock weeks of repurposable, shoppable, creator-led content across PDPs, social, and paid, through a single sampling campaign.
