0:00 Hi, everyone. Good morning. Alright. Well, seems like everyone is filling in. 0:10 So we will go ahead and get started. I am so glad that you're all here today. We are gonna be diving deep into all things holiday. 0:21 So what the latest trends are, what they're telling us, and most importantly, how you can set yourself up for success for Black Friday, Cyber Monday, and well into the holiday season. 0:32 My name is Amber Riley, and I lead our content and creators client success team here at Bizarre Voice. But beyond that, I am a shopper just like all of you. 0:44 So I am really excited today to dig into just how shopping behavior is evolving, specifically when it comes to holiday shopping. 0:54 I have some pretty wild memories of hitting the mall at the crack of dawn on Black Friday, But things are a lot different now, which means that you as a brand or retailer have to show up differently too. 1:08 So that is exactly what we're gonna talk about today. Are going to talk about how to show up in really authentic ways at every stage of the funnel. 1:18 So from that first spark of discovery to hitting add to cart and well beyond, we are going to cover it all. So to kick us off, let's dive into exactly who today's shopper is. 1:30 We are calling them the smart holiday shopper, and we're doing that for a reason. Our 2025 Holiday Shopper Report, which surveyed about eight thousand shoppers globally, actually reveals that nearly sixty percent of shoppers are starting before October. 1:49 And they're using this early fall window to find the best deals so they can stick to their budget. And in my opinion, most importantly, ensure that products don't sell out because that is one of the most frustrating things. 2:03 Right? The product availability piece specifically for those big ticket and really hot items for the year. So as a brand or retailer, there is some urgency. 2:14 It's already mid July, and you've really got to plan even ahead of that early fall window. So that means launching sampling campaigns now, starting to plant those brand awareness seeds on social, and also making sure that your product content is in a really good shape. 2:34 So when it comes to UGC, that means getting those fresh reviews and getting that inspiring social content and making sure that it's anywhere your shoppers are, whether that's on social, on your own brand site, or at retail. 2:49 Now what's interesting about this is while there are plenty of people that are starting shopping early and getting a jump start, a big chunk of shoppers, especially in that younger demographic, are actually playing the waiting game for some of these major sales. 3:07 So fifty one percent of eighteen to thirty four year olds are actually gonna hold out on purchases until those big sale moments like Black Friday and Cyber Monday. 3:18 And what I think is interesting about this is that it's not just about snagging a deal, although that's great, but it's really about consumers feeling in control of their finances. 3:30 So it's important to know that your offers aren't just driving urgency, but they're also building trust and really showing that you genuinely understand their economic reality. 3:43 Shoppers really want brands that get it, so that means that your offers have to be purposeful, contextual, and sustained. 3:53 Think about it. Free shipping, smart alerts, those early reviews, those are all things that are helping your shoppers feel in control while also reinforcing that trust with your brand. 4:07 One of the hot tips that I have for this is really in order to capture these savvy shoppers, you've got to amplify that deal driven messaging through shoppable content and also that creator seating. 4:19 So making sure that any of those creators you're partnering with are actually talking about the new sales you have going on, the free shipping that you're offering, and things like that. 4:29 I know for me, I am big on free shipping or free returns. Those normally get me. But beyond that, I also tend to find a lot of my items on social these days. 4:42 So anything that the influencers that I follow are posting about tends to be good for me. Okay. So we have talked about timing, which we know is important. 4:56 Now let's talk about where shoppers are actually spending most of their time. And I'm sure this comes as no surprise to anyone, but it's on social. 5:05 The gap between discovery and decision really is gone. Shoppers aren't just browsing social media. They're actually buying from it. 5:15 I don't know if anyone has bought something off TikTok shop yet or used a link in bio from another brand that maybe you shop with as a consumer. 5:25 But social really is your newest storefront, and so it's really important to lean into that. Seventy one percent of shoppers use social media for discovery. 5:36 And, again, forty nine percent are actually using it to make a purchase. So hot tip here really is to use those those shoppable social experiences powered by creator content in UGC really is your golden ticket during the holiday season. 5:54 Alright. And then that brings us really to the ultimate secret weapon here, which is trust. 6:04 Consumers don't just want to see creators. They also wanna see themselves in those recommendations. The story really needs to feel tailored and not templated. 6:15 So it is really important to partner with your creators and making sure that the story that they're telling about your brand is really also authentic to them and is going to resonate with their audience. 6:29 Micro influencers, verified reviews, those real shopper stories really carry so much more weight than a lot of the polished, like, celebrity promotions, as I'm sure we can all relate to as consumers ourselves and being on social all the time, people are smart, and they can spot when something doesn't feel authentic that's being pushed by a creator or, a really well known figure. 6:58 In an era of AI skepticism too and a lot of review scrutiny, brands that lead with transparency and authenticity and not peer led content, so UGC, are going to win both hearts and carts. 7:14 So, again, prioritize those micro influencers, the real shoppers, to show up in the most authentic and credible way during this time, Is it that timing and really capitalizing on those early shoppers? 7:30 Is it social and knowing that that's where a lot of people are actually buying now, or is it leaning into creators? Alright. Early shoppers. Okay. 7:39 So timing is so important for all of you. That is great. Great to know. And I think we have, something great for you all at the end to help you in your planning, so stay tuned. 7:53 Alright. With the holiday season being a key sales moment, I really wanted to highlight a brand that I think is doing it right and what the power of, again, planning early and leaning into some of these trends can really do. 8:09 So Loxetone needed to streamline its influencer marketing efforts really to maximize that, like, festive campaign impact. 8:19 And they needed a more efficient way to manage their influencer outreach, content tracking, and also performance measurement. 8:27 And they wanted to make sure that they were partnering with those creators that had real and super engaged audiences to really showcase the magic of these holiday collections. 8:39 So they teamed up with Bizarre Voice and leveraged our vibe creator marketing platform to do just that. And the results were major. 8:50 They engaged fifty three high performing micro influencers, and they gained over four hundred thousand impressions and over twenty three thousand dollars in earned media value. 9:03 So they really turned this Christmas season and these holiday, products into really a season of marketing efficiency and authentic engagement. 9:14 So we have talked a lot about the importance of having enough UGC to support the holidays. 9:23 And if you are looking to launch a new campaign for holiday, here is really a high level timeline of when you would need to get started, which we will be sharing out afterwards. 9:34 So you'll have this to hold on to. But the highlight here really is if shoppers are starting in October, your planning really starts now. 9:44 So making sure that you're well ahead of that time period where they actually start looking for those deals and start doing their product discoveries, start looking for reviews in that content. 9:55 To wrap up, I am going to leave you all with three key takeaways. So the first is early and consistent actions win. 10:05 With holiday shoppers starting so early, you really need to ensure that you have the UGC to support that. Second, social media is now a checkout lane. 10:16 So make sure it's easy for shoppers to convert on or from social. Really, it's about being where your consumers are. 10:25 So whether they do wanna buy on TikTok shop or they do want to actually go to your site, lead them there from the place that they're getting that discovery, whether that's Instagram, TikTok, YouTube, etcetera. 10:38 And then lastly, micro trust beats the megatrend. So consumers really are looking to those smaller influencers to find product recommendations. 10:48 So ensure that that is really part of your holiday strategy. And that is all that we had today. We are going to be sharing a whole holiday toolkit that includes, holiday persona cheat sheets, tips on some of these generational buyers and how to reach them, as well as that timeline that we've showed as well for content activation. 11:12 So you guys will be receiving all of this, but would love to open it up to some questions, whether it's some that have been shared throughout. 11:23 Happy to answer those live if we don't have answers to those yet. Or if you have a question, now is the time. in terms of getting early UGC content, but the product is not available yet, should we use the photos from last year? 11:38 That is a great question. I would say if it is, same product, yes. Absolutely. 11:46 If you don't already, have the ability to get content on that early, leverage what you do have. I think, really, the name of the game is making sure you have content. 11:56 Obviously, fresher content is better. It's more relevant. I think it resonates with shoppers a little bit more, but some content is better than no content. 12:04 So I would say, Definitely use anything that you got from last year as long as it's, you know, still the same product. we've got a question about art influencers that can make some art of your design. 12:16 So, yes, our platform can really help you find any type of creator that you're looking for. So I would definitely encourage you to talk to your account team or get in touch with us. 12:28 I think we can get super creative with a, the types of creators that we find, but also the ask of them as well. 12:37 So we can do some really creative and interesting things, and I think that's definitely something we could help with. Alright. would this type of campaign translate for food and bev? 12:50 Yes. Absolutely. That is one of our bigger categories, actually. So whether you're thinking about leveraging creators or running a sampling campaign to actually get that review content in early or, also get some help with creating social content, definitely something that we can help with, and something that we do see translate, especially when you're talking about, like, leveraging different ingredients to make a recipe or maybe you're showcasing it for, like, a fun holiday party. 13:23 We can definitely help kinda tailor what the ask is to get you the right kind of content. would you recommend for launching micro influencers or UGC for a luxury brand? 13:35 Great question. For luxury, I totally understand that it can be scary to leverage user generated content sometimes because you don't have as much control over the branding. 13:51 So that is something that I would recommend going the creator route. And I think even for micro influencers and some of those creators with smaller followings, I think everyone would be really surprised at the quality of content that they're producing. 14:07 So I would definitely lean into the creator side of things. You can still get some good UGC, but you do have a little less control. 14:16 So that's the angle that I would recommend. So does UGC from influencers with jobs outside of influencing do better? 14:24 Okay. That is a really interesting question. So is it better to use an everyday shopper that kinda creates some UGC on the side? 14:35 To be honest, I think that that is a good way to go. I think ultimately it depends on your brand and the quality of the content. 14:45 Right? So it's hard to say if that tends to resonate better or not with an audience, but I think that that's one of those things that you can definitely test and see how you get better results on. 14:56 It tends to be like a lower, risk thing to do. But I think ultimately, when you're thinking about, which creators are right for your brand, like, look through their content, see what their audience is talking about, see what they're talking about. 15:14 Do they resonate with your brand in general? And is the quality of content in line with your brand standards? And I think that will kind of help you navigate who the right people to work with are. 15:25 Looking for role models for accomplished people in their field or people with interesting occupations? Oh, that is a great question. 15:36 I think that is a really interesting and unique way to leverage creators. So I would definitely talk to your account teams about how to kind of lean in there and just sort of start browsing to see who is out there. 15:51 I think brands are getting really creative with the types of people that they're pulling in to help, you know, spread brand awareness. 16:00 And I think that that would be a great idea to kind of test, especially going in to holiday. I think what's so great about social content and the creator economy is there really aren't rules. 16:13 So and not only that, I think a lot of people are doing the same thing. So when you step outside of that and get more creative, I think you can have some really compelling results. 16:25 of course, if you have any questions and kinda digging into that and maybe you're not sure where to start, you're not sure on the influencer piece, what types of creators to look for, how to find them, what type of content you need, where to put it, we're here to help. 16:40 So please reach out, and I hope everyone has a great holiday season. Thank you, guys.
