Unwrapping Holiday Shopping Trends: Insights from Revuze’s Christmas Report 2024

For retailers and eCommerce companies, the holiday season is more than just cozy weather, hot drinks, and vacation time. It’s a pivotal period for consumer spending that shapes market trends across industries. From warm apparel to high-quality tech and long-lasting cosmetics, gifting preferences during the holiday season reveal valuable insights into what consumers value most. 

Revuze’s Christmas Report 2024 dives into millions of online reviews to uncover the products driving conversations, the features shoppers prioritize, and the challenges brands need to address. By analyzing consumer sentiment across categories, the report provides actionable insights for brands looking to stay competitive in the holiday market. Let’s take a look at some of the key trends and consumer preferences that defined the 2023 holiday shopping season.

Why the Holiday Shopping Season Matters

The holiday shopping season is a cornerstone of the retail calendar, driving significant revenue and offering a wealth of consumer insights. This year’s season is poised for impressive growth, with online sales projected to increase by 9.5% compared to 2023, reaching $271.58 billion. Total retail sales are expected to rise by 4.8% year-over-year. For brands, this period represents an invaluable opportunity to capture consumer attention and boost profits.

Beyond immediate sales, the holiday season serves as a critical barometer for understanding consumer preferences and behaviors. From identifying the most sought-after product features to analyzing purchasing patterns, the insights gained during this period enable retailers to fine-tune their strategies and tailor future offerings. By looking at data from the 2023 holiday shopping season, we can gain important insight into what consumers are likely to be looking for this year, helping guide strategies, product development and marketing strategies. 

Unwrapping the Insights

The Christmas Report 2024 reveals invaluable insights into holiday consumer behavior across three major categories: Apparel & Footwear, Tech Peripherals, and Cosmetics. Let’s delve into the data to understand what shaped consumer preferences in the 2023 holiday season.

Apparel & Footwear Trends

Men’s tops dominated the Apparel & Footwear category in 2023, surging from 24% to 40% of discussions, largely at the expense of Footwear. Within the Tops segment, discussions about male clothing skyrocketed from 40% to 70%, a trend driven by female shoppers seeking holiday gifts for the men in their lives.

Key motivations for purchasing male tops and outerwear included:

• Thermal Insulation and Comfort: These features achieved an exceptionally high positive sentiment (97%), reflecting their importance in holiday gifting.
• Fit, Quality, and Design: Consumers frequently highlighted these attributes as critical factors when choosing holiday gifts, particularly in the men’s clothing category.

Brands looking to leverage this data would benefit from targeting female shoppers with messaging that highlights thermal insulation, quality, fit, and suitability for the special males in their lives.

Tech Peripherals Trends

Tech peripherals like Mobile Bluetooth Speakers and Gaming Headsets experienced a surge in popularity during the 2023 holiday season, growing from 16% to 40% of consumer discussions. These segments were particularly favored for holiday gifting due to their broad appeal and functionality.

Top purchase motivations included:

• Gifting and Price Value for Money: Consumers emphasized the importance of finding products that balance quality and affordability, especially for gifting purposes.
• Sound Quality: This was a defining factor for both Bluetooth Speakers and Gaming Headsets, reflecting the importance of audio performance in tech accessories.

However, pain points also emerged:

• Microphone Quality: A common frustration among Console Gaming Headset buyers, indicating room for improvement in this feature.
• Charging and Battery Life: A significant concern for Bluetooth Speaker buyers, highlighting the need for longer-lasting and more reliable power solutions.

Brands selling mobile Bluetooth speakers and gaming headsets can leverage the heightened consumer interest during the holiday season by targeting consumers who are affiliated with gamers and music enthusiasts with messaging that highlights the products’ superior audio quality, portability, and immersive gaming experiences.

Cosmetics Trends

Cosmetics played a significant role in holiday gifting in 2023, with Lip products gaining prominence. They rose from 17% to 24% of Cosmetics discussions, overtaking the Eye category. Within Lip products, demand for Lipsticks increased from 44% to 51% of Lip-related discussions, solidifying their position as a go-to gift option.

Key purchase motivations for Lip products included:

• Gifting and Attractive Colors: Consumers prioritized vibrant and appealing shades when selecting lipsticks as holiday gifts.
• Price Value for Money: Affordable yet high-quality options resonated strongly with buyers.
• Hydration and Longwear: These features were especially important for ensuring comfort and durability, making lipsticks more appealing as gifts.

Despite their popularity, consumers noted a key frustration:

• Damaged Packaging: Many buyers reported receiving crushed or poorly packaged lipstick boxes, detracting from the gifting experience.

Brands selling lipsticks can leverage these insights by highlighting their products’ attractive colors, long wear, and hydration in holiday marketing messaging. 

Leveraging Holiday Insights for Smarter Strategies

The holiday shopping season offers more than just a spike in sales; it provides invaluable insights into consumer behavior that can guide strategies for the year ahead. By analyzing trends from the 2023 holiday season, brands can better prepare for the opportunities and challenges of 2024, ensuring they stay ahead of shifting consumer expectations.

The Christmas Report 2024 highlights key drivers behind gifting decisions, such as thermal comfort in apparel, sound quality in tech peripherals, and hydration in cosmetics. These insights reveal what resonated with shoppers last season and offer a blueprint for refining product offerings and marketing strategies for the coming year.

By leveraging these findings, brands can align their campaigns and innovations with consumer priorities, maximizing their impact during the 2024 holiday season. Understanding what worked—and what fell short—ensures brands can address unmet needs, create meaningful connections with their audience, and thrive in a highly competitive market.

For a more detailed look at the trends and insights that can shape your 2024 holiday strategy, read the full Christmas Report 2024.

See how CIHub transforms raw data into action.

See it in Action

Florence Broder

Florence Broder is a marketing professional with over 20 years of experience. She has worked in a range of global high-tech companies.