Advertising Impacted by a Late Thanksgiving

Did you notice an uptick in holiday ads this October? Did you ask yourself why Thanksgiving is so late this year? (You have President Franklin Delano Roosevelt to thank for that.)

With the late Thanksgiving this year causing one fewer week in prime shopping between Black Friday and Christmas, the popular eCommerce platform Shopkick has coined the term “Black November.” According to merchants that work with Shopkick, they recommended buying ads and traffic early this year due to the high value in paid media costs compared to after

Thanksgiving. They argue that the holiday shopping season hasn’t shortened, it started early.

However, Adobe Analytics argues that shoppers with wish lists that wait for specific deals after Thanksgiving also tend to purchase more impulse buys, giving them a high audience value. This has ad rates soaring higher this year, as ads placed in late November and December historically generate more direct sales. With Adobe reporting that retailers are likely to leave about $1 billion on the table due to this year’s shortened holiday period, it’s no surprise that stores like Best Buy, Target and Walmart are capitalizing on these high audience valuations on their sites and in-app ads.

One thing all analysts can agree on is that online shopping will hit record spending this year as more people are pressed for time, so don’t worry if you didn’t reach your brand spots out early this year, it’s prime time to dial up your digital frequency.