Holiday audiences for retail, luxury, hospitality and grocery, and how to reach them.
The holiday season is the biggest revenue window of the year, and 2026 is set to break records. US holiday sales are forecast to pass $1 trillion for the first time, reaching $1.013 trillion in November and December (NRF). But that spend doesn't come from one "holiday shopper". It comes from gift buyers, hosts, travelers and party-goers, each with a different plan for the season.
Adsquare's Seasonal Segments are built on real-world behavior (Place Visits, Interests and Purchase Intent), so you can match each industry with the audience most likely to convert.
Retail: Put gifts in front of the people buying them
Take a consumer electronics retailer with a new gaming console to sell. Its campaign starts with Christmas Tech & Gadget Shoppers, people already looking at smartphones, laptops and consoles as gifts. It can also match the offer to how people like to shop: free shipping and digital gift cards for Christmas Online Shoppers, and in-store doorbusters for Christmas In-Store Shoppers.
A toy retailer can run the same play with Christmas Toy & Game Buyers, and a brand with eco-friendly gifts can go straight to Christmas Sustainable Shoppers. All of them sit within Christmas Retail & Gift Buyers: people with a gift list to fill.
Luxury: Put premium products in front of premium spenders
A jeweler launching a holiday collection doesn't need everyone browsing for deals. It needs Christmas Luxury Goods Seekers: high-income shoppers already looking for luxury gifts, from jewelry to designer fashion.
Once the gifts are bought, attention turns to New Year's Eve. A fine-dining restaurant can promote its New Year's Eve tasting menu, and a luxury travel brand its New Year trip to see the northern lights, to New Year Luxury Experience Seekers: high-income consumers looking for high-end dining, exclusive parties and premium travel. Both audiences sit within Luxury & Premium Seekers and keep impressions on the people ready to spend.
Hospitality: Fill the tables, rooms and venues
Picture a city hotel planning its New Year's Eve. It sells tickets for its rooftop party to New Year Event Attendees, promotes the DJ lineup to New Year Music & Dance Lovers and New Year Nightlife Enthusiast, and fills its restaurant by showing the special New Year's Eve menu to New Year Dining Out Enthusiasts. Together, these make up the NYE Nightlife, Dining & Events audiences.
Holiday Travel & Experiences audiences keep the rest of the season busy. The same hotel can reach Holiday Travel Planners looking for rooms and holiday packages. A Christmas market or ice rink can bring in Christmas Family Activity Planners, a winter festival can sell VIP tickets to Holiday Festival Ticket Purchasers, and a local cinema can sell seats for its classic holiday film screenings to Holiday Movie Lovers.
Grocery: Win the festive table
For a supermarket, the season runs from the Christmas feast to the New Year's Eve party. It can put the special ingredients for a Christmas dinner in front of Christmas Home Cooks. For the party, it can reach New Year Home Entertainers with gourmet meal kits and New Year Party Planners with party supplies and catering. All three sit within Festive Hosts & Culinary Planners.
Then come New Year Last-Minute Shoppers, part of Late-Season & Purpose-Driven Audiences, making urgent purchases from party essentials to gifts. They're often swayed by limited-time offers and look for quick, convenient options, so the supermarket leads with both.
Activate where you already buy media
Holiday Season segments are available in the United States, United Kingdom, Germany, France, Spain and Italy, across 12 platforms. Activate them through The Adsquare Platform or directly in your DSP of choice. Need something more specific? Adsquare can build custom ID-Precise Audiences around your goals.
Reach people by what they do. Speak with one of our experts to match Holiday Season segments to your brand.
Plan ahead: The 2027 Seasonal Moments Guide
The holiday season is just one of the big shopping moments in the year. The 2027 Seasonal Moments Guide maps every key moment of 2027 by month and market, with segment guides, key stats and ready-to-activate datasets. Use it to build your campaign calendar early and have the right audiences lined up before each moment arrives.