Brands that adopt Positionless Marketing can meet the demand for value, relevance, and real-time personalization

According to the Optimove Insights 2025 Consumer Holiday Shopping Report, forty-eight percent (48%) of consumers plan to increase their holiday shopping budgets, signaling strong seasonal intent. Yet the optimism is tempered by economic concerns: eighty-four percent (84%) are worried about tariffs, and 80% are concerned about inflation.

The report is based on a survey of retail shopping intentions conducted in July 2025, polling 345 U.S. citizens aged 21-plus with annual household incomes of $75,000 or more.

“This year, consumers are ready to spend, but they’re more cautious, value-driven, and overwhelmed by marketing than ever before,” said Rony Vexelman, VP of Marketing at Optimove. “Retailers that want to connect must do more than offer discounts. They must personalize with empathy and move at the speed of the customer.”

Rising Budgets, Rising Pressure 
Optimove’s study reveals that the 2025 holiday season will start earlier and require more agility from retailers:

• 64% plan to start holiday shopping before Halloween

• 66% are motivated by discounts

• 88% prefer early offers from brands

• 39% engage with emails because of relevancy
• 47% report fatigue from holiday marketing before November

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In addition to price sensitivity, brands face marketing fatigue. Nearly half of shoppers tune out messages by October, and 82% unsubscribe from brands while shopping online.

The Shift to Positionless Marketing 
Traditional, assembly-line marketing models are too slow for this environment. Campaign managers often wait for analysts, creatives, or engineers, delaying execution by days or weeks. In contrast, Positionless Marketing empowers marketers to act independently, without relying on other departments.

Marketers using Positionless Marketing are empowered to:

• Instantly access and analyze customer data

• Create personalized, channel-ready content
• Launch and optimize campaigns in real time

Some brands are now reducing campaign execution time from 5 days to just 5 minutes, enabling them to respond to shifting consumer behavior with greater precision and speed.

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Strategies for Connecting with Cautious Consumers 
Optimove recommends three core strategies to help retailers succeed this holiday season:

1. Lead With Empathy and Value: With 81% of consumers prioritizing price, messaging must be transparent, relevant, and aligned with their financial concerns.

1. Personalize With Purpose: Relevance is everything. 63% of consumers ignore most emails, making it essential to use behavioral and preference data to send meaningful messages.
2. Empower Marketers to Act Fast: Real-time changes in product trends, pricing, and competition require instant marketing responses. Positionless Marketing gives teams the autonomy to move as fast as shoppers do.

A New Standard for Holiday Marketing 
“The brands that succeed this year will be the ones that stop waiting and not only respond to, but anticipate customers’ needs,” added Vexelman. “Positionless Marketing gives marketers the independence and tools to meet each customer with empathy, relevance, and speed, right when it matters most.”