The 2025 Retail Holiday Planning Guide

Explore smarter product recommendations, happier shoppers, and a little help from AI.

Tighter margins mean retailers need to innovate to stay competitive during the 2022 holiday shopping season. From dialing up the volume on digital to transforming the role of the physical store, future-looking retailers are putting customers at the heart of every decision they make.

Here, we share what you can do now to optimise your holiday retail strategy and start building lifelong customer relationships.

Economic uncertainty and changing consumer behaviours are exposing a complicated reality. For retailers, it’s never been more important to deliver excellent customer experiences alongside competitive prices on in-stock products. But even in a best-case scenario, a major shift in consumer sentiment is likely. What does that mean for retailers as they prepare for the 2022 holiday shopping season?

“Inflation has finally caught up to bullish spending, with consumers buying fewer items from fewer retailers. This likely isn’t a temporary mindset, but instead a signal of a larger consumer behavioural shift towards value and convenience. For retailers to address this, it’s not about physical versus digital, but rather finding ways for channels to work symbiotically to attract and retain loyal shoppers.”
– Rob Garf, VP and GM, Retail at Salesforce

“Inflation has finally caught up to bullish spending, with consumers buying fewer items from fewer retailers. This likely isn’t a temporary mindset, but instead a signal of a larger consumer behavioural shift towards value and convenience. For retailers to address this, it’s not about physical versus digital, but rather finding ways for channels to work symbiotically to attract and retain loyal shoppers.”

-Rob Garf, VP and GM, Retail at Salesforce

As companies try to drive profitable growth by optimising their promotional calendars, they’re asking one question: How can we attract new shoppers and keep existing customers coming back for more? This year, retailers will focus on developing data acquisition strategies, bridging the physical-digital divide, and building stronger business partnerships. But on a larger scale, they’ll need to put as much investment into the post-purchase experience as they do the path-to-purchase, pairing test-and-learn strategies with proven revenue drivers like flash sales and special promotions.

Here we share the insights and strategies you’ll need to prepare for your peak demand events, from the holiday shopping season to door-busting special events.