Last week, our team attended Snapchat‘s Holiday 2026 webinar; a key theme was threaded through the event: the traditional holiday shopping funnel no longer reflects how consumers actually make purchase decisions.
Here’s what brands need to understand about today’s holiday shoppers and what they should be doing now to reach them:
The Holiday Journey Starts Earlier Than You Think
Before Halloween decorations come down, many consumers have already begun holiday shopping. In fact, nearly half of Snapchatters start planning before the holiday arrives, making October an increasingly important time to build awareness and consideration.
Starting earlier changes the role marketing plays throughout the season. Research conducted by Snapchat concluded that consumers welcome early brand campaigns because they help them plan ahead. Prior to the holiday season, shoppers are searching for inspiration, gift ideas, and brands to consider, making storytelling more impactful than promotional messaging.
As the season progresses, shoppers move from inspiration to purchase. Promotions, discounts, and limited-time offers become more effective as consumers narrow their choices and prepare to buy.
In other words, the brands that earn attention first are often the ones shoppers remember later.
The Journey to the “Perfect Gift” Isn’t Linear
The traditional holiday funnel assumes shoppers discover a product, make a purchase, and move on. Today’s customer journey is far more dynamic.
Consumers move between discovery, research, conversations, validation, purchase, and sharing throughout the holiday season. According to Snapchat, more than two-thirds of users discuss gift ideas with friends and family on the platform, turning holiday shopping into a collaborative experience rather than an individual one.
The journey doesn’t end after checkout, either. Snapchat found that 85% of users share holiday purchases or moments on social channels, while 60% send Snaps of the gifts they’re giving or receiving. Those post-purchase interactions often inspire someone else’s next purchase, creating a continuous cycle of discovery and influence.
For brands, success isn’t just about capturing attention at the point of purchase. It’s about becoming part of the conversations and shared moments that influence buying decisions well before and long after a transaction takes place.
From Wish List to Wrapped Gift
Knowing that holiday shopping starts earlier and unfolds across an expansive timeline is only half the equation. The other half is building campaigns that reflect how consumers actually shop.
That means thinking beyond a single placement or funnel stage. Rather than treating each touchpoint in isolation, brands should create connected experiences that support consumers throughout the shopping journey. Snapchat’s audience behavior reinforces this approach: 97% of Snapchatters use multiple tabs in a single session, moving between Chat, Stories, Camera, Map, and Spotlight as they discover products.
Creative should follow the same philosophy. It performs best when it feels native to the platform, centers on one clear idea, and encourages participation rather than interrupting the experience. That principle applies across social platforms, placements, and creative formats, and it holds true on Snapchat whether brands are using Sponsored Snaps, AR Lenses, or other ad experiences. During the holidays, when consumers are constantly sharing gift ideas and asking friends for recommendations, authentic creative is more likely to become part of the conversation.
Ultimately, the strongest holiday campaigns meet consumers across the customer journey, showing up in the right place with the right message at the right moment.
Measuring Holiday Success
A customer journey that spans multiple moments also requires a more complete approach to measurement. Traditional last-click attribution captures the final interaction but often overlooks the impact of early inspiration, discovery, and validation.
Snapchat recommends focusing on execution, experimentation, and evaluation, using strong conversion signals and incrementality testing to understand true business impact. As holiday shopping becomes less linear, measurement should capture the value of the entire journey, not just the final click.
Wrapping It Up
Summer may still be in full swing, but holiday planning is just around the corner. Four actions matter most right now:
- Treat October Like It’s Already Peak Season
If half your audience is planning before Halloween, your inspiration-stage content should be live before your promotional calendar begins. - Build for the Whole Journey, Not One Promotional Push
Black Friday and Cyber Monday are just two moments in a season that now spans months. Campaigns should support inspiration, consideration, purchase, and post-purchase engagement. - Create Content That Earns a Place in the Conversation
Content that feels native to the platform and encourages participation is more likely to be shared between friends comparing gift ideas. - Stop Grading Campaigns on the Last Click
If your measurement can’t capture the influence that happens before a purchase, you’re missing much of what drives holiday performance.
Snapchat’s Holiday 2026 webinar wasn’t just informational for a single platform. It reinforced a broader shift in consumer behavior. The brands that adapt their strategy to match that shift will be the ones consumers remember when it’s time to buy.
