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Christmas trends on social as mentions top half a million in the UK

immediate future

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July 13, 2020 | 3 min read

Social mentions of Christmas up 1423% on previous period

Social mentions of Christmas up 1423% on previous period

Aside from the joked about pub openings being like Christmas, the topic has been trending over the last three months with over 525,000 mentions. Nostalgia and reminiscing have played a big part during lockdown, but so too has a desire for ‘me-gifts’, as people look at affordable luxuries under the pretext of early Christmas presents.

Immediate future’s latest research report, called ‘HoHo Ho! Christmas is trending in July’, is based on Brandwatch analysis of social data across the last 3 months, plus Facebook and Pinterest insight. It reveals a shift in behaviours that include very early planning for bigger-than-ever celebrations, concern over how money may impact festive shopping and a rise in first-time Christmas hosts shopping early.

“A mix of excitement, nostalgia and dreaming has the UK counting down to Christmas even though we’ve barely got through summer”, says Katy Howell, CEO at social media agency, immediate future. She continues: “The rise in conversations is definitely driven by emotions. Disruption and feelings of deprivation are certainly drivers, but so too is a desire to plan ahead and manage budgets.”

Signals in the conversation identify the opportunities for brands wanting to get ahead of the festive shopping period. First-time Christmas hosts are spending time researching everything from recipes to homemade décor. Expecting lower funds for Christmas, people are looking at gifts now. Building lists and making purchases to spread out the costs.

Indicators also reveal that mega sales, such as Cyber Monday and Black Friday, are going to be a big focus this year for consumers looking to save. It means that most brands will need to plan for longer campaign periods and begin early-bird offers much earlier.

Katy also advises: “Social chatter is shifting across topics and interests fast. People are moving from emotional to pragmatic. Swinging between luxury and savings, dreaming and purchasing, and so on. Brands need to be following the trends as they change and planning to be agile with social content to fit multiple scenarios.”

The report also looks beyond financial value to the issues that will also impact purchase such as sustainability, ethics and trust. Business will face a difficult Christmas this year but planning ahead will ensure the greatest opportunity to maximise sales and build a strong customer base into 2021.

The report can be downloaded for free at https://bit.ly/XmasISummer

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