[News]
August 12, 2026
Win over shoppers with ad formats they’re engaging with
86% of global holiday shoppers use social media for inspiration across Reels, Stories and Feed with 58% of Gen Z discovering gifts through Reels and Stories.* 64% of those who discover products on Instagram are likely to purchase.* The more formats you provide, the more ways Meta Advantage+ can match the right creative to the right person throughout the season.
4 distinct creative moments during the holidays
Holiday season is actually four back-to-back seasons, each with a completely different shopper mindset. The brands that match their creative to each moment see dramatically better results.
The discovery phase (October into early November)
- 73% of holiday shoppers start before November. They're scrolling, saving and mentally bookmarking potential gifts.*
- Creative that wins: the goal for this phase is to plant ideas and not push purchases to your audience. Utilize short-form reels to show product inspiration.
The deal phase (Black Friday and Cyber Monday)
- 95% of global holiday shoppers participate in promotional sales events. They're hunting for the best price and fastest checkout.*
- Creative that wins: carousel comparisons with prices displayed, Stories with countdown timers and bold CTAs.
The gifting phase (December)
- Shoppers want to feel confident they're choosing something thoughtful, not just convenient.
- Creative that wins: videos that evoke feelings, carousel gift guides and Stories showing real reactions.
The fresh start phase (Late December / New Year)
- This phase is all about the self-purchase. This is for shoppers who browsed but never bought for themselves.
- Creative that wins: aspirational reels and retargeting the pool of holiday browsers who added to cart but didn't convert.
Adding 3 or more creative formats can make the difference
There is a 2.1× higher purchase intent when shoppers engage with diverse formats.1 Advantage+ begins testing the moment you upload your creative. It can see how your audience responds to Reels and carousels, what time of day age groups are engaging with social formats and what format works best on Black Friday.
Advertisers who started in October have weeks of optimization behind them once Black Friday rolls around. The system knows what works.
You don’t need a studio to diversify your portfolio
The biggest misconception about creative diversification is that it requires massive production budgets and months of lead time.
What actually works during the holiday:
- A Reel shot on your phone outperforms most polished brand videos
- Existing product photography turned into a carousel gift guide takes hours, not days
- A countdown timer overlay on an existing story image creates instant Black Friday urgency
- One shoot day with a real customer gives you testimonial video cuts for the entire season
Repurpose first, produce second, refresh throughout
Build your October wave through discovery Reels, layer in your November with carousels and urgency Stories, and add “last chance” messaging for your December wave.
The holiday advantage is creative advantage
The brands that have a successful holiday season will not be the ones who spent the most. They'll be the ones who showed up in the most formats with relevant creative for each stage of the season.
→ Diversify your creative
Your Meta team can help you identify the biggest format gaps in your current mix and build a phased plan that is ready before Black Friday.
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