Christmas in July Is Real—But Marketers Still Lack the Tools to Deliver

If you’re planning your holiday retail media strategy in December, you’re already late. According to the newly released Holiday Season Edition of The Creative Edge in Retail Media by TripleLift, nearly two-thirds of U.S. marketers kick off their Q4 retail media plans as early as May to July. The catch? Almost half of them still don’t have the creative tech needed to execute high-quality off-site campaigns.

That’s a staggering disconnect—and one that could spell trouble as Q4 ramps up.

With Amazon Prime Day happening this week, marketers are sitting on a goldmine of audience data and budget opportunities. But with 4 in 10 marketers admitting they struggle to predict consumer behavior during peak shopping periods, the lack of dynamic creative capabilities might undermine those early planning efforts.

“Christmas in July has evolved from cliché to actual business practice,” said Ed Dinichert, Chief Revenue Officer at TripleLift. “But creative execution is still a major gap. Brands that engage now—and smartly—will have the upper hand come Black Friday.”

Prime Time for Planning: The Holiday Timeline

TripleLift’s guide provides a strategic timeline that outlines what winning retail media looks like through the season:

• Early Phase (Sept–Oct):
  77% of marketers apply seasonal shopper segmentation. This is the sweet spot for educational content and early gift guides.

• Peak Phase (Nov):
  74% of marketers pump up budgets for Black Friday/Cyber Monday. Urgency-driven messaging and aggressive pricing win here.

• Last-Minute Phase (Dec):
  76% increase spend in December. Convenience rules: Think shipping deadlines, same-day delivery, and click-and-collect.

Each phase has distinct creative and audience challenges. But across all three, one thing remains consistent: timing and message relevance are everything.

Creative Execution: Still the Weakest Link

While marketers are investing in audience targeting and measurement, creative technology has become the overlooked engine of performance.

According to the report:

• 84% say online video drives the most engagement during Q4.

• 83% cite native ads as another strong performer.

• In contrast, display (46%) and Connected TV (26%) lag behind.

Why? Video and native formats are inherently more adaptable to storytelling, which is critical during high-emotion, gift-heavy periods like the holidays. Still, nearly half of marketers lack access to tools that enable easy, high-quality creative adaptation across channels.

Supporting tactics like A/B testing (67%), holiday-specific creative practices (74%), and production planning are helpful, but without the right tech, these efforts often hit a wall.

Targeting the Holiday Shopper: Beyond Demographics

Audience segmentation is getting smarter—finally. TripleLift found that:

• 77% target based on shopper timing (early birds vs. last-minute buyers)

• 70% distinguish between gift-givers and self-gifters

• 68% use category-specific audience data

This signals a more nuanced approach to retail media. Yet again, the full potential of this targeting can only be realized with adaptable, high-impact creative—a challenge for many.

After the Holidays: Don’t Power Down

Once the tree comes down and Q4 closes, it’s tempting to dial back. But TripleLift warns that the post-holiday period is rich with insights. Only 25% of U.S. marketers plan to decrease spend in Q1, and those that stay engaged can benefit from:

• Re-engaging holiday buyers

• Testing evergreen messaging

• Refining always-on strategies using Q4 data

Brands that treat holiday campaigns as data incubators—rather than just seasonal sprints—are better positioned for year-round growth.

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