Top 5 Media Landscape Insights- October

Stay on top of today’s constantly changing media environment with DirectAvenue’s Top 5 Insights. We give you specific network updates and emerging media trends in a digestible format.

October 1, 2024

1. US Holiday Shopping 2024– Retail sales in the U.S. are expected to pick up pace as 2024 comes to an end, with holiday shoppers increasing their spending both in-store and via mobile devices during this crucial season for brands and retailers. Total retail sales for November and December 2024 are projected to rise by a solid 4.8% year-over-year, reaching $1.353 trillion, while e-commerce is anticipated to grow at almost double that rate.
2. 36% of U.S. consumers plan to shop on Black Friday, while 34% anticipate making purchases on Cyber Monday- This holiday season, consumers will be highly focused on finding value, making major promotional days like Black Friday and Cyber Monday extremely significant. According to YouGov, it is projected that retail e-commerce sales during the Cyber Five will increase by 5.6% year-over-year this year. This marks the fourth consecutive year of growth in online sales during this critical holiday period and the highest percentage increase for Cyber Five sales since 2020.
3. Global Sports TV and Streaming Documentaries Soar- Along with rising interest in virtually all live TV sports content, recent research has shown the number of global sports TV documentaries is at its highest levels in four years. According to Ampere Analysis, sports documentaries and docuseries accounted for 25% of all documentaries released from May to July 2024, totaling 103 titles—a record share. In July alone, sports documentary content reached an all-time high of 17% of all new unscripted commissions.
4. Mobile Drives US Holiday Season Digital Sales – According to Adobe Analytics, 53% of digital sales during the US holiday season will be generated by mobile this year, continuing a trend of mobile representing over half of holiday sales for the second year in a row. Looking at the broader picture, projections indicate that 52.7% of the anticipated $266.89 billion in US retail e-commerce holiday sales will also come from mobile. Mobile commerce is particularly prevalent during the holiday season; for the entire year,  estimated that 44.6% of US e-commerce sales will originate from mobile.
5.  43% of connected TV (CTV) users believe that TV ads provide helpful information for holiday shopping- Consumers are looking to their TVs for holiday ideas: 72% would be willing to scan a QR code in a TV ad to make a purchase and 65%  of CTV shoppers anticipate making at least one return after the holidays, marking a 19% increase from the previous year. Additionally, parents are 87% more likely to return items compared to non-parents.