2 Ways Marketers Can Alleviate Holiday Stress for Consumers

It’s the winter holidays, encompassing Hanukkah, Christmas and Kwanzaa, (and perhaps Festivus for some of you other there). It should be a time of celebration, gathering friends and family, but according to a poll by the American Psychological Association, holiday stress is a real thing that a majority of people experience.

All One Health shared statistics from the APA in its holiday stress guide, showing that

• Up to 69% of people are stressed by the feeling of having a “lack of time,”

• 69% or people are stressed by perceiving a “lack of money,” and

• 51% of people are stressed out about the “pressure to give or get gifts.”

That’s a lot to be stressed out about.

In regard to "Christmas Creep," a 2016 poll by Civic Science showed that approximately 59% or respondents said Halloween was too early for holiday decorations and merchandise, 31% said Thanksgiving was too early, 9% said before December was too early. And just because some marketers may not have brick and mortar stores to decorate, it doesn’t mean that they get a free pass on Christmas creep. Think about how you represent yourself and any holiday promotions you may have planned in any of your campaigns, from print to digital, and think twice about if you’re hitting send a bit too early.

But here’s one thing you can do that will endear you to a number of consumers stressed about the holidays: think about how your brand, products or services can help. In a Forbes article titled “This Year's Holiday Advertising Is Missing Something Important” by Margaret Magnarelli, VP of marketing at Monster, she suggests assisting in the holiday stress relief.

Think about how you can highlight in your marketing how your products and services can help consumers, including options such as free overnight shipping, curbside pickup, or home delivery. A busy mom with a million things to do will surely appreciate not having to run to a bunch of stores to get holiday shopping handled if she can order online and have items shipped for free.

Another idea to help weary consumers is, where appropriate, to suggest self-care and self-indulgence in your marketing. Yes, the holidays are about giving, but sometimes you need to take care of yourself. Magnarelli shares the example of a beauty company that could promote its bath bombs and other products with aromatherapy oils to help busy folks relax, or eye creams that can help ease that “I’ve spent 5 hours trying to do all my shopping online” look.

Making yourself helpful to consumers will definitely get you on their “Nice” lists for the season, can help set you apart from the overly eager holiday pack, and might ease some stress of your own. Happy marketing!