Pinterest Tells Brands To Launch Festive Campaigns Before September

Pinterest is advising brands to launch festive campaigns earlier than traditionally planned, pointing to shopper research and planning activity that starts building in September rather than peaking only in December.

Platform: Pinterest
Average incremental ROAS: 3.71
More than 50% of incremental sales came from new buyers
Performance+ campaigns with ROAS bidding: 28% ROAS improvement for small and medium businesses
55% of Pinterest's weekly users keep shopping online between Christmas and New Year's Day; 45% keep shopping in physical stores over the same period

Research Starts Long Before December

Pinterest's data points to users beginning to plan gifts, festive menus, parties and seasonal traditions from September, well ahead of the point most brands have historically concentrated festive spend. The platform is recommending an "always-on, full-funnel strategy" over year-end-loaded budgets, with campaigns launched between September and November, scaled into Q4 based on early performance, and extended into January with updated creative rather than switched off once the peak shopping days pass.

The Case Built On Return, Not Just Reach

The performance numbers behind the recommendation are specific: an average incremental ROAS of 3.71, more than half of incremental sales coming from new buyers rather than repeat ones, and a 28% ROAS improvement for small and medium businesses running Performance+ campaigns with ROAS bidding. Pinterest also points to shopping behaviour extending well past the traditional peak, with 55% of its weekly users still shopping online and 45% still shopping in physical stores between Christmas and New Year's Day, the basis for its advice to keep campaigns running with fresh creative into January rather than treating December 25 as a natural cutoff.