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The 7 Biggest Holiday Marketing Mistakes Hurting ROI (and How to Solve Them)
Published: September 16, 2025
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Why Holiday Marketing Mistakes Cost More Than Ever
Most brands are already leaking holiday revenue, and many do not even know it. Holiday shopping in 2024 hit $282 billion, but rising CPMs, inbox fatigue, and Google’s AI Overviews are reshaping how buyers find and choose products.
The challenge is not lack of opportunity, it is avoidable mistakes. Brands are overspending on clicks that do not convert, losing visibility in new AI-driven discovery moments, and forgetting to turn deal-hunters into loyalists.
In this blog, we cover the seven biggest holiday marketing mistakes that quietly drain ROI and show you how to fix them before Q4 is in full swing.
Meta and Google Shifts You Can’t Ignore
Meta’s automation (Advantage+) and Google’s AI-powered SERPs have leveled the playing field. Every brand has access to the same automated levers, which means creative is the real differentiator. If your ads are not diversified and urgency-driven, competitors will win the click.
Google has also changed the search game. AI Overviews are pushing links further down the page, reducing clicks by more than 30 percent. Even the best SEO pages can get buried under product listings and no-click summaries. If you are not optimizing for AI visibility, you risk disappearing entirely.
The 7 Mistakes That Drain Holiday ROI
Here are the seven revenue killers we see most often, with the fixes you can implement now.
1. Misaligned Messaging
Shoppers expect aggressive promotions during Cyber Week. Last year, 57 percent of consumers expected deals too good to pass up. If your offers do not meet that bar, your ads will be skipped.
- Fix: Audit last year’s promos and align with today’s expectations. The average discount in 2024 was 28 percent, up from 27 percent the year before.
2. Google Listings Not Optimized for AI Overviews (SGE)
AI Overviews are changing discovery, cutting clicks to websites by 34.5 percent. Without optimized content, your products may never surface.
- Fix: Add FAQs, use clear subheadings, and refresh pages with current information. Structured Q&A content is especially powerful.
3. Improper Campaign Segmentation
Bundling cold, remarketing, and past-purchase audiences is a silent killer. Algorithms over-index on easy wins like repeat buyers, leaving new acquisition flat.
- Fix: Separate campaigns by audience type and intent. Keep branded and non-branded terms, DSAs, and competitor terms segmented in paid search.
Want to see where your holiday campaigns are leaking revenue? Get a free Holiday Performance Audit from Go Fish before Cyber 5.
4. Relying on Outdated ROAS Reporting
Platform-level ROAS inflates results because each channel claims credit for the same conversion.
- Fix: Measure holistically with MER (Marketing Efficiency Ratio). Run conversion lift studies in-platform. For advanced teams, layer in media mix modeling or multi-touch attribution.
5. Not Preheating Audiences
Waiting until Cyber 5 (the five-day stretch from Thanksgiving through Cyber Monday) to ramp spend means paying the highest CPMs with the lowest brand equity. Customers who already know you convert faster and cheaper.
- Fix: Run brand lift campaigns in October and early November. Capture emails, encourage cart building, and grow wish lists before peak.
6. Rigid Budgets
Fixed daily or monthly caps mean you miss out on peak days. If Black Friday outpaces Cyber Monday, you need the flexibility to shift spend instantly.
- Fix: Set a floor ROAS you are comfortable with, then flex budgets toward what is working in real time.
7. Forgetting Post-Purchase Loyalty
Holiday discounts may win the first sale, but if you stop there, deal-hunters will churn.
- Fix: Launch post-purchase flows, upsells, and loyalty campaigns that convert new buyers into full-price repeat customers.
Case Study: Apt2B Furniture
To show how early planning pays off, one Go Fish client, Apt2B Furniture, tested a hyper-targeted YouTube campaign in November. The results:
- 622% increase in brand searches.
- 26% lift in awareness.
- 30% lift in purchase intent.
By driving brand demand before Cyber Week, Apt2B paid less per click and converted more efficiently during the most competitive shopping period.
FAQs
Q: Do we need bigger budgets to win Q4?
Not always. Flexible spend and smarter segmentation often outperform higher budgets.
Q: What metrics matter most in an AI-first world?
Focus on MER, engagement rates, and brand citations in AI results, not just CTR or ROAS.
Q: How do we balance promotions with profitability?
Find your sweet spot. The average discount was 28 percent last year. Match competitive expectations while maintaining margins with bundles or tiered offers.
Q: Is AI visibility really measurable yet?
Yes. You can filter referral traffic from AI tools like ChatGPT and Perplexity in GA4. FAQs and gift guides are proven to surface in AI answers.
Q: When should we start prepping for holiday campaigns?
Now. Preheating audiences weeks in advance lowers CPMs and increases conversion rates during Cyber 5.
What This Means for You
The seven mistakes above drain holiday ROI silently. Brands that fix them early:
- Pay less for clicks and conversions.
- Gain visibility in AI-driven search.
- Build stronger customer loyalty that lasts into 2025.
If you wait until Cyber 5, you will pay more and convert less. Acting now protects both your short-term revenue and your long-term growth.
Ready to Protect Your Holiday ROI?
The good news is that every mistake has a fix. Brands that preheat, flex budgets, and optimize for AI visibility consistently outperform those that do not.
Get a free Holiday Performance Audit with Go Fish. We will review your Meta, Google, email, and AI visibility, uncover hidden leaks, and deliver actionable campaign fixes that lift ROI fast.
