Merry Marketing: Striking The Perfect Holiday Balance Between Early Outreach & Overwhelming

Consumers might still be triple-digit shopping days away from Christmas, but marketing preparation is already well underway. 

That’s great news for the 88% of consumers who want holiday offers early.

But that leash is clearly a short one, as new Optimove research is showing that nearly half (55%) of consumers are tired of holiday marketing by October — 8% of whom are sick of the messaging before it even begins.

“Retailers must balance early outreach with thoughtful pacing to avoid overwhelming their audiences,” says the 2025 Consumer Holiday Shopping Report.

Along with that potential tuning out, 82% said they unsubscribe from brand messaging while shopping online, with 40% unsubscribing from four or more brands during this season. That’s in addition to general inactivity or ambivalence to messages.

“63% of consumers do not open at least half of the emails they receive from brands,” the report says. “Additionally, eighty percent (80%) report receiving emails from brands they do not remember subscribing to.”

Optimove found that offer-relevancy was the top reason for consumers to open an email (39%), followed by discounts (23%), and personalization (20%).

(Source: Optimove)

“This underscores the importance of using data to deliver content that feels meaningful and timely,” the report says. “Consumer demands are shifting fast, and only brands that can deliver early, personalized, and customer-centric experiences — without operational bottlenecks — will thrive in this competitive landscape.”

For more information about how to improve your email deliverability, download A Beginner’s Guide to Email Marketing by Mirabel’s Marketing Manager: