Now’s the time to map out holiday sales strategies, and Meta’s got a guide to help you win hearts and boost carts. The tech giant’s newly released 34-page 2026 Holiday Playbook offers marketing suggestions for brands and retailers, backed up by data insights, and tips on how to use the company’s apps to maximize sales opportunities.
According to Meta’s research, a winning strategy requires a combination of trust and convenience. Shoppers crave emotional connection to a brand or store and zero friction at checkout.
Among the pointers outlined in the playbook are:
Partner with creators. Data suggests that 82 percent of consumers need to trust a company before they’ll buy its products, and creators are a great way to build trust. According to the report, 71 percent of consumers make a purchase within days of seeing creator content on Meta technologies. What’s more, a whopping 85 percent of global holiday shoppers use Meta technologies weekly, and 94 percent of them look to creators for holiday guidance.
As Meta explains it: “This is about earned credibility at scale. A brand telling you ‘our product is great’ is expected. A creator you trust showing how they actually use that product? That’s persuasive.”
Meta’s creator marketplace lets companies find and get recommendations for potential creator partners, and gauge how effective they’re likely to be for your specific business. It’s used primarily for Instagram but can be applied to Facebook, too.
Use Reels to maximize brand awareness. Shoppers spend more than 60 percent of their Facebook and Instagram time viewing videos, as opposed to other types of content. That makes Reels on both platforms—whether from a business or from one of its creator partners—a practical way to reach shoppers in a format they’re familiar with, enjoy, and that feels authentic to them. Meta’s Reels Trending Ads lets businesses program their ads to run right after relevant trending content through a combination of AI and reservation buying.
Make the most of AI tools. Optimize your product catalogue for AI discovery with detailed descriptions, use cases, and customer reviews to make sure you don’t miss out on AI-driven shopping traffic. Test your AI-driven tools to make sure they’re effective.
Meta’s Advantage+ sales campaigns use AI and machine learning to target the people most likely to buy your products, continually adjusting who sees your ads based on their online behavior. It automatically redistributes your daily budget, allocating more to the highest-performing ads and audiences.
Set up omnichannel attribution. Measure and evaluate the different touchpoints for your customers to find out how effectively your marketing channels are working together throughout the customer journey. Learn what’s driving conversions now and what’s not, so you can remove friction points and make other adjustments in time for the holiday shopping season.
Remember that omnichannel optimization can drive actual in-store traffic and boost in-person sales. According to Meta’s playbook, one in three shoppers on social media platforms frequently buys items they discovered through Meta in brick-and-mortar stores, and 57 percent of those who buy in person in stores research products online first. Your goal should be to create a seamless journey that connects digital and physical shopping through real-time inventory visibility, buy online/pick up in-store service, etc.
The 2026 Holiday Playbook stresses that Q3 is the ideal time to lay the groundwork for a successful holiday sales season. Use July through September to activate sponsorships and partnerships with creators, test sales campaigns, and refine omnichannel attribution strategies.
For more tips, download Meta’s 2026 Holiday Playbook by visiting the Meta for Business Holiday Hub.
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