5 Ways to Win on Retail Marketplaces This Holiday Season
The retail marketplace landscape becomes particularly competitive later in the year. This is when holiday shopping drives record-breaking sales. In fact, online holiday sales hit $241.4 billion in 2024, an 8.7% increase from the previous year. Q4 alone accounted for as much as 40% of retailers’ annual revenue. To stand out during this high-demand period, brands need both wise planning and day-to-day execution. Below, the following tips, plus a bonus strategy, aim to maximize ROI (Return on Investment) and reach new customers this holiday season.
Update Listings to Optimize for Holiday Content
Shoppers on a retail marketplace often search with holiday-specific intent, so your product listings need to match. Keywords like “gift for dad,” “stocking stuffer,” or “holiday décor” put your products in front of the ideal audience. Beyond keywords, seasonal photos and short videos add relevance and catch attention. For grocery items, keep your main images consistent with shelf standards but use secondary images to highlight holiday recipes or festive uses.
Don’t forget about product descriptions. They’re a prime spot to add seasonal phrases like “best holiday gifts under $50.” Including UGC (user-generated content), such as photos or reviews, also makes a sizable impact. Visitors who interact with UGC convert at far higher rates: 6.37% in apparel compared to just 2% for those who don’t, and overall conversion rates can rise by 161%. Highlighting reviews or customer photos during Q4 gives undecided shoppers that final push to buy.
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A retail marketplace is an e-commerce platform where multiple sellers list products for customers to browse and buy. Think Amazon, Walmart, or Instacart. These platforms handle things like checkout and logistics, while brands compete for visibility within the ecosystem.
Prioritize High-Margin Products and Proven Sellers
During Q4, your goal is to drive revenue and maximize return on ad spend while also attracting new customers. The best way to do this is by focusing on products that have already proven themselves. Look at last year’s holiday data, seasonal shopping patterns, and your own sales history to identify which SKUs (Stock Keeping Units) consistently perform. Those are the ones to spotlight in ads and promotions.
Bundles and limited-time offers also give these proven products a seasonal lift. Pairing a top seller with a related add-on can increase profitability and create more value for shoppers. This approach is especially timely as consumer spending is expected to tighten, as 84% of shoppers say they plan to cut back in the next six months. Holiday spending is also projected to decline by 5% compared to 2024, the first significant drop since 2020. Keeping your focus on products that deliver margin and volume offsets this shift while keeping your brand competitive.
Plan Ahead and Drive Awareness
Strong marketplace advertising begins before the holiday rush. Use September and October to test new messages and creative through display or video ads. This early push generates awareness so that when Q4 arrives, your brand is already familiar to shoppers. Retargeting these warm audiences later in the season leads to lower-cost conversions because people are likely to choose a brand they’re familiar with.
Budget pacing is key as well. You don’t want to spend too much too early, but you also need funds available for Black Friday, Cyber Monday, and the weeks leading up to Christmas. Q4 remains a critical window for revenue, and many marketers are rebalancing budgets to focus on performance-driven campaigns during this time. While overall spend is under more scrutiny, the holiday season still sees intensified investment in proven, high-return tactics. It’s a worthwhile investment, given that e-commerce sales reached $304.2 billion in Q2 2025 alone, making up 16.3% of all retail sales and continuing to grow every year. Planning ahead ensures your brand is visible without overspending.
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Use Category-Level Targeting
On a retail marketplace, discovery often happens at the category level. For products in gifting, food, or entertainment, placements tied to seasonal searches like “holiday appetizers” or “party snacks” can introduce your brand to new customers. Branded searches will cover retention, but category targeting makes sure you’re visible to shoppers who haven’t yet considered your products.
Keep an eye on how competitors are advertising in your category. Benchmarking their placements and promotions gives you ideas to refine your own approach. It’s also worth testing ad copy variations tied to seasonal needs. For example, “holiday party must-haves” or “festive favorites.” Minor adjustments make ads more relevant and improve click-through rates during the busiest shopping weeks of the year.
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Major retailers with marketplace platforms include Amazon, Walmart, Target, and Kroger. Others like Instacart, Best Buy, and Home Depot also allow third-party sellers or brand-managed listings. Each one has its own rules, ad tools, and audience behavior.
Apply Basket-Building Strategies
Retail marketplaces often suggest add-on items to increase basket size, and you can take advantage of this by ensuring your complementary SKUs are listed together. For example, if you’re selling holiday baking supplies, pair flour with baking mixes or seasonal cookie cutters. This makes it easy for shoppers to discover more of your products in one trip.
Discounted add-ons or BOGO (Buy One Get One) offers are another way to lift average order value. Many platforms also use personalized recommendations to surface related products, which encourages impulse purchases. Leaning into these features lets you drive bigger baskets and also create opportunities for customers to try products they may not have searched for directly.
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It depends on your goals. Marketplaces offer built-in traffic and fast visibility but come with fees and limited control. Your own site gives you full branding and customer data, but you’ll need to drive your own traffic. Many brands use both to balance reach with ownership.
Bonus Tip: Leverage Marketplace APIs
Many retail marketplaces, including Amazon, Walmart, and Instacart, offer APIs (Application Programming Interface) that make managing your listings easier and more accurate. Syncing inventory and pricing in real time lets APIs prevent overselling and stockouts, which are two frequent issues during high-demand holiday seasons. This automation also reduces the need for manual updates, saving time and keeping product details consistent across platforms.
APIs can also be used to adjust pricing dynamically, which is particularly valuable in competitive holiday environments where prices change rapidly. Real-world case studies show that real-time inventory synchronization through APIs reduces stockouts by 30% and improves customer satisfaction by 15% within six months. For brands looking to keep agile during Q4, APIs are an underused but powerful tool.
Partner with Eyeful to Maximize Marketplace Success
Success on retail marketplaces during Q4 requires a mix of planning and execution. From updating listings with several keywords to leveraging APIs for real-time inventory, each step makes a meaningful impact on sales and customer acquisition. Partnering with Eyeful gives you access to marketplace advertising expertise that ensures your strategy is designed to perform when competition is at its peak.
Key Takeaways:
Retail marketplace success in Q4 depends on preparation, focus, and good advertising.
Seasonal keywords, imagery, and user-generated content can drive higher visibility and conversions.
Prioritizing proven products and using basket-building strategies increases profitability.
APIs and real-time updates reduce the risk of stockouts and improve customer experience.
Next Steps:
Review your current listings and refresh them with holiday-focused content.
Analyze last year’s sales to prioritize high-performing SKUs.
Build awareness campaigns early, then retarget audiences during peak shopping weeks.
Explore category targeting, bundles, and API integrations so you stay competitive.
Ready to level up your retail marketplace strategy this Q4? Partner with Eyeful’s marketplace advertising experts to maximize your visibility and ROI.