Holiday 2025 shoppers are sending mixed signals. On one hand, many are still playing it safe: 66% are trading down for lower-priced goods, and over half say they’re prioritizing essentials. But optimism is rising. According to Salesforce’s 2025 Holiday Shopping Predictions more consumers report their finances are improving, and spending is shifting back toward physical goods.
That means consumers are ready to shop, but only if the experience feels relevant, timely, and valuable. For advertisers on Connected TV (CTV), this is both the challenge and the opportunity.
When behavioral signals are limited and price sensitivity is high, context becomes the strongest indicator of intent. In a channel as rich and engaging as CTV, context is also one of the most powerful tools for impact.
Today’s holiday viewer is not just watching content. They are leaning into it. Think cooking specials, gift guides, and festive family films. These are not just genres. They are the times that signal what a viewer is thinking about, planning for, or preparing to buy.
Context shows that mindset in real time. When brand messaging matches what the viewer is focused on, performance improves.
This shift is already reshaping how consumers shop. Salesforce reports that 35% of holiday shoppers plan to use AI-powered tools to discover gifts this season. Among those already using AI chat assistants, that number jumps to 59%. A sign that consumers are searching in the moment and relying on personalized digital discovery. Contextually relevant content on the right screen drives those searches.
Peer39 helps ensure messaging appears in the most-relevant environments.
Here’s how:
Unlike channel targeting, Peer39 offers deeper granularity — enabling programmatic targeting or exclusion of content based on more than 2,000 CTV-specific categories, including demographics, genre, ratings, warnings & advisories, and safety & suitability. No other programmatic CTV provider offers this level of customization — Peer39 enables advertisers to refine targeting even further with keyword controls for content show descriptions, genres, actors, sports teams and more.
This allows for prioritization of feel-good holiday films over crime dramas, or discovery of festive cooking content without the risk of missing the mark by running on R-rated comedies.
The result is stronger alignment between message and moment, without sacrificing scale or overblocking.
Peer39 also helps advertisers eliminate placements in low-quality environments. During the 2024 holiday buying season, 20.8% of open exchange CTV impressions were delivered to fake environments such as screensavers or mobile apps. Campaigns using Peer39’s Safe From Fake CTV category brought that number down to just 0.9%.
This substantial improvement helps ensure ad delivery reaches real screens, shows, and engaged viewers.
With the Peer39 CTV Quality Score and Analytics dashboard, media teams can monitor placement quality, completion rates, and content types in real time.
Peer39-enabled campaigns saw an average completion rate of 97%, well above the industry average of 90%, a strong indicator of viewer engagement and content alignment.
This is not just post-campaign analysis. It enables live optimization at a critical seasonal moment.
“During the holidays, attention is everything — but with all the noise, brands have to earn it. That’s where context comes in. It allows advertisers to align with the emotional tone and intent of the content, which is what drives real action. With Peer39, it’s not just about reach. It’s about resonating in the moments that matter.” — Gigi Cadet, Sr. Director, Strategic Partnerships at Peer39
The data speaks for itself:
In this climate, every impression matters. Ads that appear in relevant, emotionally aligned content will drive stronger outcomes.
With Peer39:
The holidays are noisy, emotional, and full of intent. Brands that stand out will be those that appear in the right moment — not just on the right screen.
Peer39 helps turn contextual relevance into measurable campaign performance by enabling smarter, safer, and more effective CTV delivery.
👉 Next in our series: Winning the 2025 Shopping Season with Smarter CTV