How ATTN Agency Boosted a DTC Brand’s Holiday Sales by 30% with Targeted Retail Media Campaigns

The holiday season is a make-or-break period for direct-to-consumer (DTC) brands. With heightened competition and consumer spending at its peak, standing out in a crowded market requires precision, creativity, and a deep understanding of where your audience shops. At ATTN Agency, we specialize in crafting data-driven strategies that deliver measurable results. In this case study, we’ll walk through how we helped a DTC brand achieve a 30% increase in holiday sales through targeted retail media campaigns, and we’ll share actionable insights you can apply to your own business.

The Challenge: Breaking Through Holiday Noise

Our client, a mid-sized DTC brand in the consumer packaged goods (CPG) space, faced a common challenge: how to maximize sales during the holiday rush while competing against larger brands with bigger budgets. Historically, their holiday campaigns had yielded modest growth, but they struggled with inefficient ad spend, low return on ad spend (ROAS), and difficulty reaching the right shoppers at the right time.

With ambitious goals for the holiday quarter, they turned to ATTN Agency to architect a campaign that would not only boost sales but also lay the groundwork for sustainable growth. After analyzing their past performance, customer data, and competitive landscape, we identified a powerful opportunity: leveraging retail media networks (RMNs) to target high-intent shoppers directly on the platforms where they were already making purchase decisions.

Why Retail Media? The Power of Proximity to Purchase

Retail media has emerged as one of the most effective channels for DTC brands, especially during high-stakes periods like the holidays. Unlike traditional social or search ads, retail media campaigns run on retailer platforms—think Amazon, Walmart, Target, or Kroger—where consumers are already in a buying mindset. This proximity to purchase translates to higher conversion rates and better attribution.

For our client, retail media offered several key advantages:

Granular Targeting: RMNs provide access to first-party data from retailers, allowing us to target shoppers based on past purchases, search history, and browsing behavior.
Seasonal Relevance: Holiday shoppers are actively seeking deals and gift ideas on these platforms, making it the perfect place to capture attention.
Measurable Impact: Retail media offers closed-loop attribution, meaning we could directly track ad impressions to sales lift at the SKU level.

Our strategy centered on deploying targeted campaigns across multiple retail media networks, tailored to the unique audience segments and shopping behaviors of each platform.

Crafting the Campaign: A Multi-Platform Approach

To achieve the desired 30% sales lift, we designed a comprehensive retail media strategy that spanned several key platforms. Here’s how we executed it:

1. Amazon Advertising: Dominating the Largest Marketplace

Amazon is the holiday shopping juggernaut, with millions of consumers turning to the platform for gift ideas and last-minute purchases. For our client, Amazon represented the largest opportunity to capture market share.

Sponsored Products: We optimized product listings with holiday-specific keywords like “Christmas gift ideas” and “holiday deals under $50,” ensuring their products appeared at the top of search results for high-intent queries.
Sponsored Brands: We created custom creative showcasing bundled gift sets with compelling holiday messaging, driving traffic to a branded storefront.
Amazon DSP: Using demand-side platform (DSP) campaigns, we retargeted shoppers who had viewed the client’s products but hadn’t purchased, as well as lookalike audiences based on their top customers.

By aligning ad spend with peak shopping days (Black Friday, Cyber Monday, and the week before Christmas), we maximized visibility during critical windows.

2. Walmart Connect: Tapping Into Value-Driven Shoppers

Walmart’s retail media network, Walmart Connect, allowed us to reach value-conscious holiday shoppers. With Walmart’s massive in-store and online footprint, this platform was ideal for driving both e-commerce and brick-and-mortar sales.

Sponsored Search: Similar to Amazon, we bid on holiday-relevant keywords to place products in prominent search positions.
Display Ads: We ran sitewide display ads featuring holiday promotions, focusing on Walmart’s deal-seeking audience.
In-Store Activation: For select products available in Walmart stores, we tied digital campaigns to in-store endcap promotions, creating an omnichannel experience.

3. Target Roundel: Reaching Premium Holiday Buyers

Target’s retail media arm, Roundel, offered access to a more premium demographic—shoppers looking for curated gift options and willing to spend a bit more. We tailored our creative to emphasize the client’s unique value proposition as a thoughtful, high-quality gift choice.

Product Ads: We placed ads on product detail pages and category pages relevant to holiday gifting.
Custom Audiences: Using Target’s first-party data, we targeted shoppers who had previously purchased in the client’s category or shown interest in competitor products.
Social Integration: We layered in social proof by highlighting customer reviews and ratings within the ads.

4. Creative Optimization: Speaking to Holiday Emotions

Beyond platform strategy, creative played a pivotal role. Holiday shopping is emotional—driven by the desire to find the perfect gift or snag a great deal. Our creative team developed ad assets that resonated with these motivations:

Festive Imagery: Bright, cheerful visuals featuring holiday elements like wrapped gifts, twinkling lights, and family gatherings.
Urgency Messaging: Copy like “Last Chance for Holiday Delivery!” and “Perfect Gift, On Sale Now!” to drive immediate action.
Value Propositions: Highlighting free shipping, bundle discounts, and limited-time offers to sweeten the deal.

We A/B tested multiple ad variations to identify the highest-performing combinations of visuals and messaging, iterating in real-time based on performance data.

Execution: Precision Timing and Budget Allocation

Timing is everything during the holidays. We structured the campaign in phases to align with consumer behavior:

Early November (Pre-Holiday Buildup): Low ad spend focused on awareness, introducing the brand to new shoppers with educational content about their products as gift ideas.
Mid-November to Thanksgiving (Momentum): Increased spend targeting early holiday shoppers and deal hunters, emphasizing pre-Black Friday promotions.
Black Friday to Cyber Monday (Peak): Heavy investment during this critical window, with aggressive bids to secure top ad placements and daily creative refreshes to combat ad fatigue.
December (Last-Minute Push): Sustained spend with a focus on last-minute shoppers, highlighting fast shipping and gift-ready packaging.

Budget allocation was dynamic. We started with a 60-30-10 split across Amazon, Walmart, and Target, respectively, but shifted funds weekly based on ROAS and conversion data. Amazon ultimately received 70% of the budget due to its superior performance, while Walmart and Target were adjusted to 20% and 10%.

Results: A 30% Sales Lift and Beyond

The results spoke for themselves. Over the holiday quarter, our client saw a 30% increase in sales compared to the previous year, directly attributable to the retail media campaigns. Key metrics included:

ROAS: Achieved an average ROAS of 5.2x across all platforms, with Amazon peaking at 6.1x during Cyber Week.
Conversion Rate: Improved by 18% compared to prior holiday campaigns, thanks to precise targeting and compelling creative.
New Customer Acquisition: 40% of holiday purchases came from first-time buyers, expanding the client’s customer base for future retargeting.
Omnichannel Lift: For products stocked in Walmart stores, we saw a 12% uptick in in-store sales in regions with heavy digital ad exposure, proving the halo effect of online-to-offline marketing.

Beyond the numbers, the campaign provided valuable insights into customer behavior and platform performance, informing the client’s strategy for the following year. They also gained a competitive edge by establishing a stronger presence on retail media networks, positioning them for long-term success.

Key Takeaways for DTC Brands

Our work with this client underscored several critical lessons for DTC brands looking to win the holiday season with retail media campaigns:

Start with Data: Dive deep into historical sales data, customer demographics, and platform analytics to identify where your audience shops and what drives their purchases. First-party retailer data is gold—use it.
Prioritize High-Intent Channels: Retail media networks put you in front of shoppers who are ready to buy. Allocate a significant portion of your holiday budget here, especially on dominant platforms like Amazon.
Tailor Creative to the Season: Holiday shopping isn’t just transactional—it’s emotional. Craft messaging and visuals that tap into the joy, urgency, and gift-giving spirit of the season.
Be Agile: Monitor performance daily and be ready to shift budgets, refresh creative, or adjust targeting based on what’s working. The holiday window is short—there’s no time for a “set it and forget it” approach.
Think Omnichannel: If your products are available in physical stores, integrate digital retail media with in-store promotions to drive sales across both channels.

How ATTN Agency Can Help Your Brand Win the Holidays

At ATTN Agency, we’re obsessed with helping DTC brands scale through smart, results-driven marketing. Whether you’re looking to dominate the holiday season, expand into retail, or optimize your ad spend year-round, our team brings the expertise and execution to make it happen. We’ve driven millions in incremental revenue for clients across ecommerce and retail media, and we’d love to do the same for you.

Ready to elevate your holiday strategy? Let’s chat. Schedule a call with us today to discuss how retail media and beyond can unlock your brand’s next big growth spurt.

Disclaimer: Data and results have been anonymized to protect client confidentiality. The strategies and outcomes reflect a real campaign executed by ATTN Agency, with figures adjusted for privacy.