The 2025 holiday season may feel far off to consumers, but for performance marketers, it’s go time.
Whether you’re scaling your DTC brand, managing campaigns for a client, or running ads yourself for your business, streaming TV (CTV) must be central to your holiday strategy. And with Roku Ads Manager, launching high-performing campaigns and measuring success is simple.
With advanced targeting, shoppable ad formats, a Shopify integration, and self-serve ease, Roku Ads Manager lets you test, optimize, and scale across every moment that matters—from early October to the last clicks of "Q5."
Here, we share how to start now and turn seasonal streaming impressions into Q4 sales with Roku Ads Manager.
From Halloween to January, the holiday shopping window has widened
Planning to wait until Black Friday to get moving? You'll be missing out. We surveyed streamers and found:
- 67% plan to start holiday shopping before Thanksgiving¹
- 41% plan to begin as early as October¹
Holiday shopping habits closely mirror streaming behavior. Streaming on Roku picks up sharply in early October and surges after Halloween. By November, 25% of all Roku searches¹ are for seasonal content—showing just how early viewers get in the holiday spirit.
And don’t sleep on "Q5"—the post-holiday window that stretches from post-Christmas into January. It’s a powerful second wave. Our research shows that 64% of Roku holiday shoppers plan to continue shopping after the holidays¹ (perhaps exchanging the ill-fitting sweater from Santa for shoes they’ll wear on New Year’s Eve).
- 86% take advantage of ongoing sales¹
- 53% use gift cards¹
- 49% buy items they didn’t receive¹
Meanwhile, streaming stays strong: During Q5 2024, household streaming was up 13% per day², and the week between Christmas and New Year’s saw Roku households streaming 8 hours a day on average.
Takeaway: Start early. Stay visible. And don’t overlook the buying power of Q5.
Test in Q3. 'Sleigh’ in Q4
To get the most from Roku Ads Manager during the year-end period, think of Q3 as your testing ground. Take advantage of tools to experiment with creative, refine audience targeting, and test messaging while CPMs are still low.
- Build first-party audiences using Roku’s advanced targeting tools.
- Launch awareness and conversion campaigns with multiple offers and creative variants.
- Track results in real time and optimize as you go.
By the time the holiday rush begins, you’ll know what works, and you can scale your efforts with an eye toward conversions. Re-engage audiences with the best-performing offers from Q3.
- Test shoppable Action Ads to drive direct purchases via the Roku remote. Integrate with your Shopify store for a seamless checkout experience.
- Set up A/B tests to dial in the most effective messages and offers.
- Use real-time performance data to optimize budget and creative decisions.
Takeaway: Q3 is for learning. Q4 is for scaling what works.
Smart tips for faster, better, more affordable campaigns
Whether you're managing multiple channels or flying solo, you don’t need to start from scratch to launch on Roku. In fact, your best creative might already be sitting in your social folder.
- Repurpose your social content with our Spaceback partnership. Turn social posts into full-screen, CTV-ready ad experiences—no reshoots or production costs required—and upload directly to Roku Ads Manager.
- Use Roku’s AI-powered video upscaler. Automatically enhance resolution for the big screen.
Adjust on the fly: Swap out creative, update your offer, or refine targeting mid-campaign—just like you would with social ads.
Measure what matters: Track reach, engagement, conversions, and ROAS through in-platform dashboards.
Takeaway: Launch faster, optimize smarter, and do more without adding headcount or budget.
Ready to launch?
Holiday advertising success doesn’t require a big team or a big budget—just a smart, flexible plan. With Roku Ads Manager, you can run performance-driven campaigns that cut through the holiday clutter and connect with shoppers when they’re most engaged.
Start testing and optimizing your CTV strategy now to be ready for Black Friday, Cyber Monday, and the Q5 shopping wave.
Sign up to get started today.
¹ Roku Radar Holiday Survey, May 2025
² Roku Internal Data, October – December 2024
