Holiday gift season is in full swing, and the pent-up demand to shop feels stronger than ever. This year will be particularly interesting due to retail inventory surpluses, discounts extending well past Cyber Week, and soaring inflation. Not to mention, the pandemic has shifted much of consumer shopping behavior to social media for inspiration. Younger, socially-savvy consumers are more likely to search for visual and relevant gift guides on TikTok than they are to Google “gifts for dad.”

Brands need to reach consumers even earlier to secure a share of their holiday budgets, and consumers prefer their recs from real people, not algorithms or ads. This makes content creators well poised to convert holiday window shoppers into purchasers through curated and shoppable gift guides.

The nate team saw an influx in Advent calendar purchases as early as August 2022, with creator Savannah Baron (savvbaron, 189k on TikTok), kicking off the season in a viral way. Her epic gift guide series spans everything from beach basket essentials to Hanukkah-themed Advent calendars.

We sat down with Savannah to ask how she is driving meaningful gift recs and purchases ahead of the holiday season. She also shares her advice for other creators, brands and shoppers on how to balance authenticity with promotional opportunities, especially when it comes to navigating the affiliate space with a uniquely-competitive holiday shopping season.

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