How consulting firm Fwrd Group is advising brand strategies ahead of the holidays
Digiday+ Research’s recently released holiday marketing report examines which commerce channels are dominating marketers’ 2025 holiday strategies. It also looks at the discounts brands and retailers are offering and the revenue expectations that are guiding their marketing decisions during the essential fourth quarter.
To gather this information, Digiday surveyed brand and retailer professionals and interviewed marketing executives. Amy Kapolnek, founder of the Fwrd Group, a growth consulting firm for independent brands, spoke with us at length. In this Q&A, she sheds light on the marketing strategies she advises clients to employ for the 2025 holiday season.
Digiday’s survey found that many brands and retailers have a conservative outlook on 2025 holiday revenue. Do you expect revenue from the upcoming holiday season to be better or worse than it was 2024? What is driving that perspective?My take is that revenue will be flat to slightly up in comparison to 2024 — low single-digit growth at max. 2024 was up 4% from projections, which surprised everyone in the beauty industry and across CPG in general. However, with rising costs of living and tariffs — which will start to trickle down to the consumer right in time for the holiday season — consumers have less disposable income to spend, and so they are making extremely conscious decisions about where to spend that.
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