Raptive Survey: Cleaning Is a Top Holiday Stressor

There is no rest for weary creators during the holiday season, but opportunities for brands abound.  Raptive, a media platform that works with enterprise publishers and more than 5,000 creators, conducted a survey recently of more than 300 creators and more than 600 consumers about various topics related to the holiday season.

Publishing verticals included food, family and parenting, crafts, home décor and design, travel, and lifestyle.

One finding showed that 61% of creator-advertiser partnerships include genuine product reviews, with creators and audiences valuing gift guides, highlighting creators’ top gift recommendations, which lend an air of authenticity to potential gifts.

Raptive creators could reach up to 83% of holiday shoppers this year, a potential boon for brands that partner with them.

Marla Newman, EVP of Sales at Raptive, sat down with StreetFight to explore some insights from the survey and about the holidays in general.

Holiday budgets, cleaning, and cooking are perennial priorities for people at this time of year. What’s different according to the survey?

Budget was the #1 concern for consumers this year, with 65% of consumers specifically seeking content on “Budgeting and saving money during the holidays” from creators, the top requested topic.

We were surprised just how much of an issue cleaning is for people. We asked respondents what was most stressful to them during the holidays. Cleaning was #2. Cleaning is more stressful than shopping for gifts, cooking holiday meals, traveling to visit family, and balancing all the different holiday activities. There is a real opportunity for advertisers to step in and make things easier for consumers.

Cooking holiday meals is right in the middle regarding stress vs. relaxation, with 37% of respondents saying it’s stressful, 37% saying it’s relaxing, and the rest being neutral. Again, making things more fun and easy is a great way for advertisers to connect to consumers during the holidays. And if they throw in some value and cleaning hacks, it’s a win.

More cooking insights–people get more excited about eating holiday meals than cooking holiday meals, but not by as much as we’d expected. Sixty-four percent of respondents say that eating is one of the most exciting parts of the holiday, and 59% said that cooking is one of the most exciting parts. Fifty-two percent of consumers will be trying new recipes this holiday season. And that number is much larger for younger consumers vs. older (60% of 18-34, compared to 46% of 35-54).

Cocktails are a must for holiday entertaining. 82% agree that a great cocktail makes any party better.

What were the biggest surprises about Gen Z?

GenZ’s attitudes towards the holidays displayed a lot of paradoxes. Gen Z lives in both the digital and physical worlds. They are 1.4x more likely than the general market to get gift ideas from influencers (34% vs. 24%), showcasing their digital-first mindset. Yet, they defy expectations in other ways — Gen Z is more likely to shop in physical stores for holidays than older consumers (27% vs. 24%), blending tech-savvy habits with traditional behaviors.

Gen Z craves nostalgia with a twist. They are embracing tradition, being 2.5x more likely to say this year’s holiday vibe is nostalgic and traditional compared to last year (25% for 2024 vs. 10% for 2023). But they also love a theme and are 70% more likely to host trendy-themed parties than other generations (17% vs. 10%).

While everyone else is stressing about budgets, Gen Z is more likely to stress about the holidays in general. They find managing holiday activities 24% more stressful than the general population. But they’re also 1.3x more likely to say their holiday budgets are flexible (41% vs. 31%).

Gen Z looks for deeper engagement with creators: 64% of Gen Z say they want creators to collaborate with charities;  49% want creator-curated holiday exclusives, including discount codes and special offers.

Which are the most successful or well-known creators that Raptive works with?

Some of the best-known creators in the world are part of the Raptive network, including Tieghan Gerard (Half Baked Harvest), Yumna Jawad (Feel Good Foodie), Gina Homolka (SkinnyTaste), Lisa Bryan (Downshiftology), Sarah and Kaitlin Leong (The Woks of Life), Camille Styles, Emily Henderson (Style by Emily Henderson), Gaby Dalkin (What’s Gaby Cooking) Natasha Kravchuk (Natasha’s Kitchen) and Kevin Espiritu (Epic Gardening).

What are some of these creators’ top gift recommendations?

For her: belt bags (especially the ones from Lululemon), White Fox hoodies (teens) and charms of every kind, from bag charms to necklaces and bracelets.

For him: Ember (temperature-controlled) mugs, “smash” burger presses and other BBQ tools. Also, cornhole sets are having a moment.

Wellness: Oura rings, “Sunrise” alarm clocks (Hatch), and all kinds of pickleball gear — everything from paddles and accessories to outfits.

Foodies: dutch ovens, HexClad cookware, outdoor griddles (Blackstone), outdoor pizza ovens, Ninja CreamI ice cream maker, vertical planters to grow your own herb garden.

And, of course, cookbooks – many of our creators have written incredible cookbooks, and they make fantastic gifts.

How can brands, agencies, or publishers use the information in this survey to turbo-charge their hyperlocal marketing efforts?

Timely data and insights present marketers with an opportunity to bring solutions to the stressors of the holidays to the forefront – aligning themselves as a relevant, helpful resource- i.e., surrounding tips for hosting on a budget, budget-friendly recipes, budget-friendly decorating tips, budget-friendly gift guides, etc. Creatively surfacing or surrounding content on the post-celebration clean-up and or inspiration on how to master the art of “clean up” is an easy win.