IDHL x F.Hinds: Why a successful peak isn't just about conversions

The starting line for peak gets earlier every year. November time used to be the goal post, a reasonable starting point to ramp up marketing activity, but now early-access promotional events like Amazon's Prime Big Deal Days have normalised an October start for festive shopping. 

That tracks with what we're seeing in consumer behaviour, with 1 in 3 Christmas shoppers buying gifts in September and October. Heavy spending is forecasted across this period, with spending projected to reach around £36 billion online and £58 billion offline. With so much potential for growth, the question for brands is often how can conversions be maximised during the biggest trading period of the year?

It's the natural response, and while conversions are still important, focusing on them alone can lead brands to overlook a hard truth: by the time key dates such as Black Friday arrive, many customers have already decided where they'll spend their money. Compelling offers are only one part of the formula of maximising your impact ahead of peak. In our experience, the best chance of success comes from months of building awareness, generating interest and staying visible throughout the customer journey.

And that's exactly what we did for established family jewellers, F.Hinds. 

Building demand before peak with F.Hinds

As with any retailer, Q4 is a critical sales period but our focus wasn't simply on driving conversions but on building demand before peak trading arrived. We built an integrated channel plan across Search, Display, Native and Video centred on generating visibility and consideration across key gifting categories such as engagement rings and watches, priming audiences for the upcoming season.

Video-led creative, alongside display and native activity ensured F.Hinds was visible during the critical consideration phase, while Search captured existing intent. As purchase intent increases, retargeting helped reconnect with audiences who had already engaged, guiding them towards conversion.

The results spoke for themselves: display activity influenced ROAS in excess of 3000%, while native watch campaigns influenced above 1600%.

This coordinated approach meant F.Hinds entered the key peak trading period with demand already being built and media working across multiple stages of the customer journey. 

The biggest mistake in peak planning

It's natural for marketers to gravitate towards bottom-funnel conversion-focused campaigns, especially as budgets tighten and pressure builds. It’s understandable. Lower funnel activity often produces more immediate and readily attributable results, making it easier to justify when budgets are under pressure. But the problem is that conversion activity is generally most effective when there is existing demand to capture. Focusing investment too heavily at the bottom of the funnel can limit the opportunity to influence customers earlier in their decision making.

Big peak events like Black Friday may be a single event but the path to purchase is rarely a single event. By the time consumers conduct a high-intent search or click on a retargeting ad, they often have already formed a preference on which brand to trust and which product to go for. If they aren't already considering your services or thinking about your category, conversion-focused campaigns will only take you so far. 

This is where awareness and consideration activity becomes your secret weapon. Video, display, native advertising, social content and brand-building help create familiarity, reinforce key product messages and keep your brand front of mind. 

Peak performance is built in layers

The strongest peak strategies don't rely on single channel or tactic, they view awareness and conversion as growth levers that fuel each other, rather than as separate objectives. 

First comes awareness, ensuring customers know who you are before they start shopping, then consideration, keeping your brand visible as they compare and browse. Only then does conversion activity reach its full potential, capturing demand that has already been nurtured. Finally, retargeting helps reinforce previous interactions, reconnecting with high-intent audiences when the timing is right. 

For brands looking ahead to future peak trading periods, try focusing on: 

• Identifying the categories most likely to drive peak performance.
• Investing in audience development before promotional periods begin. 
• Connect upper and lower funnel channels rather than planning in isolation. 
• Measure success across the entire customer journey, not just the point of sale. 

Achieving peak performance with IDHL 

Peak isn't won when the buying begins, it's through the months of planning and brand visibility that come beforehand. Conversions might be the ultimate goal, but maximising them is the outcome of successful awareness and consideration activity. To make the most of your peak performance, get in touch with IDHL.