The Wrap Up Newsletter - 1.9.2025

Plus: Jamie Bolton’s E-commerce marketing predictions for 2025🎁

Author

Rafe Houston
January 09, 2025 • Estimated Reading Time: 7 minutes

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Welcome to The Wrap Up, your weekly newsletter for gifting e-commerce professionals. As we unwrap the start of 2025, now is the perfect time to refresh your strategies and prepare for a year full of opportunities in the gift marketing space.🎁

Top Reads 🌟

🚀 AppLovin’s Breakout Year
Early data from Fospha shows AppLovin is a top 3 channel for acquiring new customers and the 2nd largest source of paid traffic for some brands.

🛍️ Social Commerce Boom (Hello, TikTok Shop!)
Social commerce is set to hit $80B in the US, with TikTok Shop leading the way with its seamless shopping experience.

📱 Third-Party Sales Channels on the Rise
As disposable incomes are squeezed, shoppers are turning more to Amazon, but also its budget competitors like Temu and Shein. In 2024, Temu quietly became the most downloaded app on the US App Store.

The challenge? Brands still struggle to understand how their advertising on platforms like Meta and TikTok drives demand on third-party sales channels.
(Stay tuned—Fospha is working on a solution for 2025! 👀)

Sector Spotlight 🎥

The Gift of the Year 2025 shortlist, curated by The Giftware Association (GA), represents a thriving and competitive marketplace. With over 230 brands and 900 submissions, this year's entrants underscore the creative pulse and commercial viability pulsating in the industry. Brands like Coffeenotes, Yop & Top, and Another Studio are spotlighting innovation with sustainable and aesthetically compelling offerings.

Coffeenotes' recycled coffee cup planners and vibrant Tutti Frutti notebooks not only cater to eco-friendly consumer demands but also enhance brand perception, as echoed by co-founder Sarah Downey's remarks on their dual-sell appeal. Yop & Top, meanwhile, has successfully dominated with their gardening journals across multiple categories, highlighting a savvy approach to product diversification in response to increasing consumer appetite for practical and design-oriented garden tools.

Christmas 2024 left its retail mark with striking contrasts in footfall and sales, a tale of two outcomes that's riveting industry analysts. Despite an 11.4 percent decrease in footfall, as reported by BRC-Sensormatic, the independent stationery sector thrived. Simon Churley of Stationery Solutions boasted record-breaking transactions, showing an upward trend in gift stationery, notably Legami pens—celebrated as perfect stocking stuffers. The festive chaos underscored an undeniable opportunity for differentiation even against a backdrop of decreasing footfall.

Mud Pie is strategically optimizing its market presence by aligning innovative product launches with enticing marketing events across key cities—Dallas, Atlanta, and Las Vegas. The company, renowned for its home décor and gift items, is leveraging experiential marketing tactics to boost engagement and drive product awareness during the January markets. By inviting attendees to indulge in artisanal gelato from Dallas-based La Boca Gelato, available at their OneCoast Showroom, Mud Pie utilizes local partnerships to enhance its events’ regional appeal.

Registration is open for the inaugural Great Lakes Boutique, Gift & Souvenir Show in February 2025 at Kalamazoo Convention Center, Michigan. With 125 exhibitors, diverse product offerings, and interactive events, this show offers valuable networking and strategic opportunities for industry professionals, aligning with current market trends and business growth strategies.

Influencer Corner 📣

Influencer Marketing in 2025: Where Should Brands Invest?

With over 50% of brands set to increase creator budgets in 2025, the question isn’t if influencer marketing will grow—it’s how brands should allocate these dollars.

Experts emphasize the shift toward scale and centrality in the marketing mix. Brands need to align spending with their goals—whether driving sales or boosting awareness.

Sarah Levinger on LinkedIn: 3 Rules for DTC Success

Timing is everything—especially for DTC brands. Sarah Levinger highlights how delivering incentives at the right moment can make all the difference. 💡

In her recent post, Sarah breaks down the 3️⃣ golden rules of timing that every brand should know.

A small spoiler: Action + reward = happy brain 🧠, reward key behaviors, and… well, you’ll have to read the full post for the rest.

Performance Pulse 📈

As e-commerce evolves, growth in 2025 hinges on mastering the basics: clarity, optimization, and personalization. SMART goal-setting ensures campaigns stay focused, while refined website usability and core platform expertise enhance customer experiences. By leveraging deep audience insights and streamlining ad strategies, marketers can prioritize long-term, sustainable growth over fleeting trends, positioning their brands for measurable success.

Retail experts predict the convergence of physical stores and digital innovation, like live shopping, will transform retail by 2025. Physical stores will evolve into interactive experience hubs, integrating omnichannel strategies.

Key tactics include:
- blending digital with in-store journeys
- utilizing AI
- enhancing customer engagement through personalized experiences

Influencer Marketing

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Global Marketing

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