The 2025 Australian holiday season is shaping up to be one of the most fascinating and competitive retail periods we’ve seen in years. On one hand, consumers are still feeling the pinch of cost-of-living pressures, retail sales rose only 3.1% in August. Yet, there’s also a sense of optimism returning. Forecasts predict a nearly 14% surge in holiday spending, with the average shopper expected to spend around $1,140 and more than $6.8 billion projected over Black Friday weekend alone.
So how can both be true? We’re seeing the rise of the “strategic splurger”, shoppers who aren’t spending recklessly but are instead planning carefully, holding back for major deals and events. They’re intentional, not impulsive.
Australians are more skeptical, more value-driven, and far more likely to trust real people over polished campaigns. That’s where influencer marketing campaigns and user-generated content (UGC) step up. These aren’t “nice-to-have” add-ons anymore, they’re the most powerful tools brands have to cut through the noise, build trust, and drive action.
Why Influencer Marketing & User Generated Content (UGC) Drive Holiday Sales
The Australian holiday shopper in 2025 is savvy, patient, and strategic. Many are waiting for key sales like Black Friday before making major purchases. Retailers know it too, 84% expect stronger sales this year (up from just 51% in 2024), and a third of shoppers plan to spend more than last year.
This year’s season is essentially a two-act performance.
October to mid-November: the “consideration phase,” when shoppers are researching, saving, and building their lists.
Late November to December: the “conversion phase,” when deals drop and spending takes off.
Brands that spend October earning trust will win big when the sales begin.
How Black Friday Took Over Australia
Black Friday has completely reshaped the Australian retail calendar. Once an American import, it’s now the country’s biggest shopping event overtaking Boxing Day by a wide margin. This shift means most Australians (about two-thirds) will finish their Christmas shopping before December even begins.
Value is king. About 71% of Australians say discounts are their top priority, and more than a third are willing to switch brands for a better deal, especially under-35s. If brands wait until December to get loud, they’ll miss the moment entirely.
The opportunity now lies in the weeks ahead of Black Friday, capturing attention and building intent before shoppers make their final purchase decisions.
What’s Hot This Holiday Season
A few categories are clearly dominating early wish lists.
Tech and electronics are leading the charge, boosted by the launch of the iPhone 17 and continued demand for high-end brands like Dyson and Samsung. Home appliances and wellness gear are also trending, from Breville coffee machines to walking pads and other self-care items. Interestingly, there’s a big move toward personal and experience-based gifts, clothing, books, and experiences are now the top three categories, with gift cards slipping from their usual spot.
And while e-commerce continues to grow (up 15.1% this year), physical stores still matter, they’re where discovery and trust happen. Shoppers often browse online, test in-store, then buy online again. To stay competitive against low-cost global marketplaces like Temu, Australian brands need to differentiate through authenticity, community, and experience, not just price.
2025 Australian Holiday Marketing: How User Generated Content (UGC) & Influencer Campaigns Help Boost Sales
With so much noise and competition, consumers are tuning out traditional ads and turning to voices they trust. In 2025, 61% of Australians say they trust influencer recommendations more than brand ads, and nearly 70% trust creators they follow when choosing products.
But this isn’t blind faith. Shoppers don’t trust “influencers” as a group, they trust authentic individuals who consistently deliver honest, relatable content. The era of celebrity endorsements is fading fast; only 11% of consumers say they prefer them. What resonates instead are micro-influencers, creators with smaller but highly engaged audiences.
Micro-influencers (10K–100K followers) deliver stronger engagement (5–10% on average versus 1–2% for larger creators) and a deeper sense of credibility. Their recommendations feel like a friend’s advice, not an ad and that authenticity translates directly into action.
At the same time, User-Generated Content (UGC) has become an engine for conversions. Reviews, unboxing videos, and real customer photos serve as modern-day word-of-mouth. Nearly 80% of consumers say UGC influences their buying decisions, and just five reviews can make a shopper 270% more likely to purchase. It’s proof that nothing sells better than seeing someone like you genuinely enjoying a product.
What Influencer-Led Campaigns Works and Where
The industries best placed to win this season include retail and e-commerce, beauty, tech, food and drink, and travel. These categories all lend themselves to creator-led storytelling and to content that feels fun, useful, and shareable.
Short-form video continues to dominate, with TikTok, Reels, and YouTube Shorts delivering the highest engagement. Tutorials, how-tos, and honest reviews perform far better than polished ads because they deliver genuine value. Interactive content like polls or “help me choose” quizzes can also boost engagement while doubling as quick consumer research.
And don’t underestimate the power of influencer-led gift guides. Themed roundups like “Top Tech Gifts Under $200” or “Best Summer Gifts for Her” are not only useful they’re trusted.
As we move into the peak period, consider aligning your creator and UGC strategy around key moments:
Black Friday (Nov 28): Launch hashtag challenges or haul posts to flood social feeds with real purchases.
Christmas (Dec 25): Encourage UGC showing products in classic Aussie summer settings, beach picnics, backyard BBQs, poolside lounging.
Boxing Day (Dec 26): Shift the tone to self-gifting and relaxation, “treat yourself” and clearance moments.
Lessons from the Best Influencer and User Generated Content Campaigns
Some Australian brands have already mastered this “spark and spread” approach using influencers to ignite conversation and UGC to sustain it.
Frank Body built its cult following by turning customers into creators. Its iconic coffee scrub photos, fun, messy, and totally replicable, generated hundreds of thousands of organic posts.
Canon Australia continually showcases photos taken by its community, transforming its feed into a celebration of customer creativity.
And of course, Coca-Cola’s “Share a Coke” campaign remains the ultimate UGC case study, personalisation driving mass participation and 100 million social media interactions worldwide.
The lesson? Influencers spark momentum; UGC spreads it. A great campaign doesn’t end with a single post, it creates a feedback loop of authentic content that keeps on giving.
Your Late-October to December Influencer Campaign Action Plan
Given the early start to holiday shopping, timing is everything. Since it’s already late October, now’s the moment to kick things off.
Late October – Early November (Now):
Finalise your goals, budget, and creative brief. Identify the right creators, focus on micro-influencers with genuine brand alignment. Begin outreach immediately before their calendars fill up.
Mid-November:
Contract and onboard your chosen creators. Send them products and briefs so they can start producing content just in time for the pre-sale buzz.
Mid-November – December:
Go live. Start with value-driven content in the week before Black Friday to build anticipation. Then, from Nov 28 (Black Friday) through Dec 1 (Cyber Monday), switch to strong call-to-actions and deals. In December, focus on gift guides, unboxings, and last-minute shipping reminders.
Boxing Day and beyond:
Reframe messaging around “treat yourself” themes and post-holiday indulgence.
This timeline ensures your campaign rides the exact wave of the Australian shopper’s mindset from research to purchase to reward.
Budgeting Smartly for Your 2025 Influencer and User Generated Content Campaigns
When it comes to budgeting, it’s important to think less about “paying for a post” and more about investing in high-performing creative assets.
Influencer rates vary widely, but on average in Australia:
Micro-influencers (10K–100K) charge between $150–$750 per Instagram post or $75–$1,800 for TikTok videos.
UGC creators typically charge $150–$300 per short video, with bundle discounts for multiple pieces.
Don’t forget to budget for usage rights (typically +30–50% of the base rate) if you plan to repurpose content in ads, emails, or on your website. Whitelisting, running ads through a creator’s handle can also boost performance but comes with an additional monthly cost.
The smartest brands treat creator partnerships as content production, not one-off promotions. Each asset can power ads, landing pages, and email campaigns long after the original post goes live.
Staying Compliant and Building Trust
Transparency is non-negotiable. Under Australian law, paid partnerships must be clearly disclosed using #ad or #sponsored at the start of the caption, or by using built-in tools like Instagram’s “Paid Partnership” tag. Hidden disclosures or vague terms like #collab or #gifted aren’t enough.
Every campaign should have a written contract outlining deliverables, timelines, disclosure rules, and usage rights. This protects both the brand and the creator and ensures everyone plays by AANA and AiMCO guidelines. Remember, if an influencer breaches disclosure rules, the brand can also be held responsible.
Measuring The Results That Really Matters
To prove ROI, look beyond likes and views. Instead, align your goals with clear KPIs:
Awareness: Reach, impressions, and sentiment.
Engagement: Comments, shares, saves, and engagement rate.
Conversion: Click-through rate, sales from unique promo codes, referral traffic, and ROAS (return on ad spend).
The real magic happens when brands combine influencer and UGC content campaigns that blend both see up to 3x higher ROAS than influencer-only activations.
By defining your success metrics early and tracking them consistently, you can tell a much richer story than “this post got 10,000 likes.” You can show real business impact.
Final Thoughts
This year’s holiday season won’t be won by the loudest brands but by the most authentic ones. Australians are smart, strategic, and selective. They trust people more than logos.
That’s why creator-led content from micro-influencers to everyday customers is the key to breaking through.
The brands that start now, plan early, and execute with authenticity will capture their share of the 2025 holiday rush and build communities that last well beyond December.
If you’d like tailored advice on shaping your holiday influencer or UGC strategy from finding the right creators to building campaigns that actually convert we’d love to chat.
Book a free discovery call to explore how we can help your brand make the most of this season.
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(All statistics and insights referenced in this article are drawn from reputable 2024–2025 Australian retail and marketing studies.)
- Australian Retailers Association (ARA) x Roy Morgan, Retail Predictions 2025
- Shopify ANZ, Holiday Shopping Trends Report 2025
- NielsenIQ, 2025 Consumer Trust and Influence Study
- Power Retail, Black Friday in Australia: The New Boxing Day (2025 Edition)
- AiMCO & AANA, Influencer Marketing Guidelines 2025
- Statista, E-commerce Growth in Australia 2025
- Meta Australia, Creators and Consumer Trust Report 2024
- Think with Google, Holiday Shopping Behaviour Insights (Australia 2024–25)