Canadian holiday shoppers do plenty to prepare ahead of December. Holiday shopping research begins early, and purchase decisions stretch right up to Christmas. That’s nearly three months of purchase consideration. Brands that show up early make the list.
When Does Holiday Shopping Actually Begin?
Around early October, peaking in mid-November. The first weeks of the season are a planning phase, when shoppers are building lists, gathering ideas and forming impressions of the brands they’ll eventually buy from. Out-of-Home (OOH) is a key driver at this stage because it reaches consumers inside the routines they already keep.
Holiday shoppers spend an average of three hours on public transit in a typical week, and nearly one in two noticed an outdoor billboard or transit ad in the past week.1
A Holiday Campaign, Measured
In 2025, PATTISON Outdoor measured the impact of a holiday campaign for a leading beauty retail brand that ran on Vancouver transit and digital billboards across Canada. The recall study surveyed respondents in the Toronto, Vancouver and Montreal CMAs.2
76% engaged with the leading brand after seeing the OOH campaign.
94% of those engaged with the brand within a week of seeing the ads.
63% of respondents who recalled the campaign noted an increased interest in the brand.
Browsing to Buying
Once the lists are made, shoppers move into the browsing phase. Shopping mall traffic rises by 25% on average, 84% of Canadians still call Black Friday the most significant shopping day of the year, 64% of holiday shopping still occurs in-store and this year Canadians are projected to spend $9.3B CAD over Black Friday and Cyber Monday.3
How Does a Brand Become Part of the Holiday Story?
This time of year, the opportunity is perfect for in-context creative. Designs that appear alongside holiday content, across multiple touchpoints throughout the shopping journey transform your campaign from an interruption into part of the season.
Plan the Whole Season with PATTISON Outdoor
As Canada’s largest OOH advertising company, PATTISON Outdoor connects brands with holiday shoppers from the first list to the final purchase. When attention is everywhere and decisions are being made early, your campaign belongs front and centre.
Ready to make your brand part of the holiday story?
Contact PATTISON Outdoor Advertising experts today!4