Make your Christmas campaigns count: a guide for affiliate marketers
High school and college students are always on the lookout for the next big thing—whether it's an event, season, or product drop. These eager Gen Zers crave meaningful experiences, and it’s your job as an affiliate marketer to meet them where they are.
But here's the reality: Gen Z shopping habits have changed. The traditional last-click attribution model no longer cuts it. Instead, it’s all about creating a journey that connects with them before, during, and after purchase.
Why should this matter to you?
To truly connect with Gen Zers this festive season, affiliate marketers need to understand what’s happening in their lives. This level of insight helps you know which products or services to promote, when to promote them, and how to drive affiliate marketing work effectively.
In this blog post, we’ll provide you with some insights and tips to help you craft a winning strategy.
The student mindset this festive season
This year hasn’t been an easy one for students, and Christmas 2024 isn’t set to be much better.
Traditionally, this is a time for gift-giving and experiences, but economic uncertainty is dominating people’s lives and spending habits are being impacted. 60% of Gen Zers are worried about their finances and 67% report mental health struggles linked to money issues.
For marketers, this means being empathetic and offering solutions that balance commercial objectives with students' concerns.
The solution? Discounts
Offers for student discounts are a game-changer, especially during tough economic times. However, Gen Z are looking for value, not just the cheapest price.
In fact, 90% of students would consider shopping with a new brand if it offered a student discount.
When asked what influences their purchase decisions, students told us:
- Better deals and discounts: 68% of US and 57% of UK students say this is the #1 factor.
- Low delivery costs and reliable product reviews are close behind.
- And interestingly, deal previews are more influential than ever, especially in the US.
What’s more, 58% of UK students and 61% of US students plan to look more actively for deals this year.
Takeaway: Gen Z are savvier than ever. Brands who can offer a compelling promo, low-friction delivery, and transparent information up front will win.
Ultimately, students want to be frivolous at Christmas, but this year they’ll need to do so in a budgeted, cost-effective manner
As an affiliate marketer, it’s a time of year when you can maximise earnings, but you need to have a solid strategy in place that supports students and offers great deals.
A significant 45% of students shared that they look for a student discount every they make a purchase, so it’s not something to be ignored...
Don’t know where to start? Don’t worry, we can help!
Finding success is all about choosing the right providers to promote and understand your consumer’s environment, and that’s where publishers like Student Beans, Pion's verification partner, can help affiliate marketers provide shoppers with the best products for the best prices.
Online vs. offline: the Gen Z shopping journey
For a generation raised on next-day delivery and TikTok unboxings, it’s no surprise that online shopping still dominates. Across both the UK and the US, students lean heavily on digital-first habits when it comes to seasonal shopping, especially during high-intensity sales periods like Black Friday and Cyber Monday.
In fact, 38% of US students and 35% of UK students say they prefer to do most of their holiday shopping online to avoid crowds, with many citing convenience, speed, and the ability to compare discounts as key drivers.
Online platforms also allow them to track prices over time, access exclusive student deals, and tap into limited drops and time-sensitive flash sales.
But despite the shift to screen-based spending, in-store shopping hasn’t vanished altogether.
One in three US students (34%) still enjoys the tradition of shopping in physical stores during the holiday season, compared to 27% in the UK. For some, it’s about the festive buzz. For others, it’s about the reassurance of seeing and touching a product before purchasing — especially when gifting high-stakes items like tech, fashion, or skincare.
The takeaway?
Brands can’t afford to pick just one lane. The most effective student campaigns this season will blend digital-first shopping journeys with in-store incentives — whether that’s offering exclusive online previews of in-store deals, promoting QR codes in physical locations, or rewarding app users with in-store-only freebies. Students want flexibility. Give them a reason to choose your channel: and then reward them for doing so.
TikTok Shop: the new frontier
Young people want a clean, intuitive shopping experience that will make the journey as convenient as possible, and TikTok’s in-app shopping platform provides them with just that. TikTok Shop, an integration with Shopify, allows merchants, brands and creators to sell products directly to their audiences on TikTok.
Equally, with tools like affiliate links, TikTok Shop allows brands to interact directly with their communities, leveraging already-dedicated communities and getting them involved in existing conversations.
TikTok is ideal for the festive season when students are actively searching for deals and recommendations – so it's a platform you certainly should not be ignoring.
How to offer IRL experiences for digital natives
Christmas markets, hot chocolates and festive lights: these are all experiences that shoppers miss out on if they choose to do their holiday shopping from the comfort of their beds.
Although online shopping is set to dominate the festive season, students still value physical products and real-world interactions. Brick-and-mortar stores can innovate by offering:
QR codes for exclusive discounts
The perfect way of blending IRL and URL experiences, QR codes encourage interactivity. Try sharing exclusive content and personalised discounts that shoppers can only access by visiting in-person stores.
Exceptional customer service to create loyalty
Any negative experiences in your stores will be publicly shared, and a good experience will lead to recommendations to friends and family.
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Ethical transparency to showcase good practices
This is applicable to both the online and offline world, but having a brick-and-mortar store provides you with the opportunity to showcase the good work you’re doing in the world!
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Gamify your experiences and events and make Gen Z want to stick around!
Want to bring students back again and again? Add gamification to your strategy.
From our Pion B2S Survey (2024):
- 58% of students are more likely to engage with a brand offering rewards or gamified experiences.
- 62% say competitions make them more likely to shop.
Simple things like:
- Interactive discount wheels
- QR code treasure hunts
- Creator-led challenges
These all turn browsing into bonding.
Maximizing passive income through affiliate marketing
For marketers looking to boost passive income, tapping into Gen Z shopping habits is key. Use affiliate product promotions that resonate with their needs, such as student ID verification for exclusive deals (we can help with that, by the way...).
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