10 Tips for Winning Peak Season and the Holidays

Rev your engines: peak season 2026 is finally here.  

While we continue to monitor AI’s impact on the customer journey, the attitudes of consumers amid high economic headwinds, and countless other trends, there are definitely some ways of ensuring you’re prepared for the next few months.    

Here are 10 tips for those planning to use partnerships in Q4 and the Holiday season, drawn from Awin's experts and the advice of our guests on Awin-Win Marketing Podcast.   

From utilizing creators for an authentic touch to broadening commission groups to narrow down on those goals, there’s plenty to sift through. 

1. Recruit Amazon-reliant creators now

As reported by our Influencer Marketing Director Gabrielle Peyer in her Q3 Wrap for the influencer space, Amazon's decision to cut commissions by up to 50% in Spring have left creators actively looking for programs that pay reliably.  

That creates a prime window (no pun intended) to snare high-performing Amazon creators and bring them onto your affiliate program.  

You’re still competing with the best. So lead with competitive rates, clear rate cards, Holiday bonuses, and fast onboarding.

2. Move beyond commission-only deals

Another tip for those looking into creator-led activations over peak: after the continued drop in Amazon commission rates, more creators are asking for a safety blanket in the form of upfront fees or hybrid pay.  

The emerging standard is a guaranteed base plus commission on tracked sales. Almost a best of both worlds for brands and partners.  

It works, too. Affiliate consultant Matt McWilliams reports that programs testing hybrid deals this year have seen their cost per acquisition rates fall 28%, while each partnership lasted an average of seven months, up from two.

3. Think of the customer and keep it simple 

Peak events like Black Friday, Cyber Monday, Singles Day, and Christmas see customers fielding promotions and messages all day long.  

Millie Lavery of THG is pretty clear when it comes to advising on what truly resonates in Q4. 

“Definitely the simplicity of the messaging. I feel like in Q4, customers are being bombarded with different messaging, so we've actually found simplicity works best.” 

If an offer needs a paragraph to explain, simplify it.

4. Hold some budget back for tests and new partners

Peak planning starts long before even Q2 these days. Still, there should always be room in the most rigid of plans for flexibility and adjustments. 

Amy Denton of daily deal site Wowcher recommends an agile approach to budget allocation. 

“Keep a small proportion of budget back for new opportunities, because new publishers will come to the market very quickly. So keep a little bit of budget back and then you can invest it and try new things.” 

One of our favorite examples of an agile peak-season advertiser is Currys. Just three weeks before Black Friday, the electrical retailer spotted an opportunity to earn commission by sharing rewards from complementary brand partners once a purchase had been made.  

Enabled via BrandSwap, it built a new post-purchase reward program that now drives the equivalent of £20 million in sales revenue. All in three weeks. 

5. Extend supplier-funded spend beyond your own site

Currys has been something of a Q4 trendsetter on Awin, particularly when it comes to brand partnerships.  

Last year, to ramp up sales of LG TVs, it used budget from LG’s media investment to reach a far bigger audience. Reviews from Future and The Independent built consideration, display re-engaged interested shoppers, and cashback and coupon partners converted demand into £890k in revenue in a single month.  

Yes, retail media is partly about capturing attention on your own sites and apps. But you can't rely on reaching shoppers solely on your own properties. 

If you’re lucky enough to have a supplier-funded campaign, use affiliate partners to get it out into the world.

6. Tell partners early if your validation window changes

Time for some housekeeping. Peak can change your returns period, and that may mean changing your validation window. 

Julia Stent of the Affiliate and Partner Marketing Association warns that while that's perfectly acceptable, you should tell your partners in advance and give them adequate notice.  

Clear, early communication protects trust with the real businesses that are working to your terms and planning their own content. 

7. Expand your commission groups

One way of truly making sure you drive the right results around peak events like Black Friday and Christmas is to offer multiple commission rates. 
 
Incentivizing your partners to go after a specific type of customer (e.g. new or lapsed), sell products from a certain category, or drive high-value sales, makes it easier to cater to your wider business goals and merchandising priorities. 

“The commission group multiplier effect” is a real thing on Awin. As we shared earlier in the year, affiliate programs offering 2-3 commission groups generate +126% more revenue than those offering a single flat rate. For programs with 4+ commission groups, the uplift is +546%.  

Peak season and the Holidays make for the perfect time to experiment with different commission rates and get your partner base firing. 

8. Treat TikTok Shop as a gifting channel

While many brands have used TikTok Shop to shift low-cost, viral products, the playing field is about to get a whole lot bigger.  

Spreetail reports that most consumers (51%) have now bought something worth over $100 there, meaning it's no longer just for impulse buys—it's for bigger gifts, too.   

A word of advice, though. If a creator promotes the same product on TikTok Shop and through your program, align your rates so you aren't paying twice for one sale.

9. With incentive plays, look at the bigger picture

Last month, we invited LTK, Voucher Codes, and Quidco to pitch their latest offerings to brands as part of our peak season webinar.  

What stood out is the breadth of channels available to the modern coupon site. Not too long ago, sharing a discount with an incentive partner would have seen you fighting for attention either on a website or an email newsletter. 

Nowadays, coupon sites offer a much broader range of inventory, particularly on social.  

Take the example of VoucherCodes, which now offers sponsored content packages to brands looking to tap into its 650k followers on Instagram, TikTok, and Facebook. 

Look out for opportunities to drive sales while reaching new audiences and boosting brand engagement, just like this campaign between Iceland and VoucherCodes. 

10. Put AI visibility in the creator brief

“Is it about getting volume through the door, conversions, or is it about long-term revenue?” 

In her own advice for brands over Q4 and the Holidays, Pippa Bryant at SimplyCook reiterated the importance of making investments that pay off for years rather than days.  

As a subscription business, SimplyCook is always focused on the overall value of a customer once they sign up, but it’s sage advice nonetheless. 

One idea for getting more from your peak season activity is to look into YouTube creators. According to Ahrefs’ analysis of 75,000 brands, YouTube mentions correlate more strongly with AI visibility than any other metric.  

Check how often, and in what context, you come up when shoppers ask AI about your category. Where a competitor dominates the answer, try commissioning YouTube reviews, blog posts and social content around the products you want to highlight.