When promoting Christmas sales or products, it’s more important than ever to have an omnichannel strategy that does not rely too heavily on traditional linear TV.

This is according to a survey of 2,000 US consumers and 1,000 UK consumers, conducted by OpenX, the independent ad-tech provider.

More than half (53 per cent) of all consumers no longer watch commercials on live television. One out of four say they spend no time watching live TV at all, including 40 per cent of millennials. More than 70 per cent of millennials say they skip all TV ads.

OpenX advises that habits are shifting significantly this holiday season and brand budgets need to adapt to reach consumers where and when they are now consuming content.

As media consumption habits change, and consumers shift away from TV, mobile usage continues to increase. Some 55 per cent of consumers are on their smartphones for at least three hours a day, and more than a third of millennials and one out of four parents spend 6+ hours on their smartphones daily. Users are not just consuming content on mobile devices but they are also increasingly engaging with brands and conducting larger shares of their overall shopping via their connected mobile devices.

Almost 30 per cent of consumers surveyed say online ads help with finding gift ideas, and most say they have learned about new products through online ads. Whether it’s reaching the 40 per cent of mums playing mobile games daily, the 47 per cent of dads that are shopping on their phone in bed at least once a week, or reaching a millennial on a connected TV, it’s important to not limit the majority of advertising to one channel or screen.

Providing something of value to the consumer is often the key to success, and 77 per cent of consumers, and 84 per cent of millennials would be more likely to watch an online video ad if they could receive a discount off a holiday purchase.

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