Around the world: How personalization can transform your Christmas experience

When does the Christmas season officially start for you?

For me, Christmas has always been a special time filled with joy and family. Being born in December, I’ve always loved this month—not just for my birthday, but because it’s when my family comes together to celebrate. As a true Italian, our holidays revolve around spending time together, playing games, and, of course, eating from morning till night!

In Italy, Christmas usually kicks off right after November 1st, All Saints’ Day, since Halloween isn’t very popular. Now that I live in Holland, my experience has shifted. Here, the holiday season begins much earlier, thanks to Sinterklaas on December 5th, which feels like an early version of Christmas. As a Christmas enthusiast, I couldn’t be happier to embrace the extended holiday season—after all, as they say, “When in Rome (or Holland), do as the locals do!”

Reflecting on traditions like Sinterklaas has made me realize how Christmas—and the way it’s celebrated—varies so much across cultures. For businesses, tapping into this diversity can be both an opportunity and a challenge since in today’s digital world, customers expect experiences tailored to their unique traditions, preferences, and needs. A one-size-fits-all approach no longer works.

As we discussed in our article on making Halloween special through personalization, understanding cultural nuances is key to engaging with global audiences.

So how can businesses do the same during the holiday season?

The holiday season is celebrated in many ways across the world—it’s far from a “one-size-fits-all” event. Here are just a few examples of how traditions differ:

• In the Netherlands, Sinterklaas (Saint Nicholas) arrives on December 5th, bringing gifts for children. The festivities include parades, songs, and treats like pepernoten (spiced cookies).
• In Italy, Christmas is deeply rooted in religious traditions, leading up to the Feast of the Epiphany on January 6th. Apart from Santa Claus, children look forward to gifts from La Befana, a kind witch, while family feasts feature panettone, torrone (nougat), and other regional dishes.
• In Japan, Christmas is more about romance and fun. Extravagant light displays, romantic dinners, and the quirky tradition of eating fried chicken—popularized by a KFC campaign—define the season.
• For Jewish families, Hanukkah, the eight-day Festival of Lights, includes lighting the menorah, playing dreidel, and enjoying fried foods like latkes and sufganiyot (Israeli donuts) .

These diverse customs highlight why a single holiday marketing approach can fall flat. For example, snowy winter imagery and Santa Claus might appeal to audiences in the U.S. or Europe but feel irrelevant in Australia, where the holidays happen during summer. Similarly, focusing solely on Christmas could alienate those celebrating Hanukkah or other traditions.

So, once again, how can brands truly connect with such a diverse global audience?

The answer lies in personalization.

During the holiday season, when competition is intense, a generic, one-size-fits-all approach doesn’t work. Personalization allows brands to tailor digital experiences to individual and cultural preferences, helping them stand out and build meaningful connections. It ensures customers feel understood, valued, and engaged—critical factors for earning trust and driving sales.

Here’s how personalization makes an impact:

• Builds trust and relevance: By showing content, products, or promotions aligned with customers’ interests and cultural traditions, you demonstrate that you understand and value them.
• Increases engagement: Personalized experiences resonate emotionally, encouraging users to spend more time on your site and interact with your brand.
• Boosts conversions: When customers feel their specific needs are met, they’re far more likely to make a purchase.

In a crowded holiday marketplace, personalization can be the difference between standing out or blending into the noise.

To deliver meaningful holiday experiences, businesses can follow these steps:

1. Segment audiences by culture and region:
   • Use data like geolocation to group users by their likely traditions.
   • For example, showcase Australia’s summer-themed Christmas traditions.
2. Tailor messaging and visuals:
   • Adjust tone, imagery, and language to reflect cultural norms.
   • A snowy Christmas theme might work in Europe, while a beachside holiday theme is better for Australia.
3. Offer personalized recommendations:
   • Use user data to suggest relevant products or content.
   • For instance, recommend menorahs and Hanukkah candles for users interested in Judaica.
4. Localize content:
   • Translate and adapt content for different languages and regions, including localized currencies and date formats.

To truly make personalization happen, businesses can turn to a headless CMS combined with a personalization tool (usually a third-party tool). The headless CMS is a flexible backend that delivers content to multiple platforms and devices, and with an added personalization tool, brands can target customers based on specific data like location, behavior, or cultural preferences. This approach allows businesses to create tailored experiences, test different content through A/B testing, and optimize in real-time to improve results.

However, today’s modern headless CMS platforms have made things even simpler by integrating personalization capabilities directly into the system, meaning there’s no need for an additional third-party tool. These built-in personalization features allow businesses to automatically deliver content that aligns with customers' preferences and cultural contexts, and the system itself can handle things like A/B testing, real-time data updates, and segmentation—all without extra integrations. This streamlines the entire process and reduces complexity, making personalization more efficient and cost-effective.

According to Prepr’s guide on personalization and adaptive content, a headless CMS with built-in personalization simplifies personalization in several ways:

1. Data-Driven insights:
   • Collect and process user data like geolocation, browsing behavior, and preferences to deliver the most relevant content.
   • For example, users in Italy might see recipes for panettone, while those in Japan might receive recommendations for romantic Christmas dinners.
2. Dynamic content delivery:
   • Modular content makes it easy to adapt messaging for different audiences.
   • A single campaign can feature multiple versions, such as holiday gift guides for North America or family-oriented traditions for Latin America.
3. Adaptive experiences:
   • Content adjusts in real-time based on user behavior, ensuring that every interaction feels personalized.
   • This flexibility allows businesses to update campaigns instantly, staying relevant even as trends or user preferences shift.

By centralizing these capabilities within the CMS, businesses eliminate the need for complex third-party integrations, making personalization more efficient and effective.

A traditional, one-size-fits-all website delivers the same content to everyone, regardless of their preferences or cultural context. In contrast, an adaptive website powered by a headless CMS with built-in personalization offers tailored experiences based on who the user is and what they value.

With adaptive content, brands can ensure every visitor feels understood and engaged, whether they’re shopping for Hanukkah gifts, planning a romantic Christmas dinner, or learning about Sinterklaas traditions. This approach builds trust and drives loyalty, turning casual visitors into lifelong customers.

The holiday season is an opportunity for brands to stand out by celebrating the diversity of their audiences. By leveraging personalization and tools like a headless CMS, businesses can create tailored experiences that resonate across cultures, traditions, and preferences.

In a world where customers expect to feel seen and valued, personalization isn’t just a strategy—it’s a necessity. As the holidays approach, it’s time for brands to embrace the power of adaptive content and make every interaction feel as special as the season itself.