The celery in the stuffing. The potatoes someone insists on making exactly the way their mother did. The citrus that makes the whole kitchen smell like the holidays are supposed to.
Fresh produce is already part of the season’s most meaningful meals. For marketers, the opportunity is to help people bring those meals to life while making a busy season feel a little bit more manageable.
From Thanksgiving through January, shoppers are juggling gatherings, grocery lists, and everyday meals. How can your brand help them spend less time figuring it all out and more time enjoying it?
Make the delicious idea feel doable
In IFIC’s 2026 Food & Health Survey, convenience moved ahead of healthfulness as a food purchase driver for the first time, while taste and price remained the leaders.
Give shoppers approachable, crave-worthy recipes with the details that make them useful: clear servings, prep-ahead instructions, and a shopping list. A no-cook appetizer that frees up oven space might be exactly what someone needs to feel good about their contribution to a community dinner.
Make shopping easier, too. FMI’s Power of Produce 2026 reports that 46% of Gen Z have tried a new produce item because of social media. Your brand can help that inspiration make it into the cart through utilizing retailer product links or shoppable recipes.
Instacart’s recipe ads, for example, connect recipes with ingredients shoppers can purchase. Explore opportunities with your retail partners, confirming product eligibility and availability before promoting them.
Help with the “one more thing” trip
Even with a carefully planned grocery list, holiday cooking can send shoppers back to the store for the celery they forgot, extra potatoes for unexpected guests, or fresh herbs to finish a dish. These quick trips give your brand another opportunity to help, often when shoppers have little time to browse.
Instacart’s holiday research found that the share of $10–$20 orders rose to as much as three times its annual average around Thanksgiving and Christmas in its 2023 purchasing data.
Consider how your brand shows up for that quick shopping mission. In-store, a “Finish your stuffing” display with complementary ingredients and a take-home recipe makes the solution easy to recognize. Online, accurate images, clear pack sizes, and links to available products help shoppers finish their carts without having to think too much about it.
Give people a moment to feel the holiday
FMI’s 2025 holiday research found shoppers looking forward to family time, familiar aromas, and traditions. Your product may already be part of a story they love telling.
Work with your RDs and influencers to uncover those connections with online audiences. Who taught them to make the dish? What ingredient meant the holidays had arrived? Which ingredients spark a friendly rivalry over who makes it best? Invite their audiences to join the conversation: “What holiday dish tastes like home, and who in your family gets bragging rights?”
You can bring that warmth into the produce department as well. Familiar recipe language, seasonal imagery, and a thoughtfully styled display can create a small moment of connection in the middle of a hurried trip. Is your display selfie-worthy? A creative backdrop with a playful “I brought the sides” sign, surrounded by ingredients for holiday favorites, could give someone who stopped in for carrots or onions a reason to pause, snap a photo, and feel like they’re already part of the celebration.
Be ready when shoppers are ready
Pinterest’s Marketing Moments Guide reminds us that shoppers often start planning for seasonal occasions well before our marketing calendars catch up. Use Pinterest Trends to check when people begin looking for ideas relevant to your product, then plan content around that window.
Keep the post-Christmas days in the mix. Pinterest’s Q5 guidance describes food content moving from celebration toward healthier routines. Meet shoppers there with easy dinners, realistic meal prep, and resources worth returning to: one product, three meals, and a manageable grocery list.
Throughout the season, thoughtful marketing can help people make room for good food and meaningful moments. Start with what your shoppers need: an idea for something delicious, help with a last-minute ingredient, or a fresh take on a familiar tradition. When your brand makes those moments easier, you give people a reason to bring your produce home and keep it on the table long after the holidays.