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2024 holiday app trends
App trends
Mobile marketing

New Year, new insights: What 2024 holiday app trends reveal

Prashansa Shrestha, Content Writer, Adjust, Jan 08, 2025.

The 2024 holiday season proved that mobile apps were the ultimate holiday helpers—from budgeting for gifts and planning festive feasts to staying on track with fitness goals or unwinding with a favorite game. 

To uncover these behavioral trends, we took a closer look at Adjust data from December through the new year. This blog highlights the most significant patterns and offers actionable insights to help marketers turn seasonal engagement into sustained success.

Key user behavior patterns during the holiday season

  1. Early December: Users plan and prepare.
  2. Mid-December: Users wrap up holiday tasks.
  3. Christmas Eve and Christmas Day: Engagement dips.
  4. Post-Christmas: App activity surges.

Budget, pay, plan: How finance apps peaked this holiday season

The holiday season is often a balancing act between spending and saving, and in December 2024, finance apps became users’ go-to helpers for managing holiday expenses. It’s no surprise that sessions hit their first big peak on December 2—after all, budgeting for gifts is the true holiday workout!

But the hustle didn’t stop there. Users continued racing to finalize payments and transfers, with banking app sessions spiking by 27% and payment app sessions jumping 26% on December 6, signaling a last-minute push to get financial tasks squared away before diving into the holiday spirit.

As the festivities neared, users returned to finance apps for one last financial sprint. On December 20, finance sessions hit another high point at 29% above the yearly average, as users tied up loose ends before the holiday break. Things naturally slowed around Christmas Eve and Christmas Day, but as soon as the holidays were behind them, users hit the ground running again. December 30 saw another spike, with payment apps climbing 13%, as users wrapped up year-end payments and set their sights on financial resolutions for the new year.

💡 Tip: Promote budgeting tools early in December to help them plan ahead. Then, remind users mid-month to complete payments and transfers before they shift into holiday mode. Once the New Year’s resolutions roll in, be ready to re-engage users with financial goal-setting tools to help them kickstart 2025 on the right foot.

Deal discovery drives December spikes in shopping app activity

Holiday shopping season is a marathon, not a sprint—and users hit the ground running in early December 2024. On December 1, deal discovery installs soared to 42% above the daily average, as users raced to snag early holiday discounts. The momentum carried over to December 2, with installs up 30% and marketplace sessions rising by 15%, indicating that users weren’t waiting around for last-minute sales—they were ready to shop.

Mid-month brought another spike on December 15, with deal discovery installs jumping 26%, as last-minute shoppers scrambled for gifts and holiday bargains. Even with some slowdown before Christmas, shopping activity bounced back post-holiday, with sessions spiking on December 27 and 29. It seems that users weren’t done shopping—end-of-season deals and self-gifting took center stage as they wrapped up their year.

💡 Tip: Launch early December campaigns focused on deal discovery to capture bargain-hunting shoppers. Mid-month, target cart abandonment with push notifications reminding users to complete their purchases before the holiday rush. In the final week before Christmas, promote last-minute gift ideas and fast delivery options. Post-holiday, re-engage users with end-of-season sales and self-gifting offers to keep the momentum going into the new year.

Restaurant apps captured early planners and last-minute diners

As the holiday season ramped up in December 2024, users flocked to restaurant apps to plan festive meals and celebrations. Installs peaked on December 7 at 111% above the yearly average, with sessions rising 44%. On December 14, installs jumped 122%, and sessions increased 48%. Whether planning ahead or making last-minute decisions, users relied on restaurant booking apps to simplify their holiday gatherings.

While activity slowed over Christmas Eve and Christmas Day, post-holiday engagement picked up quickly. New Year’s Eve saw a huge surge, with installs soaring 152% above the 2024 average and sessions up 66%, as users made plans to celebrate the year’s end in style. Meanwhile, food delivery apps remained a steady favorite throughout December, with small spikes on Boxing Day and New Year’s Eve, reflecting ongoing demand for festive meal deliveries.

💡 Tip: Start promoting holiday reservations in early December to capture planners looking for festive meals. Use mid-month campaigns to encourage users to finalize their bookings or catering orders. Post-Christmas, re-engage users with New Year’s Eve dining offers and food delivery promotions for celebrations. Finally, kick off January with recovery meal campaigns to keep users engaged into the new year.

Health & fitness apps see a New Year’s resolution surge

In December 2024, health and fitness apps saw steady engagement throughout the month, but the real action began post-Christmas, as users got a jump on their New Year’s resolutions. As usual, health and fitness engagement dipped on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day, with installs dropping 18% and sessions down 7%. After all, who’s thinking about workouts when there are gifts to unwrap and holiday treats to enjoy? But by December 26, users were already ready to hit reset, with installs climbing 11% as they began to think about their goals for the year ahead.

The final days of December brought a surge in activity. On December 30, installs spiked 27%, and by January 1, 2025, health & fitness apps saw a massive 46% increase, as users kicked off their New Year’s fitness goals with renewed enthusiasm. 

💡 Tip: Start your fitness campaigns right after Christmas to capture users who are ready to set New Year’s goals. Launch a New Year’s challenge during the first week of January to build momentum, and follow up with habit-building campaigns throughout the month to help users turn resolutions into lasting routines. Focus on personalized plans, progress tracking, and motivational rewards to keep users engaged beyond the New Year’s rush.

Gaming apps hit high gear during the holidays

In December 2024, gaming sessions steadily climbed across genres, but the final week of the month delivered the biggest boost, with a major surge on New Year’s Day as users sought interactive entertainment to kick off the new year.

Racing games raced ahead, with sessions peaking 124% above the yearly average, suggesting that users were looking for high-energy entertainment to fill holiday downtime. Hyper casual games followed closely, with sessions up 57%, showing that quick, casual gameplay remains a favorite during busy holiday periods when users want bite-sized entertainment between festive activities.

Meanwhile, educational games saw a significant boost toward the end of December, with sessions jumping 106%, as users looked for ways to start the new year on a productive note. Music games also hit a high note, with engagement spiking 47% on New Year’s Eve and 41% on New Year’s Day.

💡 Tip: Launch end-of-year campaigns focused on short-session games to capture users during the holiday break. As the New Year kicks off, promote learning-focused content to align with users' self-improvement goals. Use seasonal themes and limited-time challenges to maintain engagement into January, and drive long-term retention by encouraging users to build gaming habits with daily logins and personalized recommendations.

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