The holiday season is practically here, and that means “It’s go time” for e-commerce businesses.
As an online seller, the next couple of months represent the most lucrative sales period of the entire year.
But with great opportunity comes even tougher competition. Every brand wants a piece of that sweet holiday profit pie.
So how do you make sure your marketing stands out from the pack and drives maximum conversions?
In this guide, we’ll be covering 15 proven Christmas and New Year E-commerce Marketing Ideas to crush it this Christmas and New Year.
- Pre-Christmas promotions to build holiday hype nice and early
- Christmas marketing tactics for targeting deal-seekers
- Post-holiday sales to clear leftover inventory
- Future planning to stay ahead of the game
By putting these holiday e-commerce marketing ideas into play, you’ll be well on your way to record-setting revenue before ringing in the New Year.
Now let’s get into the actionable tips and tricks to make this holiday season your biggest ever.
Article Contents
15 Christmas and New Year E-commerce Marketing Ideas
- Launch Early Bird Deals and Countdown Timers
- Offer Free Shipping and Returns
- Send Targeted Email Campaigns
- Create Special Landing Pages
- Bundle Gift Products
- Create Special Social Media Content
- Provide Excellent Customer Service
- Promote Gift Cards
- Promote After Christmas Deals
- Prepare for New Year’s Promotions
- Run Holiday Contests and Giveaways
- Offer Christmas Bundles and Kits
- Launch Pop-Up Shops or Flash Sales
- Partner with Influencers and Affiliates
- Create Shareable Content
Pre-Christmas Promotions
Getting a head start on your holiday promotions is crucial for priming your audience and setting revenue records. Let’s review some of the top pre-Christmas marketing tactics:
1. Launch Early Bird Deals and Countdown Timers
- Starting your holiday sales early (like late October/November) piques interest and gets customers ready to spend.
- Display countdown timers on site showing the days until your Christmas deals launch. This builds anticipation and urgency.
- Consider offering special early bird pricing or exclusive deals just for customers who shop during the pre-launch period.
2. Offer Free Shipping and Returns
- Nothing hurts conversion rates more than unexpected shipping fees at checkout.
- Free shipping is the number one incentive to increase online holiday orders. It reduces cart abandonment.
- Also allow free, easy returns. Reduce the risk for gift purchasers unsure about sizing etc.
3. Send Targeted Email Campaigns
- Use holiday-themed emails like:
- Gift guides and suggestion lists based on budgets, categories, past purchases, etc
- Personalized recommendations for customers using purchase data and browsing history
- Make emails fun and festive. Include holiday graphics, gif animations, and seasonal color themes.
4. Create Special Landing Pages
- Build dedicated promotional pages for your Christmas deals, bundles, etc.
- Allows you to customize messaging, images, calls-to-action tailored to the holiday season.
- Draw attention to these pages by linking to them across your site and in your email campaigns.
The key is laying the groundwork early. Follow these pre-Christmas e-commerce marketing ideas, and you’ll have shoppers ready to buy from the big man in the red suit himself.
Christmas and New Year Marketing Ideas/Tactics
Once the holiday season is in full swing, you need to have the right promotional tactics dialed in. Here are some top Christmas and New Year marketing ideas to maximize sales:
5. Bundle Gift Products
- Curate gift bundles and value sets around popular products, categories, and price points.
- It makes shopping easier for customers seeking the perfect present.
- Allows you to offer bundles at a discounted rate while increasing average cart value. It’s a win-win.
6. Create Special Social Media Content
- Deck the halls on your social channels.
- Run holiday giveaways and contests – a great way to build buzz.
- Create shoppable gift guides and suggestion posts to inspire customers.
- Share fun facts, DIY content, recipes, etc – lean into the festive feels.
7. Provide Excellent Customer Service
- Shoppers need confidence they’ll get gifts delivered on time with the option for returns.
- Have holiday shipping deadlines and policies visible across the site.
- Make sure the support team is ready for the seasonal influx of inquiries.
- Set reasonable turnaround times for responses over Christmas weekend.
8. Promote Gift Cards
- Simple, convenient gift options customers may overlook.
- Dedicate email blasts or social posts to remind shoppers that gift cards are available.
- Consider bundled discounts when purchasing multiple cards over the holidays.
Getting these Christmas marketing fundamentals right will have shoppers merry to your virtual checkout.
9. Offer Christmas Bundles and Kits
- Curate products that work well together
- Discount bundles to incentivize larger cart sizes
- Theme bundles around specific personalities, categories, or price points
- Offer a limited edition Christmas variant of an existing popular bundle
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Post Holiday Sales
The holiday hustle doesn’t end on December 25th. Here are some effective post-Christmas promotions for New Year:
10. Promote After Christmas Deals
- Offer deep discounts on remaining holiday inventory – shoppers love a good deal.
- Clear out seasonal items with sitewide sales, flash deals, etc.
- Drive traffic with email and social promotions for your end-of-year clearance.
11. Prepare for New Year’s Promotions
- New Year’s is another big opportunity to win over shoppers.
- Consider bundled “New Year, New You” themed products that play into resolutions.
- Or simply hype upcoming January deals to keep sales momentum going strong.
12. Run Holiday Contests and Giveaways
- Great for engagement and lead generation
- Offer prizes like gift cards, branded merch, etc.
- Promote via social posts and email blasts
- Can tie giveaway entries to opt-ins to build your marketing list
13. Launch Pop-Up Shops or Flash Sales
- Create urgency with limited-time offers
- Drive impulse purchases
- Dedicate a section of the site for the pop-up/flash sale
- Limit quantities available to further boost urgency
14. Partner with Influencers and Affiliates
- Expand reach leading up to holidays
- Have them promote discounts/deals
- Offer customized landing pages or unique promo codes to track campaign performance
- Reward top-performing partners with bonuses or perks
- DIY ideas, gift guides, inspiration
- Encourage social sharing
- Spotlight user-generated content featuring your products
- Run a viral social contest for customers (ugly sweater challenge etc.)
Powering through the holiday season with effective post-Christmas promotions will set you up nicely going into the new year.
Christmas and New Year E-commerce Marketing Ideas Conclusion and Future Planning
We’ve covered a ton of killer holiday marketing tips and tricks here. To summarize,
- The holiday season presents a huge revenue opportunity for e-commerce businesses.
- But you need an effective promotional strategy to stand out.
- Use the pre-Christmas, Christmas, and post-Christmas e-commerce marketing ideas outlined to drive maximum conversions.
Plan for the Next Holiday Season
- Don’t just forget about all this once New Year’s passes.
- Review your holiday sales data, and pinpoint what strategies performed best.
- Use those insights to set goals and start planning early for an even better 2023 holiday campaign.
The keys are getting a head start on planning, executing targeted campaigns across channels, and offering irresistible deals and content during the festive season.
Put these tips into play, and you’ll be celebrating at the bank.
FAQs on Christmas and New Year E-commerce Marketing Ideas
What’s the best day to send holiday promotions?
The best days are Tuesday-Thursday. Avoid Mondays and Fridays. Time emails for early morning or mid-day.
Should I offer expedited shipping?
Yes, provide faster shipping options closer to Christmas for shoppers needing last-minute gifts.
What types of holiday emails work best?
Personalized product recommendations, special deals, timely shipping reminders, and order confirmations.
How early should I start planning for next year?
Ideally, evaluate this year’s holiday data by the end of January. Outline initial goals and plans for the next holiday season by March.
Should I use holiday hashtags?
Yes, but don’t just use generic ones. Create branded hashtags related to your holiday promotions to boost engagement.
What’s the ideal length for social videos?
30-90 seconds. Utilize video captions and tags. Keep your style festive like your other holiday branding.
This marks the end of the article about 15 PROVEN Christmas and New Year E-commerce Marketing Ideas. I hope you had a good time reading it. Thanks for dropping in.
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year.
