There are only so many ways you can wrap a Christmas present. Likewise, there are only so many ways that businesses can market their products in the run-up to Christmas. For all the talk of ‘goodwill to all’, Christmas is a fiercely competitive time of year in the e-commerce sector, and as the festive season looms again, many businesses find themselves struggling for ideas and tips on what else they can do to get more sales.
To return to our Christmas present analogy, it’s often the simple gifts and small thoughtful touches that make the most impact when giving someone a present. There is no need to keep raising the bar each year to find new and wacky gift ideas or ways to wrap a present. Sometimes, simplicity is all you need. And it’s the same with Christmas marketing. Granted, there’s always a few unusual marketing campaigns that push the boat out, but for most businesses, good sales results come from following a straightforward and proven festive marketing pattern. For example:
- Bonus Christmas gifts with purchase: offer your customers a free, festive-themed gift with every purchase over a certain threshold. This is a fun way to enhance your customers’ shopping experience while also incentivising them to spend more. Promote these gifts prominently on your social media, marketing emails, and website to encourage sales.
- Digital gift cards: it can be really tricky choosing a Christmas present for certain people – you know who they are! Set your e-commerce website up to offer digital gift cards in the run-up to Christmas for people who want to purchase from you but aren’t sure of what gift to buy. These are also a good way of increasing spend from last-minute gift shoppers in the final few days before Christmas, especially as shipping deadlines approach. Most vouchers can be configured to deliver by email on a set date.
- Personalised gift recommendations: some e-commerce businesses are now using AI ‘gift finder’ tools that give customers curated gift suggestions based on their interests, age, occasion, budget, or other custom input criteria. This can help out customers who are stuck for ideas, simplify the shopping journey, and make it easier for them to find the perfect gift – as well as potentially increasing spend.
- Encourage secondary spend: festive secondary spend can be encouraged through pop-up windows or pre-checkout pages that recommend complementary products to the items in the customer’s basket. This can be quite effective at subtly raising the average value of each purchase, even by a couple of pounds, and also highlighting festive stock, discounts, and campaign items.
- Advent calendar of savings: starting on the first of December, send your email subscribers and social media contacts 24 daily deals or discounts to encourage engagement throughout the run-up to Christmas. Make each deal strictly time-limited for 24-hours only, and offer a generous discount to encourage conversions. This is a tried and tested way of drawing attention to your brand during the festive season, and can directly continue the discounts and offers provided during Black Friday. Some businesses allow the discount to speak for themselves, while others tie their content in with an advent calendar theme and Christmas imagery. Go with what works best for your customers.
Next steps
To find out more about Christmas marketing and how you can increase e-commerce sales this season, please contact JDR today by clicking here.
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