How to Prepare Your E-Commerce Store for the Christmas & Gifting Season

With Christmas on the horizon, it’s the perfect time to prepare your e-commerce business for the season’s shopping rush. Here are our top tips on how to maximise sales and convert shoppers this gifting season, covering points like Christmas strategy, website optimisations, Christmas email marketing approaches, suggested paid ads schedules and more.

1. Plan Your Festive Strategy Early

Define your holiday goals and plan themed bundles or gift sets to attract seasonal buyers. In fact, we see brands big and small launch a variety of bundles and beautifully packaged gift sets each year. Some great examples from the beauty industry are Charlotte Tilbury, Rare Beauty and Refy.

You can also think about alternative approaches to strengthen your customer’s relationship with your brand, like Charity initiatives, which can also resonate during Christmas. You could donating a portion of proceeds to an organisation closely aligned with your brand or collaborate on charity-dedicated products. A great example of a company that works with charities in a variety of ways is Scamp & Dude.

2. Optimise Your Website for Increased Traffic

Ensure your website can handle high traffic without slowing down. Test load speed, fix bugs, and streamline your navigation. Clear Christmas gift categories, like “Gifts for Him/Her” or “Under £50,” make shopping easier for customers with a budget.

3. Boost Your Email Marketing Efforts

Segment your email lists for loyal customers, new subscribers, and dormant shoppers and experiment with dedicated messaging to encourage purchases. Also consider sending exclusive previews, holiday offers, or “VIP-only” early access sales to specific customers. Competition for your customers’ attention in their inbox will be at an all-time high so catchy subject lines are your best friend. We loved some recent examples from our client, Neal’s Yard Dairy, and jewellery brand Wolf & Moon.

Don’t forget to triple-check that your abandoned basket reminders are all up to date and running smoothly.

4. Make the Most of Paid Ads

Start Christmas ad campaigns early and ramp them up towards December. Lean into the season by using creative that evokes the holiday spirit. Be sure to monitor ad performance closely and increase spend as Christmas approaches to capture last-minute shoppers.

We’ve recently had the pleasure of creating some stunning Christmas ads for our clients arkitaip, Voi Collective and Neal’s Yard Dairy, who’ve nailed festive ad imagery for Meta, Pinterest, Microsoft and Google ads.

5. Engage on Social Media with Holiday Content

Use your organic social channels to build excitement with post ideas like gift guides, countdowns, or holiday preparations. Why not try a “12 Days of Christmas” promotion or highlight top gifting items. Make sure to utilise Instagram and Facebook Shops for shoppable posts that make it easy for customers to find and shop the exact items quickly. A great example is our client Voi Collective, who has nailed the perfect balance between gift guides for the interiors-obsessed and tablescape inspiration.

6. Prioritise Customer Service and Delivery

If you want to make sure holiday shoppers convert and will consider you for future purchases, it’s vital to make sure they have a great experience with your brand. Highlight clear shipping deadlines and provide options for express delivery to keep customers informed. Prioritise that your customer service is available and responsive to deal with any queries or concerns swiftly. You may even want to consider offering free or discounted Christmas shipping for increased conversions.

7. Emphasise Gift Cards

Gift cards, especially digital ones, are ideal for last-minute buyers. Featuring them on your site as a clear and easy option will make sure those wanting to gift one won’t be deterred by complicated or unclear processes. E-Commerce providers like Shopify make it super easy to set up digital gift cards that can be redeemed at your store.

That’s our top tips and tricks for unlocking holiday success this year and maximising your revenue during gifting season. Always make sure you thoroughly evaluate and analyse your results afterwards to inform your approach next year and help you allocate resources to the strongest channels.

Do you need help with growing your revenue as an E-Commerce business? We can help! Get in touch here or via the form on our website to enquire and let’s maximise your results together.