Here are some Christmas e-commerce tips & tricks to maximise sales from a few members of our team.

Take your online store to the next level this Christmas with these expert tips

Dec 21, 2022
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It's the most wonderful time of the year!

Whether you're a founder, marketing manager, or e-commerce store manager, there are always more ways to maximise your sales over the busy festive season. So here are some Christmas e-commerce tips and tricks from a few members of our team:

Capture the last-minute shoppers (with gift cards)

Why are these effective?

Everyone's a last-minute shopper, never more so at Christmas. Gift cards generate sales twice – first when you buy them and second when your gift card buddy makes a purchase. So, they automatically generate more traffic to your website, and if you create the right first impression, people with gift cards are likely to buy much more than the gift card value!

Zorana's tip

"Electronic gift cards are a quick and inexpensive way to target last-minute purchases. You'll also be able to send targeted emails to people who have purchased cards before, every holiday, to remind them to buy more gift cards. Bonus: this can be automated! So, there's no extra effort to sell them."

Decorate the tree (and your website)

Why are these effective?

The holiday shopping season is when online retailers have their sites filled to the brim with festive designs. All online stores at this pivotal time of year are determinedly trying to earn as much as they can, and the gift-giving tradition of Christmas is the ideal time in which to try to drive sales.

Nancy's tip

“We don’t need to rewrite the Christmas tale — using tried, tested, and true web design sales tactics can help increase conversions, sales, and ultimately profits. Some easy things you can do include using the colour red, BIG headlines, and incorporating mentions of shopping incentives or discounts.”

Plan your post-Christmas emails NOW

Why are these effective?

Your sales shouldn't end at Christmas – there's a huge potential for return on investment when you also focus on the days after Christmas and into New Year. We know that having to think about post Holiday sales before we've even hit the peak is hard, but if you have your sale (and emails) ready to go, you'll see great results.

Caine's tip

"The best emails are simple, with a catchy subject line. Subject lines like '🎁 Holiday Special' will work wonders for Food & Beverage brands (with an average 48% open rate). Outside of F&B, using 'Doesn't Exist-' in a subject line will increase open rates by 22% in B2B emails and 28% in B2C emails."

Don't bore your customers (clean up your checkout flow)

Why is this effective?

A clean purchase process can improve your sales dramatically. People have limited attention spans online, so the easier you make it to checkout, the more people will checkout. It's as simple as that.

Milan says:

"Nobody likes waiting at the cashier (even online), so treat your customers to a super smooth process. Count your clicks and keep'em low. The key here is to keep your purchase flow and checkout process as clean and simple as possible while being elegant and efficient. Time is valuable to everyone!"

Schedule your social posts well in advance

Why are these effective?

We know that sometimes Holiday sales can sneak up on the best of us, but scheduling your social posts in advance will be your saviour this time around. By being organised, you'll also have the space to develop creative, conversion-driven ideas. Nobody wants to see a boring 'Happy Holidays' post with no call-to-action or incentive for purchase. We promise if you put the effort in today, you'll see the results tomorrow.

Danni says

"To schedule your holiday content like a pro, try creating a content calendar and mapping out your posts in advance; you can do this directly through Facebook for free or tools like Planable and Buffer. This will help you stay on track and make sure you're consistently sharing relevant, timely content. Mix it up with different types of posts, like videos, blog posts, and images, to keep things interesting for your audience. And remember to use those oh-so-important hashtags and tags to help your content reach a wider audience. Happy scheduling!"

Video is a great tool to capture sales over the holiday season

Why are these effective?
Short-form videos (usually shared across social platforms) provide retailers a way to differentiate themselves during the holiday season (and all year round). The average customer expects to see at least six images and three videos per product while shopping on Amazon.com or other online retailers, not to mention we see upwards of an 80% boost in conversions when video is incorporated into a landing page.

Damien says
“Start with one primary hero video or product explainer video. And remember that videos can go beyond showcasing products. Retailers can boost digital engagement with homepage videos, short lifestyle clips, user-generated videos, or instructional tutorials that showcase products in action.”

Prep your brand files for designers (& put them in logical folders)

Why is this effective?

When businesses work with brands that customers and employees know (and love), brand guidelines enable businesses to engage with designers and marketers to make sure the look and feel of their marketing campaign is consistent. If you spend a few hours organising your brand files, this can help any designer you work with operate at pace (and provide visuals that deliver results).

Delano says:

"When an email pops into your inbox requesting brand assets from your company to move forward with a dazzling e-commerce marketing project, do you (a) send them your brand guidelines linked housed in one location along with a great brand story, or (b) tell them they can find your logo in your email signature? If you go with B, it will take a hot minute to get your designs ready. Communicating brand assets (fonts, logos, colour palettes, tone of voice, and approved images) allows design teams to quickly understand your brand voice and deliver assets in a timely manner.

Research Q1 keyword search trends

Why is this effective?

The name of the game for search engine optimisation (SEO) is all about being ten steps ahead of search trends, so if you haven't already made a New Year and Q1 plan, now is the time! In the New Year, keyword searches like 'New year resolutions' and 'XX' are ideal areas to focus on. In fact, as of right now, these types of keywords are up 850%.

Amy says:

"Go beyond looking at basic search terms and look further ahead to Veganuary (always popular in January) and Valentine's Day. Don't forget to dig deep into industry-specific search terms like 'dinner dates Valentine's day' for food & beverage."

Caine's bonus tip: Make sure your shipping, returns and terms & conditions are front & centre

Why are these effective?

Returns, privacy and terms & conditions policies help build trust, increase customer retention, and improve brand credibility. The average e-commerce store return rate is 18.1%, so updating your policies ahead of Christmas can help save you a lot of issues.

Caine's tip

"Make your policies and conditions easily accessible on every website page. Being transparent about handling returns and refunds will make your brand appear more reliable. As we all know, the returns experience can also affect shoppers' decision to buy again, so this is important not to skip!"

Written By
Amy Hayward
An expert in putting the wheels on the inbound marketing machine, Amy helps clients achieve their goals with social media & PPC campaigns, SEO, websites, user-centric strategies, and detailed reporting.
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