All you need to know to increase holiday sales this Christmas

Christmas, often referred to as the most wonderful time of the year, is one of the most widely celebrated holidays, with 96% of consumers intending to commemorate the occasion. 

Since consumers are filled with festive cheer and are eager to spend on gifts, decorations, and holiday-related items, the Christmas season tends to bring out the most generous side of consumers, as they not only purchase gifts for family and friends but also indulge in personal treats and memorable experiences.

Thus, the Christmas season holds immense significance, offering the perfect opportunity for businesses to engage with customers and boost sales. A positive holiday shopping experience can also turn one-time buyers into loyal customers. 

How do you attract customers with holiday marketing campaigns for Christmas?

1. Leverage social media marketing

To effectively generate holiday campaign inspiration at the opportune moment, it's essential to integrate your business into the customer's preferred social media channels. Even if your primary sales channel operates through physical stores, establishing a robust social media presence can yield significant advantages. This is because consumers are more actively visiting physical stores to explore and purchase products they had initially discovered through social media ads.

76% of social media users have purchased something they saw on social media

2. Decorate your online presence

You should transform your business’s website and social media profiles into festive displays by creating an inviting seasonal vibe with charming holiday-themed visuals, banners, and content. This is not only to set the tone for the holidays but also to signal to visitors that your brand is actively participating in the holiday spirit to captivate your audience and keep them interested in your brand.

3. Offer exclusive Christmas promotions

To expand your customer base during the festive season, consider offering exclusive Christmas promotions that resonate with the holiday's joyful essence. Create enticing incentives such as price reductions, time-limited special offers, and bundled product packages to instill a sense of urgency and enthusiasm, compelling customers to engage in purchases.

Wondering how to distribute these exclusive promos effectively to boost holiday sales? Jump to the section below.

How can I increase holiday sales during the festive season? 10 best ideas for your holiday marketing campaigns

For many businesses, the Christmas season represents the last chance to meet or exceed annual sales and profit goals. A strong holiday campaign can make a significant difference in the overall success of the business. So, here, we have covered some practical holiday marketing campaign ideas for you to boost holiday sales this Christmas.

1. Start early but end later: Initiate promotions earlier and extend offers to capture both early birds and last-minute shoppers, ensuring consistent traffic as well as giving you a competitive edge. 

2. Maximize social media advertising: Capitalise on social media platforms to advertise your holiday deals. Targeted ads, compelling visuals, and festive themes can enhance your reach and engagement, all potentially at a more affordable cost than traditional advertising.

3. Festive bundles: Curate special Christmas-themed bundles, offering combinations of bestsellers or complementary products at discounted prices to encourage customers to buy more, and is especially appealing as a ready-made gift option.

4. Flash sales: Creating a sense of urgency with limited-time offers can drive quick sales. Use real-time countdowns or stock counters to amplify the urgency.

5. Welcome offers: Special deals or gifts for first-time buyers can be the extra push they need to choose you over competitors. It's a gesture that can create a lasting first impression.

6. Loyalty rewards: Exclusive sales or discounts for returning or loyal customers can foster brand loyalty. Pair this with a referral bonus for a dual benefit—retaining old customers while acquiring new ones.

7. Offer gift-wrap feature: Offering free or premium gift-wrapping services not only eases the burden on shoppers but also makes the buying experience memorable. 

8. Seamless shopping experience: Ensure your website is optimized for user experience, or even better, allow them to check out messaging apps. Quick load times, easy navigation, and a straightforward checkout process can boost conversions.

9. Responsive customer support: Prioritize customer service with live chats, extended service hours, and quick query resolutions, especially during the busy holiday season can increase trust and sales.

10. Clear shipping and return policies: Offering expedited shipping, free shipping after a certain spend, or hassle-free return policies can be decisive factors for many shoppers. Clearly communicating these policies can be reassuring for customers, making them more likely to finalize their purchase.

The ultimate omnichannel marketing strategy for this festive season

1. Organize giveaways for your holiday marketing campaigns on social media

Launching giveaways on social media is a fantastic way to spark excitement and engagement during the festive season. It’s important for your business to create buzz around your brand and gain user-generated content. Social media giveaways are always quick and effective practices that can help brands increase user engagement and brand awareness.

For example, you can use a Christmas gift set or new products as the prize and set some rules such as “tag 3 friends in comment to participate”. Once customers start commenting on your giveaway post, it's crucial to acknowledge their engagement promptly. And this is where comment auto replies come in handy. You can automate text or images to create a visually appealing reply that thanks users for their participation and provides additional information about your holiday campaigns or products.

2. Send a broadcast message to distribute discount codes

Incorporating broadcast messages through WhatsApp and Facebook Messenger into your holiday campaign strategy can make a significant impact on customer engagement and sales. A heartfelt holiday message coupled with an enticing discount code not only attracts customers but also adds a touch of warmth to your brand. 

You can also take this opportunity to cross-sell or upsell complementary products or services. Effective communication with your customers is also an essential factor in attracting customers, especially during the holiday season.

To save money, two-thirds of shoppers say they’ll buy holiday items on sale or with discount codes.

For example, you can broadcast customized and personalized messages by using message templates with your broadcast lists, to announce the Christmas special discount code for your customers.

"Merry Christmas, [customer name]! 🎄🎅

As a token of our appreciation, use promo code CHRISTMAS10 for an extra 10% off when you purchase our Christmas Special Bundle! 🎁✨

May your holidays be merry, bright, and full of joy! 🌟"

Moreover, you can include a chat button like  "Shop Now" to simplify the customer journey, allowing them to seamlessly transition from receiving the discount code to browsing your products and making a purchase. This reduces friction and makes it convenient for customers to browse and purchase.

Read more: The Complete Guide for WhatsApp Broadcast Messages [2023]

3. Set up a drip campaign to reduce cart abandonment

Cart abandonment is a common challenge in e-commerce; therefore, using a flow builder for your marketing strategies is essential for customizing the customer journey. By utilizing a flow builder, you can create automated drip marketing campaigns aimed at reducing cart abandonment. These drip campaigns work by sending personalized and timely reminders to customers who have left items in their carts. These reminders are not generic; they are carefully tailored to resonate with the specific pain points and motivations of each customer.

You can start by segmenting your audience based on their preferences, behavior, and demographics. Next, create relevant content, such as personalized product recommendations, to connect with your customers. Then, set conditions and time delays to trigger messages at the right moment. You can also include a direct CTA (call-to-action), such as adding items to the cart or browsing the catalog, to guide customers toward your goal. Segment your customers based on their interests and past interactions with your brand. By providing tailored recommendations and offers, you'll enhance the customer experience and drive conversions.

For instance, if a customer abandons their cart, you can automate a reminder message with a limited-time promotion during holiday campaigns, encouraging them to check out their cart. Alternatively, you can set an automation rule to send personalized product recommendations based on the customer’s browsing and cart history when a customer abandons their cart due to uncertainty about a product's suitability.

4. Diversity entry points for customers to chat with your brand

Providing multiple entry points for customers to connect with your brand ensures that individuals can easily reach out and receive timely assistance or information. This approach underscores your commitment to addressing their diverse needs, ultimately fostering stronger relationships and greater satisfaction during the holiday season.

For instance, you can display WhatsApp QR codes on event posters, online banners, product receipts, and packaging, enabling customers to effortlessly connect with your brand from various touchpoints.

Generate unique QR codes for your teams effortlessly with our  WhatsApp QR Code Generator!

Since real-time interaction is crucial for customers to build a sense of trust toward business, integrating a live chat button on your e-commerce website to offer real-time support and assistance to customers is an effective way for customers to initiate conversations. You can also automate direct messages for social media commenters and click-to-WhatsApp ads to ensure proactive engagement with potential customers while initiating free-entry point conversations and expanding your contact lists. 

Free-entry point conversations are WhatsApp conversations that are free of charge. Read more about it in our blog on WhatsApp pricing worldwide.

5. Craft a frictionless shopping journey in the chat

A frictionless shopping journey with valuable tools such as WhatsApp catalogs and product links, is one of the effective marketing strategies that should be implemented to streamline the customer experience. With these tools, you can effectively guide customers through a seamless shopping process, allowing them to view products and services right in the chat, without leaving the messaging app. Real-time communication fosters a sense of trust and transparency, making it easier for customers to consider their potential purchases.

Once they decide to purchase, customers can also make payments directly in the chat with in-chat payment links without the unnecessary hassle of navigating to third-party payment websites. Such a user-friendly approach fosters customer satisfaction and loyalty while enhancing the overall efficiency of the buying journey during the holiday campaigns.

6. Integrate your e-commerce store with messaging

Integrating your e-commerce store, CRM platform, and messaging platforms is a strategic move that enhances your customer engagement and support capabilities. By completing customer profiles within this integrated system, you empower your business to respond promptly to inquiries and provide top-quality customer support and services. When customers experience efficient and effective support, they are more likely to become satisfied with your brand and become happy customers who are not only likely to return for future purchases but also to recommend your brand to friends and family.

Additionally, you can segment customers based on their preferences and apply labels to facilitate targeted communication during these festive seasons. Your broadcast messages can then reach the right audience with relevant offers and information. 

Furthermore, with e-commerce and CRM  integration, you will be able to view customer profiles right next to the chat. Your support team can then access crucial details like order status and purchase history directly from the chatbox and deliver services of the highest quality and accuracy which ultimately contributes to a more streamlined and customer-centric approach to e-commerce.