The holiday season is a crucial time for retailers, with Christmas being one of the most lucrative opportunities of the year. While ideally, marketing plans are in place well before December, there’s always room for last minute strategies to maximise sales. If you’re looking to make a final push, here are 9 simple yet effective digital marketing tips to help you boost your Christmas sales.
1. Use Festive Email Campaigns
If you have an email marketing list, it remains one of the most powerful tools for driving sales, especially during the festive season:
- Promote last minute deals – Send targeted emails featuring exclusive discounts or free delivery offers
- Gift guides – Help your customers choose your products with gift guides, segmented by budget or recipient type, for example gifts under £20 or perfect gifts for Mums
2. Offer Last Minute Delivery Options
- Highlight fast shipping – Promote express or same day delivery services on your website and in your online Ads
- Free in store pickup – If you have a physical location, encourage local customers to pick up their online orders to ensure they receive them on time and to help save them money
- Gift cards – Promote digital gift cards as the perfect solution for last minute buyers, so that their loved ones can choose their own gifts
3. Create Urgency with Limited Time Offers
- Countdown Timers – If possible, add countdown banners on your website to emphasise the urgency of deals or shipping deadlines
- Flash sales – Run short, limited time promotions to grab attention and boost impulse purchases
- Exclusive discounts – Offer last minute shoppers extra savings to sweeten the deal, such as an extra 10% off
4. Leverage Social Media for Festive Promotions
- Festive posts – Share Christmas themed content, such as product spotlights or behind the scenes videos of your team prepping for Christmas
- Stories and reels – Take advantage of Instagram or Facebook Stories to showcase deals, countdowns, or customer testimonials
- Holiday hashtags – Use trending hashtags like #ChristmasDeals, #LastMinuteShopping or #HolidayGifts to increase post visibility
5. Retarget Shoppers with online Christmas Ads
For shoppers that abandon carts or browse without purchasing, retargeting can help bring them back:
- Remarketing Ads – Use platforms like Facebook or Google to display products customers have already viewed but not yet purchased
- Personalised discounts – Offer a small discount to incentivise shoppers to go back and complete their purchases
- Christmas themed creative – Add some Christmas cheer and update your Ad visuals to reflect festive colours, themes and messaging
6. Make the Most of Google My Business
If you have a physical store, an optimised Google My Business profile can drive significant foot traffic:
- Holiday hours – Update your hours to reflect special Christmas Eve or holiday operating times
- Promote in stock items – Highlight popular or seasonal products that are available for immediate purchase
- Share updates – Post promotions, events, or last minute announcements directly on your profile, just like you would with your other social media platforms
7. Embrace SMS Marketing
If you have a list of customers signed up to receive promotional text messages, it’s a fast and direct way to engage with customers and entice them to make last minute purchases:
- Promote sales – Announce exclusive holiday discounts or shipping updates
- Send reminders – Alert customers about impending delivery cut offs or the last day to shop for Christmas shipping
- Provide easy links – Include clickable links in your messages to drive traffic directly to your deals
8. Encourage Gift Bundles
- Pre-made bundles – Offer curated product bundles as ready to go gift sets
- Discounted pairings – Provide discounts when customers purchase complementary items together
9. Offer Post Christmas Deals
The holiday sales opportunity doesn’t have to end on 25th December:
- Boxing Day promotions – Start marketing post Christmas sales for customers looking to spend gift cards or shop clearance items
- Thank you emails – Send holiday greetings with special offers to encourage repeat purchases
- Returns and exchanges – Promote hassle free exchanges to attract shoppers looking to replace or upgrade their gifts
With Christmas just around the corner, it’s never too late to make a final marketing push. By leveraging these simple yet effective digital marketing strategies such as festive emails, remarketing Ads, social media promotions and optimised shipping options, you can capture the attention of last minute shoppers and boost your sales.
If you need any expert help with your digital marketing, please get in touch with us at Q Social Media.
