Last-Minute Holiday E-Commerce Promotions That Actually Work
The holiday season is here, and it's time to start thinking about how you can boost your e-commerce sales this Christmas. Whether you're having a banner sales season or just getting started, these last-minute holiday promotion ideas will help you make the most of the last few weeks before Christmas. Here are some ways to increase your e-commerce holiday sales right now.
Create a round-up post of last-minute gifts.
If you're in e-commerce, you know how hard it can be to get people to buy from you on short notice. What if there was a way to increase your sales right now, with no extra work?
That's what these last minute holiday promotions are all about: Giving customers a reason to buy right now that doesn't require any extra effort on their part.
If you sell products vs. services, write a list of last-minute gift ideas and link them to your website. Include a call to action that encourages people to buy from you. For instance: "Check out our range of last-minute gift ideas here.”
Promote gift cards.
I know what it's like to be an e-commerce retailer during the holidays: You're pulling all-nighters, getting up at the crack of dawn, and making sure that every customer has their gift under the tree before Santa comes.
Fortunately, gift cards are another great way to increase Christmas e-commerce sales. They are easy to sell, and your customers can use them any time of year, making them a convenient gift choice.
In addition, gift cards also allow customers to spend more than the value of their gift card if they choose, giving you more flexibility when deciding how much profit you want your products to make. Finally, gift card purchases have a longer shelf life than other products because many people wait until closer to Christmas before redeeming them.
Offer free rush shipping.
Free shipping is always a good idea. It's a great way to attract customers, especially if you offer it for a limited time. Be sure to note how long the promotion will run and when it ends so that customers know there's limited-time urgency in their decision-making process.
Reward people for shopping with you this week with a gift or coupon code.
Reward people for shopping with you this week with a gift or coupon code. If a customer has already purchased from you this holiday season, consider giving them another discount code for the amount of their last purchase. This will encourage them to return and make another purchase on your e-commerce site (or share it with their friends).
Here's a sample text you can use: If you purchase [product name] by December 22nd, you'll be eligible for an additional discount of 20%. Just use promo code HOLIDAY22 when checking out.
Bundle purchases together, with or without a discount included.
Bundling is a great way to tempt people to buy more than they originally intended. For example, if you're selling a single item for just $29.99, but offer a bundle of items for $40 that includes the first item PLUS an extra item, then people may be more inclined to purchase both items at once instead of just one. This strategy can be effective in increasing sales and driving up your profit margins.
Offer discounts when customers make bulk purchases or pre-purchases of gift cards.
If you're looking for a way to encourage customers to purchase more products, consider offering discounts for bulk purchases and pre-purchasing gift cards.
Bulk purchasing is when a customer buys multiple items at once to receive a discount on the total amount spent. For instance, if you sell books, your customer might buy two books at $10 each instead of one book at $20. You can use this method as an incentive by offering more considerable or additional savings with each item purchased as part of a bulk purchase.
Pre-purchasing is when your customer pays in advance for goods they will receive sometime after their order date (usually within one month).
With this method, it's essential that you clearly state what happens if something goes wrong with their order before they receive it; they should be refunded or given another option without being charged extra fees or penalties.
Host a Christmas giveaway
Give away a free item or service to everyone who purchases from your store. This can be a digital item, like an ebook or software, or a physical product shipped anywhere in the world. You can also offer something free as part of your "thank you" after the purchase, like giving out an additional product with each order (or three).
Offer discounts on future purchases if they make another one before the end of December. If someone buys from you once during this period, offer them half off their next order until Christmas day if they spend over $100 on their second purchase. This will encourage people to return and buy more.
Give away coupon codes exclusively through social media during December leading up to Christmas Eve, where they'll expire at midnight tonight, so everyone who wants one will have time left before midnight tonight when they “disappear forever.”
Offer free shipping through New Year
Free shipping is a powerful incentive for customers to buy from you. Offer it as a limited-time offer, though, because this will help keep your costs down and increase the likelihood of conversion.
Make sure you can handle the volume of orders you'll receive during this time—it could be significant.
If you're going to run this kind of promotion, make sure you cover every aspect:
Factor your shipping costs into your product pricing.
Be ready with answers to associated shipping questions.
Set up your billing processes before roll out so there are no delays in payment processing.
Generate goodwill by offering to donate to charity on behalf of your customers
Choose a charity that is relevant to your business or one that is relevant to your customers.
To illustrate, if you sell cosmetics, consider donating some of the money from each sale (say 10%) directly to a breast cancer research foundation. On the other hand, if you sell clothing, donate the money from every shirt sold (say 5%) towards buying winter coats for homeless people in the city where your business is located.
Sell products with high margins.
A product with high margins has a high markup relative to its cost. The markup is the difference between the cost of making a product and its selling price, while the margin is the percentage of the selling price that goes toward profit.
Some examples of high-margin goods include smartphones, designer clothes and jewelry, and furniture.
If you're still not sure what qualifies as a high-margin product for your online store, consider answering the following questions:
Are your customers interested in buying these products?
Are there enough people willing to pay for them?
Do they offer value for money?
Upsell and cross-sell
Upselling and cross-selling are two of the best ways to increase your sales. They work because they're based on needs—not wants—and can be customized to meet them.
For example, if you sell clothing online and a customer has already purchased a jacket. Still, you also sell shirts and shoes; consider offering them an additional item based on their purchase history or general preferences.
The key is ensuring that any upsells and cross-sells are relevant for the customer at that moment in time.
For example, if it's too cold outside for someone living in Chicago (like me), I probably don't need another piece of clothing right now.
Limited-time discounts
You may think that limited-time discounts are unsuitable for your business since you want to encourage repeat customers. However, if you want to increase sales during the holidays, offering a limited-time discount is one of the easiest ways. In fact, according to survey data, over half of all respondents who have used a limited-time deal said they would buy again from this retailer because of it.
This type of promotion is also great for encouraging first-time buyers who might not otherwise take action: 52% said they would only have purchased something if not for the offer.
Gift wrapping
It's the last minute, and you have a few items left to get in the mail. You want those orders to arrive before Christmas. However, you need more time for gift wrapping.
Not to worry—you can offer complimentary gift wrapping as a last-minute holiday promotion that will increase sales and help your customers feel appreciated.
Gift wrapping is easy to differentiate yourself from competitors, make your customers feel appreciated, and encourage them to buy more from you. Here are some reasons why it might be worth considering:
People like free things—when it comes down to it, people like getting something for nothing (or close enough). Offering gift wrapping on purchases gives customers additional value they weren't expecting when they made their purchase decision, which may encourage them to spend more than they intended--and if it doesn't work out that way, at least there won't be any complaints about having been misled by false advertising or anything like that.
It helps build loyalty--it's no secret that many shoppers like free shipping offers but only when combined with other incentives such as discounts or promotional codes. Hence, there's no harm in providing one more advantage over your competitors).
Send email reminders
Email reminders are a great way to get people to buy. They can be especially effective at increasing sales with other promotional techniques, such as discount codes and coupons. Some of the benefits of email reminders include the following:
Reminding customers of your products and services
Encouraging repeat business
Boost your holiday sales with these last-minute marketing tips
Offer free shipping.
Offer complimentary gift wrapping.
Offer free returns.
Promote gift cards.
Promote bundles with a discount and coupon code.
To summarize
With so many options available, knowing where to start isn’t always easy. However, if you're looking for inspiration, try a few of these last-minute holiday promotion ideas to help your e-commerce business capitalize on the holiday season.