10 Ways to Promote Your eCommerce Business During the Christmas Season 2023

The Christmas season is one of the busiest times for eCommerce businesses. In 2022, US consumers spent an estimated $107.6 billion online during the holiday season, up 10.2% from the previous year. With so much potential for sales, it’s important for eCommerce businesses to have a strong marketing plan in place. This article will explore 10 key strategies to promote your eCommerce business during Christmas 2023 effectively.

Table of Contents:

1. Grasp the Importance of Seasonal Marketing
2. Time Your Christmas Promotions Effectively
3. Leverage Social Media Ads
4. Harness the Power of Google Ads
5. Use Google Analytics to Understand and Enhance Customer Behavior
6. Create Holiday-themed Content for Your eCommerce Site
7. Promote Exclusive Holiday Deals and Discounts
8. Engage with Customers on Social Media Platforms
9. Prepare Your Customer Service for the Holiday Season
10. Perfect Your Christmas Marketing Strategy

Step 1. Grasp the Importance of Seasonal Marketing

Seasonal marketing is a type of marketing that focuses on promoting products or services during specific times of the year. Christmas is one of the most popular times for seasonal marketing, as consumers are more likely to spend money during the holiday season.There are many benefits to seasonal marketing. First, it can help you to boost sales. In 2022, consumers in the United States spent approximately 870 US dollars on Christmas gifts on average. This proves that you can tap into this increased spending by targeting your marketing efforts to specific times of the year.

Statista: Christmas spending 2000-2022

Second, seasonal marketing can help you to build brand awareness. By creating festive and engaging marketing campaigns, you can position your brand as a leader in your industry. This can help you to attract new customers and build loyalty with existing customers.

Third, seasonal marketing can help you to generate leads. By offering special deals and promotions during the holiday season, you can encourage consumers to sign up for your email list or give you their contact information. This information can then be used to nurture leads and turn them into customers.

Statista, YoY growth of Christmas retail sales in the US from 2002 to 2022

To be successful with seasonal marketing, it’s important to plan ahead. Start by identifying the key dates and events relevant to your target audience. Then, develop a marketing plan that includes a mix of promotional strategies, such as email marketing, social media marketing, and paid advertising. It’s also important to track your results and adjust your marketing plan as needed. By understanding what is working and what is not, you can optimize your campaigns and get the most out of your seasonal marketing efforts.

Step 2. Time Your Christmas Promotions Effectively

Timing is key in seasonal marketing. Start early – prepare your Christmas marketing strategy well in advance. Consumers often begin their Christmas shopping as early as October or November, so make sure you are ready to meet their needs.

LOCALiQ: Christmas timeline

Consider launching a countdown to Christmas sale or special holiday offers before the big day. This creates customer anticipation and keeps your brand at the top of their minds. Remember, the early bird catches the worm!

Holiday shopping plans

Step 3. Leverage Social Media Ads

With billions of active users, social media platforms provide a treasure trove of potential customers for your eCommerce business. Strategically deploying social media ads during Christmas can significantly increase your reach and engagement, potentially driving more traffic and conversions. When deciding which ads to use during the Christmas season, you’ll need to consider each social media platform’s unique features and benefits. Here’re some practical tips for utilizing various ad types during the festive season.

1. Facebook carousel ads. These ads allow you to display multiple images or videos within a single ad. Use this format to showcase a range of holiday-themed products or different aspects of a high-ticket item. You could also create a narrative or story through a series of images or videos to engage your audience emotionally.
2. Instagram stories ads. With over 500 million people using Instagram stories daily, stories ads can provide significant exposure. These full-screen ads can be very engaging. Consider using a series of images to create a quick slideshow or a short video for a sneak peek of your holiday collection.
3. Pinterest promoted pins. These ads look like regular pins but have a broader reach. Promote pins of your best-selling products or Christmas specials. As Pinterest is a platform where people seek inspiration, consider pins that showcase your products in holiday-themed settings.
4. LinkedIn sponsored content. These ads appear directly in the LinkedIn feeds of professionals you want to reach. If your eCommerce business sells products that can be used as corporate gifts, this ad format could be useful. Highlight the quality of your products, or show how your products could help businesses foster relationships with their clients or employees.
5. Twitter promoted tweets. These are regular tweets but are shown to more people. A simple yet effective way of using promoted tweets during the holiday season is to promote tweets announcing Christmas sales, discounts, or special holiday products.

Examples of Christmas social media ads

For all your ads, it’s crucial to maintain a festive and joyful tone to resonate with the holiday spirit. Including holiday-specific keywords and hashtags can also help increase the visibility of your ads. Remember to use compelling calls to action to guide viewers towards purchasing.

Lastly, it’s always a good practice to A/B test your ads. This means creating multiple versions of your ad with different elements (such as images, headlines, or call-to-action) and seeing which performs better. This can help you optimize your ads and get the best return on your advertising spend.

Step 4. Harness the Power of Google Ads

Google Ads is another powerful tool for promoting your eCommerce business. The wide range of advertising options offered by Google Ads allows you to reach potential customers at different stages of the buyer’s journey.

1. Google Search Ads. These ads appear on Google’s search result pages. Given that many people use Google to search for holiday gift ideas, sales, or specific products, Google Search Ads can be highly effective. Be sure to incorporate holiday-related keywords in your ads to attract shoppers. Also, consider using countdown timers in your ads to create a sense of urgency around limited-time holiday offers.
2. Google Shopping Ads. Unlike traditional text ads, Google Shopping Ads display a photo of your product, along with its title, price, store name, and more. These ads can be very effective for eCommerce businesses, as they give users a strong sense of the product before they click the ad. During the holiday season, be sure to highlight your holiday specials or best-sellers in your Shopping Ads.
3. Google Display Ads. These ads appear on over two million websites and in over 650,000 apps, giving you a massive reach. Display ads can be used for various goals, such as building brand awareness or retargeting potential customers who have visited your site but haven’t purchased. Consider creating festive-themed display ads to catch users’ attention during the holiday season.
4. Google Local Services Ads. If your eCommerce business also has a brick-and-mortar presence, local services ads can help you attract local customers. These ads are shown to people who search for the products or services you offer in your area. Use these ads to promote any special holiday offerings in your physical store.

Regardless of the types of Google Ads you use, don’t forget to optimize your ad copy and keywords for the holiday season. Phrases like “Christmas gift ideas“, “holiday sales“, or “last-minute Christmas gifts” tend to be popular during this period.

Step 5. Implement a Retargeting Ad Campaign

As you deck your digital halls for the Christmas shopping season, it’s important to reconnect with shoppers who have shown interest in your eCommerce store but have yet to make a purchase. By implementing a retargeting ad campaign, you can gently remind these potential customers about your products and entice them back to your site to finish what they started. Here’s how:

1. Google Ads remarketing. Google offers a robust remarketing platform that allows you to display targeted ads to users who have visited your site as they browse other sites on the Google Display Network or search for related products on Google. For instance, if a visitor has previously viewed Christmas decorations on your site, you can retarget them with specific ads about your Christmas ornaments or special holiday discounts.
2. Facebook Pixel. By installing the Facebook Pixel on your website, you can track users visiting your site and then serve them retargeting ads when browsing Facebook or Instagram. For instance, you can create a dynamic retargeting ad showcasing products a user has viewed or added to their cart on your site. Given the festive season, you can further customize these ads to include holiday-themed graphics or messages.
3. LinkedIn retargeting. If your eCommerce store serves business professionals or companies (B2B), LinkedIn retargeting can be a powerful tool. You can target ads to LinkedIn users who have visited your site or taken specific actions. For example, if a business owner has checked out corporate Christmas gift options on your site, you can retarget them with ads showcasing your best-selling corporate gift hampers.
4. Twitter tailored audiences. With Twitter’s tailored audiences, you can retarget ads to users who have visited your site while they’re on Twitter. This can be an effective way to remind users about your Christmas deals or new festive products they might be interested in.
5. Email retargeting. While not technically an ad, targeted emails can be an effective component of a retargeting strategy. For example, if a customer has left items in their shopping cart, you can send them a holiday-themed email reminder with a festive subject line like, “Santa noticed you left something in your cart!“

Retargeting ads keep your eCommerce business at the top of potential customers’ minds during the busy holiday shopping season. By reminding them about your products and offering them compelling reasons to return to your site, you can increase your chances of turning those festive browsers into happy buyers.

Step 6. Use Google Analytics to Understand and Enhance Customer Behavior

As the Christmas bells start ringing and your eCommerce business gets into the festive spirit, it’s essential to leverage the power of Google Analytics 4 (GA4) to track, understand, and enhance your customers’ holiday shopping behavior. GA4, the latest version of Google’s robust analytics platform, offers rich insights that can empower you to make your customers’ Christmas shopping experience merrier and brighter. Here’s how:

1. Enhanced measurement. GA4’s built-in enhanced measurement automatically tracks key interactions on your site, like scrolls, clicks on external links, and video engagement. During the Christmas season, understanding which holiday-themed content or festive deals engage your customers the most can guide your strategy for creating truly resonating holiday content.
2. Event tracking. GA4 tracks everything as an event – from page views to user interactions. This facilitates tracking specific actions customers take on your site. You can monitor when customers add Christmas-themed items to their shopping cart, begin the checkout process, or complete a purchase, helping you identify potential roadblocks in your Christmas sales funnel and enhancing the shopping experience.
3. Conversion tracking. With GA4, you can define crucial actions as conversions, such as purchasing, signing up for a Christmas special newsletter, or filling out a contact form for a Christmas inquiry. Tracking these conversions during the festive season helps you understand which marketing efforts are most effective in driving Christmas sales.
4. User-centric reporting. GA4 offers a more user-centric view of data, allowing you to track your customers’ journey across various devices and platforms. This is especially useful during the Christmas shopping season when customers often interact with your business across multiple touchpoints before finalizing their Christmas purchases.
5. Advanced analysis. GA4 includes advanced analysis techniques previously available only in the enterprise version, Google Analytics 360. Techniques like funnel analysis, path analysis, and segment overlap can be invaluable for gaining deeper insights into customer behavior during the Christmas shopping frenzy and identifying opportunities to optimize sales.

Step 7. Create Holiday-themed Content for Your eCommerce Site

When the holidays come around, your customers are looking for some magic, and your eCommerce site is the perfect platform to deliver it. With a few festive touches, you can create a unique holiday shopping experience that will delight your customers and boost your sales. Here’s how:

• • Seasonal design. Start by sprucing up your eCommerce site with a holiday theme. This could be as simple as adding a few Christmas graphics, changing your color scheme to include holiday hues, or adding snowflakes or Christmas lights to your site’s header. Ensure your holiday theme is consistent across all your site’s pages for a seamless customer experience.

• Holiday gift guides. A well-curated holiday gift guide can be an excellent tool for helping your customers find the perfect presents. Consider creating several gift guides based on different themes, price points, or recipient categories (like gifts for him, for her, for kids, etc.). You could also create a ‘Secret Santa’ gift guide or a ‘Stocking Stuffers’ guide with smaller, less expensive items.
• Customer reviews and testimonials. Highlight positive reviews and testimonials of your products. You could have a section dedicated to ‘Top-Rated Christmas Gifts’ based on customer feedback, which would help potential buyers make a decision.

Creating captivating holiday-themed content is all about getting into the spirit of the season and thinking about what your customers might be looking for. With a little creativity and a dash of Christmas magic, your eCommerce site can become a go-to destination for holiday shopping.

Step 8. Promote Exclusive Holiday Deals and Discounts

Discounts and deals are expected during the holiday season. Offering exclusive holiday deals not only attracts customers but also gives you a competitive edge. Be creative with your deals. Apart from the standard percentage discounts, consider bundle deals, buy-one-get-one-free offers, or free gifts with purchases over a certain amount. Promote these deals across all your marketing channels, including social media, Google Ads, and on your website itself.

Remember, while discounts are attractive, ensuring they’re financially viable for your business is essential.

Step 9. Engage with Customers on Social Media Platforms

Christmas is a social holiday, and your social media platforms should reflect this. Engaging with your customers on social media is more than just posting your products or promotions. It’s about creating a community and fostering relationships.
Create opportunities for engagement. Host a holiday-themed contest, ask your audience questions, share behind-the-scenes holiday preparations, or encourage user-generated content. Not only does this increase engagement, but it also strengthens your relationship with your customers and promotes brand loyalty.

Christmas giveaway

Step 10. Prepare Your Customer Service for the Holiday Season

With the increased traffic and sales during the Christmas season, your customer service team needs to be ready. Ensure they’re well-equipped to handle inquiries, returns, and complaints promptly and efficiently. Consider extending your customer service hours, providing live chat support, or using AI chatbots for basic inquiries. Exceptional customer service can differentiate you from your competitors and leave a lasting impression on your customers, encouraging them to return even after the holiday season.

Perfect Your Christmas Marketing Strategy

Taking your online shop to the top this Christmas needs a game plan, a dash of creativity, and really getting what your customers want. With these ten tips, you’re on your way to making a real splash with your Christmas marketing. Don’t forget, always check how you’re doing so you can get even better next time round. If all this seems like a bit too much, no stress – just drop us a line. We’re always here to help you.