10 Christmas Promotion Ideas for eCommerce

As the holiday season approaches, the festive atmosphere brings both cheer and opportunity. But Christmas isn’t just a time for celebration – it’s the golden quarter for eCommerce brands to captivate their audience with compelling holiday offers.

In this blog post, we’ll explore the importance of Christmas promotions, highlight successful promo ideas for 2024, and share best practices for implementing them effectively.

Why are Christmas promotions so important?

Just like Christmas wouldn’t feel complete without watching Home Alone, the holiday season wouldn’t be the same without exciting sales promotions. Despite concerns about inflation and rising living costs, consumers still prioritize holiday shopping. In 2023, U.S. shoppers spent a record-breaking $9.8 billion online on Black Friday, a 7.5% increase from the previous year. This surge highlights the enduring appeal of festive deals, even in challenging economic times.

Additionally, most U.S. consumers (95%) will celebrate at least one of the four major holidays remaining in 2024, and 72% will celebrate at least three, according to Numerator.

Christmas promotions are more than just discounts – they’re an opportunity to create joy and connection during the most emotionally charged season of the year. They tap into the festive spirit, enticing shoppers with offers that feel irresistible and well-timed. These promotions not only boost sales but also build deeper emotional ties between brands and their customers. By associating your brand with positive holiday memories, you’re cultivating loyalty that extends far beyond December, keeping your business top-of-mind for months to come.

10  best ideas for Christmas season ecommerce promotions

Let's get to the point – here are a couple of inspirations for Christmas marketing promotions in 2024:

• 12 days of Christmas promo campaign‍
• Reward your festive patrons‍
• Christmas giveaways‍
• Christmas bundles‍
• Christmas gift cards‍
• Limited Christmas collections
• A free gift with a purchase‍
• Support a good cause during Christmas‍
• Free express shipping trigger for last-minute shoppers‍
• Christmas marketing gamification

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1. 12 days of Christmas promo campaign

Following the spirit of “12 days of Christmas” English carol, consider a fun twelve-day promotion to make sure people remember your brand. Think about offering special deals every day to create excitement and bring more visitors to your store. For instance, reveal new sale items each day to give customers a reason to come back.

Last year, Marks & Spencer announced that the 12 Days of Sparks had returned with more holiday treats and special deals for its 16 million Sparks customers. They offered daily gifts like free festive treats and 20% off Christmas or a warm 15% off knitwear. The app also included fun contests, and you could even enter for a shot at winning an amazing trip to Canada worth over £12,000.

2. Reward your festive patrons

We all have those fantastic customers who've been with us through thick and thin. Think about rewarding your loyal "Festive Patrons" this year.  There are a few ways to do that. For example, you achieve that with your loyalty program just like Sephora did. During the Christmas season, their festive patrons got special discounts based on their loyalty level. For instance, Beauty Insiders got $15 off $50+, VIB members got $25 off, and VIB Rouge members got $50 off. The cool thing? No purchase required to get these gifts!

But you might also achieve that with a standalone code. Let’s say you want to reward those who've made 5 or more purchases over the past year, with a generous 30% OFF as a heartfelt Christmas treat. For others who haven't reached that milestone, spread the holiday cheer with a delightful 15% OFF. With Voucherify's dynamic discount builder, launching such a campaign will be a piece of gingerbread cake.

3. Run a Christmas giveaway

By running a social media giveaway during the holiday season, your brand can generate excitement and engagement among your target audience. The festive context of Christmas provides an excellent backdrop for promotions, capturing the attention of potential customers. Whether it's a free product, a special discount, or a festive package, the giveaway creates a sense of goodwill and generosity associated with the brand, fostering a positive image.

Benefit Cosmetics gave away free holiday goodies on Instagram joining forces with other brands such as EGO UK and Sugarfina. To get them, people just had to follow certain accounts, like the post, and tag three friends. This got a lot of attention and more people checked out the post, learning about the brand. Running a giveaway is a cool way to get noticed, especially if you're a smaller brand, trying to get more exposure.

4. Christmas bundles

Bundle deals are a smart move for online stores at Christmas. They provide customers with a convenient and cost-effective way to purchase multiple items together. This not only simplifies the shopping process but also adds value, making customers feel like they're getting more for their money. What’s more, bundle deals can help retailers clear out inventory and increase average order value, benefiting both the customer and the brand.

5. Christmas gift cards

More often than not, customers don’t have time to run around shopping malls wondering what to buy. That's where gift cards, both physical and electronic, kick in. They make Christmas shopping simpler and more thoughtful, and the person getting it can spend the money on what they really need.

Take, for example, Sephora's personalized Christmas gift cards. They add a touch of thoughtfulness to holiday gifting. Featuring customizable designs and messages, these cards allow customers to tailor their wishes to their loved ones, making the gift even more special.

Learn more: 13 examples of gift card campaigns done like a pro

6. Release a limited Christmas collection

Introducing a special Christmas collection for online stores is a great way to make people feel like they need to act quickly and that they're getting something unique. This encourages customers to check out the collection and buy things during the holiday season. When the collection fits the holiday theme, it adds to the festive feeling and makes shopping more special.

In 2022, the LEGO Group launched their 'biggest and most playful' holiday campaign featuring a Christmas-themed product collection. They created a Holiday Gifts page on the LEGO website just for Christmas shopping. This page had everything in one place, including details about special holiday deals, fun holiday do-it-yourself (DIY) ideas, holiday photos from customers playing with LEGO, and suggestions for personalized LEGO toy purchases.

7. A free gift with a purchase

Consider offering a free gift with each purchase to not only entice customers but also to create a memorable and joyful shopping experience. By infusing the spirit of giving into your brand strategy, you'll not only increase customer loyalty but also spread holiday cheer, making your brand the go-to choice for festive generosity.

Take inspiration from Starbucks. During the Christmas season, when you see Starbucks red cups swirling around, it means the holidays are around the corner! If a customer gets a drink at Starbucks during this season, they might give you a special reusable red cup with Christmas designs. What's more, in 2015, Starbucks started a fun contest called the Red Cup Contest, where customers could draw on their red cups, share the pictures on Instagram or Twitter with #RedCupContest, and have a chance to win cool prizes picked by Starbucks!

8. Support a good cause during Christmas

For lots of people, Christmas is more than just buying stuff. Some folks prefer making special memories instead of giving expensive gifts. They say no to the idea of buying a lot of things and focus on doing things that bring them closer to family and friends, showing the real meaning of the season. By spending on shared experiences and helping others through charities, they show kindness, togetherness, and care, going against the idea that Christmas is all about spending too much.

In December 2022, Aperol created three lively Greeting Cards in its usual colors for a new holiday campaign aimed at bringing people together during Christmas. Each card had a festive foil on the outside and a recipe for the "perfect" Aperol Spritz inside. If someone bought a "Spritzmas" card, they got a free pair of Aperol Spritz at any All Bar One place in England and Wales.

What’s more, money from the sale of each Merry Spritzmas card went to the hospitality charity The Drinks Trust, offering support to the hospitality workforce, both past and present, as the cost-of-living crisis continued.

9. Free express shipping for last-minute shoppers

Free express shipping is like a special gift for those who wait until the last minute to shop for Christmas! It helps make sure everyone gets their presents on time without extra costs. So, when stores offer free shipping during the Christmas sales, it's like a little holiday magic that makes the rush of last-minute shopping easier and more affordable for everyone.

10. Gamify your Christmas offers

Using gamification during Christmas sales makes shopping more fun for customers. When stores have games and rewards, it makes the shopping experience playful and encourages people to join in. This helps brands sell more and makes customers happy during the holiday season.

Take a look at MAC Cosmetics. They released a super fun online game to add flavor to their Christmas promotions called "Falling Bubbles & Bows." All customers had to do was head over to MAC Cosmetics' website and start playing a game where they saw products falling like snowflakes. Each customer had three tries to catch a falling product by clicking on it. Once it popped like a bubble, it revealed an exclusive deal. It could be a cool 25% off, a buy-one-get-one-free offer, or even a chance to grab a product for free.

Best practices for creating Christmas romotions in 2024

Crafting impactful Christmas promotions in 2024 is about more than discounts – it's about forging emotional connections, creating urgency, and standing out with innovation. Here’s how to design campaigns that resonate deeply with your audience while driving sales.

1. Focus on emotional connections

Christmas is the season of togetherness, nostalgia, and giving. Promotions that tap into these emotions – through heartfelt campaigns or opportunities for customers to share their holiday moments – create bonds that last beyond December. Personalized gift guides, storytelling campaigns, and initiatives like “acts of kindness” align your brand with the spirit of the season, fostering lasting loyalty.

2. Create a sense of urgency

Limited-time offers and exclusive holiday collections add excitement to your promotions. A festive product line or themed bundles – like gift-ready skincare sets or holiday-themed apparel – makes your offerings feel special while encouraging immediate purchases. Pair these promotions with countdowns or daily deals to keep customers coming back.

3. Personalize every touchpoint

In 2024, personalization is essential. Tailor promotions using customer data to recommend gifts, reward loyal shoppers with exclusive perks, or gamify the experience with interactive holiday calendars revealing daily deals. By making every interaction feel unique, you ensure your brand stands out amidst the holiday rush.

4. Offer stress-free convenience

Christmas can be chaotic, so make shopping easy for your customers. Free express shipping, click-and-collect options, and last-minute promotions like “Order Today, Get It by Christmas” cater to hurried shoppers. Streamline the process, and you’ll be remembered as a holiday hero.

Summary

With Christmas right around the corner, it is the last moment to rethink your Christmas marketing ideas, set up your promotion campaigns, and boost your sales performance.

Here’s where Voucherify comes in – as an API-first promotion engine that you can integrate with your e-commerce store easily. Our flexible validation rules let you create all the above-mentioned campaigns with no extra development.

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