Christmas is the busiest stretch of the year for many online sellers, and the last few weeks are when undecided shoppers make quick choices. Those sales will happen somewhere, so the question is whether they happen on your site or a competitor’s.

These ten tips help you win more of them, while keeping stock, shipping, and margin under control. For the wider season, see our peak season ecommerce guide and our Black Friday and Cyber Monday guide.

1. Give visitors gift ideas

The easier you make it to choose, the more likely shoppers are to buy. Create gift guides and collections by recipient, interest, product type, and price, such as “gifts under $25” or “for the home cook.” Add filters so shoppers can narrow quickly, especially on mobile. Gift guides improve the browsing experience and help shoppers who don’t know what they want.

2. Encourage the purchase of gift cards

Gift cards are a strong last-minute option because nothing has to be shipped. Digital gift cards can be delivered instantly by email or on a date the buyer chooses, so you can promote them right up to Christmas. Check whether your ecommerce platform has built-in gift cards before adding another tool.

To encourage purchases, consider an incentive: bonus value on larger gift cards, or a voucher the recipient can use in January. Gift cards also introduce your brand to people who haven’t bought from you before.

3. Create a sense of urgency

Show your final delivery dates clearly, on product pages, at checkout, and in emails, so shoppers know what’s still possible. You can also add a limited offer for early buyers, such as a small free gift or a voucher for the new year. Keep urgency honest: shoppers notice fake scarcity, and missed delivery promises cost more than the sale. See our guide to peak season shipping for setting cut-off dates.

4. Offer pre-Christmas discounts

A simple discount code still works, especially a festive one promoted on your homepage and social channels as part of a “last-minute Christmas” campaign. If your margins can’t support an across-the-board discount, limit it to gift categories, or run a flash sale on selected products. Work out the margin after fees, shipping, and returns before you set the offer, and check which promotional tools each marketplace you sell on provides.

5. Drive more sales through email

Your existing customers are the easiest audience to reach. Use email for discounts, gift card reminders, gift guides, and last-order-date reminders. Segment your list so people get relevant content, which tends to lift opens, clicks, and conversions. Abandoned-cart reminders are also worth switching on for the holiday period.

6. Create gift bundles

If you have products that complement each other, group them into gift sets. Bundles raise your average order value because shoppers buy several items in one transaction, and they make gift buying easier. Show how much shoppers save, so the set feels like good value.

Make sure your inventory system supports bundles and keeps component stock in sync, so a set never shows as available when one item has run out. See our guides to multichannel inventory management and holiday inventory.

7. Offer free delivery

Free delivery appeals to holiday shoppers and can encourage repeat purchases. A threshold, such as free delivery on orders over a set amount, encourages shoppers to add items to reach it. Model the cost first, so you don’t give away your margin. See our guide to getting better shipping rates for ways to lower the underlying cost.

8. Offer gift wrapping and personal messages

Gift wrapping, a personalized message, and a gift receipt without prices make your store feel gift-ready. You can charge for wrapping or include it free, depending on your costs. It improves the experience for the buyer and the recipient.

9. Be consistent with customer service

Reliable service builds a reputation that brings shoppers back during the year. At Christmas, that means fast replies, clear delivery dates, and a returns policy that suits gifts, such as an extended return window. See our guide to returns management for planning for the post-holiday surge.

10. Customize your website for the holidays

Tailor your site to the season: a holiday landing page, homepage banners with your last-order dates, and collections that group products by recipient or budget. Keep checkout quick, particularly on mobile, where many holiday shoppers browse. Large marketplaces do this with dedicated holiday stores, so shoppers can find everything in one place.

Final festive thoughts

These tips can lift sales, but only if your operation can keep up. Overselling and stock-outs at peak cost you sales and customer trust, so keep stock accurate across every channel you sell on. Linnworks syncs stock across 100+ native channel integrations in under 10 minutes. To see what happens when stock can’t keep up, read how Rinkit overcame overselling, and see our guide to what to sell at Christmas for choosing your holiday range.

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