17 Holiday marketing ideas for the 2024 festive season

Holidays bring a host of challenges that come with the shopping frenzy, the main one being: how can a business stand out in a crowd of online promotions and marketers? With holiday spirit high but competition even higher, you have to be clever with your marketing campaigns.

In this article, we’ll unwrap the 17 greatest holiday marketing ideas and tips for you to try, covering every aspect of eCommerce. Take notes, take action, and prepare your store for existing and new customers during their festive seasons with one-of-a-kind promotions.

Why should you prepare for holiday season sales?

Effective holiday marketing strategies can help you capitalize on high demand and increased website traffic during the busy holiday season when customers tend to spend money quickly.

Here are some insights and statistics to illustrate why you should mark your calendar:

Revenue Growth

Holiday sales have consistently risen over the past ten years, reaching $966.6 billion in 2023.

Retail Sales

For 2024, overall retail sales are expected to increase by 2.5%-3.5%, reaching between $5.23 trillion and $5.28 trillion​.

Consumer Spending

On average, US holiday shoppers spend about $1,000 for the winter holiday season, covering a wide range of products from clothing to tech​.

Popular Categories

The top product categories for holiday shopping include:

• Gift Cards
• Toys
• Clothing and Accessories
• Electronics

Influential Social Media Sites

The most influential social media platforms for holiday purchase decisions are:

• Facebook
• YouTube
• Instagram
• TikTok

Want to fill your store with holiday goodies for more sales and new holiday promotion ideas? Try Print on Demand with Printify to offer custom products across bestselling holiday categories.

Increase your sales with 17 of the best holiday marketing ideas

A successful holiday marketing campaign takes time, effort, and patience. One thing’s for sure – the benefits of the seasonal sales rush outweigh the time and effort you’ll spend.

Let’s get into the 17 best holiday marketing ideas to increase your sales, grow your business, and help you gain an advantage over your competitors during the holiday gift-giving season.

1. Create special offers

Grow sales and spread holiday cheer with special offers that enhance your holiday marketing efforts. Here are four effective ideas to include in your successful holiday marketing campaign:

• Free Shipping. Customers are more likely to complete purchases without the additional shipping costs.
•  Buy One, Get One Free (BOGO). This strategy helps move inventory and introduce new products, making it a great addition to your holiday marketing efforts.
•  Holiday Bundles. Holiday-themed product bundles simplify gift shopping for your website visitors and increases perceived value, perfect for unique holiday promo ideas.
•  Exclusive Holiday Discounts. Offer time-limited gift discounts and flash sales to create urgency. Advertise these seasonal promotions through email and social media contests to drive immediate traffic and accelerate sales, enhancing the overall customer experience.

2. Offer free gifts

One of the best holiday marketing campaign ideas is offering a free gift with every purchase or specific product combination. People love free stuff during holiday events, and they’ll gladly tell their friends about it, raising your brand’s reach during the holiday shopping season.

Popular free store gift ideas include:

• Stickers: Fun and easy to customize with your brand style.
• Magnets: Useful and visible, keeping your brand in front of customers.
• Keychains: Practical and memorable.
• Branded tote bags: They add value and promote your brand when used.
• Holiday ornaments: Festive and seasonal, adding a touch of holiday cheer.

Promote these gifts on your online store and social media platforms to attract more customers. Highlight the gift’s importance by generating a limit for urgency while promoting your brand, and conduct careful planning to fit the added expense in your potential sales estimate.

3. Offer free gift packaging

Provide free gift wrap packaging for online orders to delight your customers during holiday events or set up a gift wrapping station in your store.

Offer various wrapping paper options, ribbons, and gift tags to suit different tastes.

Want to provide gift wrapping for your automated print-on-demand orders? Printify currently offers a custom gift-wrapping service for select products.

4. Make a holiday gift guide

Make shopping easy for your customers with a holiday gift guide tailored to their needs.

Take all your seasonal products and categorize them by possible choices people might look for. For example, gifts for him, gifts for her, gifts for kids, gifts for pets, or gifts for myself.

This is a fun and creative way to showcase your products, ease your customers’ shopping experience, and drive faster sales.

5. Sell gift cards

One of the easiest presents to buy someone is a gift card from a trusted business.

Offer your customers electronic and physical gift cards as product listings or prizes in an online giveaway or contest. Gift cards are the ultimate solution when buying presents for:

a) Someone you don’t know too well.
b) Someone who already has everything.
c) Someone hard to shop for.
d) Last-minute gifts.

6. Plan your email-marketing campaign

Well-planned email marketing campaigns can attract an audience and spread holiday cheer with festive greetings wrapped in fantastic offers and holiday discounts. Include festive holiday greetings in your subject lines to create an inviting feel and enhance your email’s effectiveness.

To excel in email marketing during the holidays, focus on:

• Subject Lines and Preview Text: Keep subject lines short (under 50 characters), clear, and intriguing. Use preview text to provide additional context and entice readers to open the email.
• Engaging Visuals: Use festive images and interactive elements like GIFs and videos to capture attention and enhance engagement.
• Segmentation and Personalization: Tailor emails to different audience segments and personalize content based on recipient data to improve relevance and engagement​.

Brainstorm holiday email ideas with your team, family, and friends to see what captures their attention. Learn what flops and what sticks out before sending them to your customers.

7. Plan your social media campaigns

Most of the holiday promotion ideas mentioned above already include social media marketing channels, but this step is all about planning.

Strategize your budget, posts, ads, schedules, games, and interactions related to your social media efforts during the holiday season.

Here are some key points to consider:

• Content Calendar: Create a content calendar marking important dates for releasing your social media prompts.
• Tease Upcoming Sales and Contests: Build anticipation by teasing a holiday event sale or highlighting holiday-specific rewards.
• Regular Posting: Maintain a consistent posting schedule to keep your audience engaged and informed.
• Interactive Content: Use games, polls, and interactive posts to engage your audience and encourage participation. Keep the content fresh and relevant.

8. Run paid ads

One of the most popular holiday promotion strategies – especially when planning Christmas and New Year’s marketing ideas – is running paid ads. If, of course, it fits your budget and brand.

Let’s look at the types of ads you can use for the holidays:

• Search engine ads. These are text and shopping ads that appear on search results, with Google Ads taking the lead. They’re displayed when a customer searches for something your store offers.
• Social media ads. Images, videos, carousels, or stories – these ads pop up on user feeds while scrolling through social media. This is a perfect way to reach potential customers during the holiday season.
• Display ads. These are banners and native ads displayed on your store page. They blend well with the rest of the content while showcasing your special deals.
• Video ads. Promote your products through videos and streams. Show them before, during, and after advertising your store’s epic features, deals, and discounts.

9. Create holiday videos

Creating engaging holiday videos can make your brand memorable and capture popular trends. Whether educational, dramatic, funny, or heartwarming, make sure your videos pop.

Here are some fresh ideas to consider:

• Holiday Recipe Tutorials: Share a fun and educational video tutorial, like making a festive dish or drink recipe.
• DIY Holiday Crafts: Create DIY videos for holiday decorations, gifts, or cards to engage viewers and provide creative content.
• Charity and Giving Back: Highlight your brand’s involvement in holiday charity events or initiatives to create a heartwarming brand image.
• Behind-The-Scenes: Show behind-the-scenes footage of your business preparing for the holidays to add a personal touch.
• Customer Stories: Feature videos of customers sharing their holiday experiences with your products for authentic testimonials.
• Classic Holiday Themes: Include a modern take on a holiday classic, like the famous Coca-Cola truck theme or a “Home Alone” inspired video.

10. Use hashtags

Since holiday business marketing largely relies on online shopping, look for ways to get your content trending and drive visitors to your landing page. Try using popular hashtags.

Prepare for the holiday rush early and choose your hashtags carefully. Include popular and current holiday-themed keywords for a variety of holidays:

Winter Holidays:

• #christmas2024
• #happyholidays
• #christmasgifts
• #christmassale
• #christmasdecor
• #newyear2024
• #happynewyear
• #newyearsale
• #happyhanukkah
• #thanksgivingdinner
• #holidaysale

Valentine’s Day:

• #valentinesday
• #love
• #valentinesgift
• #valentinesday2024

Easter:

• #easter2024
• #easterbunny
• #eastereggs
• #eastersale

Independence Day:

• #4thofjuly
• #independenceday
• #fireworks
• #july4thsale

Halloween:

• #halloween2024
• #trickortreat
• #halloweencostume
• #halloweensale

11. Collaborate with influencers

Partnering with influencers can help you reach a wider audience and gain the trust of their followers through creative promotions.

Here are some tips on how and where to find content creators for influencer marketing:

• Use Influencer Platforms: AspireIQ, Upfluence, and Influencity can help find influencers based on your niche, budget, and engagement metrics.
• Check Social Media: Explore social media platforms like Instagram, YouTube, and TikTok to find influencers already engaging with content similar to your products.
• Engagement Over Followers: Focus on influencers with high engagement rates rather than just a large follower count. Micro-influencers often have more dedicated and interactive followers, which can lead to better results.
• Reach Out Personally: Once you identify potential influencers, send a personalized message explaining why you think they would be a great fit for your brand.

12. Use branded inserts

Enhance your customers’ shopping experience by including branded inserts in their orders. 

Whether you create a holiday-themed branded note, offer free shipping, or promote loyalty programs, people love to find a small gift next to their purchase.

These can be used to thank shoppers, send a warm holiday message, or offer a discount code for their next purchase. Branded inserts add a personal touch and a sense of memorability.

13. Create an interactive experience

Design fun and convenient interactive experiences to engage shoppers and enhance their overall impression of your page during the upcoming holiday season.

Here are some holiday campaign ideas to consider:

• Pop-Ups: Grab attention with bright holiday pop-ups. Display exclusive deals and special discounts that shoppers will be eager to click on, driving conversions and enhancing the customer experience.
• Interactive Gift Guides: Quiz your store visitors to recommend products based on their preferences. This helps them find the perfect gift faster, making their shopping journey more efficient and enjoyable.
• Virtual Try-Ons: For tech-savvy merchants, especially those selling clothing, accessories, and makeup, virtual try-ons allow customers to see how products look on them, boosting purchase confidence and sales.
• Photo Contest: Encourage user-generated content by hosting a holiday photo contest. Invite customers to share photos of their holiday decorations, festive outfits, or creative uses of your products, increasing engagement and creating a community feel.
• Gamification: Enhance the shopping experience with gamified elements. Create a virtual holiday-themed game where customers can collect redeemable points for making purchases, sharing their carts on social media, or leaving reviews.

Always think ahead when developing an interactive element for your holiday marketing strategy. Consider how it will increase customer loyalty, drive more conversions, and ensure shoppers enjoy engaging with your business.

14. Run a holiday referral program

A holiday referral program can attract new and loyal customers to your store.

Most referrals work by encouraging customers to share their positive experiences with friends and family. In return, you offer a perk, discount, or other holiday promotions that fit your brand. The holiday season is a prime time to capitalize on increased engagement and festive spirit.

Create a rewards program that shoppers will eagerly participate in, leveraging the power of word-of-mouth advertising to expand your customer base. By incentivizing referrals, you can grow your holiday sales and foster a community of customers who advocate for your brand.

15. Host a holiday contest

Who has the ugliest Christmas sweater? Who has the cutest Halloween outfit for their pet? Hosting a holiday contest is a fun and effective way to generate traffic.

Here are some ideas:

• Ugliest Sweater: Invite participants to submit photos of their ugliest holiday sweaters.
• Best Holiday Cookies: Challenge your audience to showcase their cookie-baking skills.
• Cutest Pet in Costume: Ask followers to share pictures of their pets dressed in holiday attire.

Design a holiday contest that excites your audience. Offer valuable prizes like coupons, free shipping, free gifts, and exclusive deals to motivate participation.

16. Plan an event

From virtual gatherings and live streams to in-person events with the local community and shopping enthusiasts, prepare your holiday marketing plan for the most festive and loyal customers.

Choose a fun holiday theme for your event and unite people while showcasing your products. Events are perfect holiday promotion ideas for small businesses. With a cozy and welcoming audience, these events don’t require much to be successful.

Make it happen today!

Start selling

17. Host classes and tutorials

There’s a lot to teach people when holidays are approaching. Host online classes or prepare tutorials on topics that matter to your jolly shoppers, such as:

• Gift Wrapping Masterclass: Show how to wrap gifts beautifully.
• DIY Gift Ideas: Inspire with creative homemade gifts.
• DIY Holiday Decorations: Teach how to make festive home decor.
• Holiday Recipes and Workshops: Share delicious holiday recipes.
• Tips for Perfect Holiday Photos: Provide tips for capturing great holiday pictures.
• DIY Holiday Cards: Guide on making personalized holiday cards.
• Holiday Hairstyles: Offer tutorials for festive hairstyles.

Once audiences have watched and listened, they’ll be more inclined to explore your store for their holiday shopping needs.

Holiday marketing tips to consider

Track your performance and keep an eye on competitors

It’s important for you to keep a record of what works and what doesn’t for your holiday sale ideas. Your competitors can be a good cheat sheet for successful and failed holiday campaigns.

Don’t leave everything to the last minute

Preparation is key to running successful holiday marketing campaigns. Start early, make an action plan, and stick to it. If a great new idea pops up – write it down for consideration later.

Always be ready to respond

The holiday season is as beautiful as it can be hectic. There are shipping delays, orders placed too late, and issues with discounts. You’ll want to provide a calm solution for any problem your customers encounter.

Use the power of personalization

Your customers expect quality personalized service, or they’ll take their business elsewhere. Make sure to personalize your website’s content to fit your customers’ needs. Remember that it should be relatable to your existing customers while also appealing to new ones.

Final thoughts

The holiday season runs in waves throughout the calendar year. It’s your job to spot it and prepare in advance. Test out your holiday marketing strategies, and they’ll get easier each year.

There are infinite digital marketing tactics that can help you shape a great holiday marketing strategy, from offering discounts to creating content that resonates with your customers.

Happy holidays from Printify, your partner in print!