Unique Marketing Strategies To Implement This Holiday Shopping Season

Learn some of the unique marketing strategies you can implement this shopping season to attract customers. 

November 30, 2022

The holiday shopping season is on. Irrespective of the predictions about shopping trends, shoppers are looking to make purchases. Link Walls, VP, Digital Marketing Strategy, ChannelAdvisor, a CommerceHub Company, presents a few unique marketing strategies by 11 experts you can implement this holiday shopping season to attract customers.

The holiday shopping season always seems to sneak up on us. While many have predicted this holiday shopping seasonOpens a new window will look vastly different from the last, recent research from ChannelAdvisor shows that 84% of consumersOpens a new window plan to spend the same amount of time or more shopping for holiday gifts online compared to last year. As a result, brands and retailers must prepare to adopt new strategies and tactics to keep the attention of their current consumers and quickly adapt to changing consumer preferences across marketplaces.

To better understand what unique marketing strategies and tactics industry experts are applying, we’ve gathered the perspectives of 11 experts. While there are significant differences in the ideas presented, the overarching theme remains the same: brands and retailers must differentiate themselves from the masses to be successful this holiday shopping season. 

See More: Secure Your Data First, and Rest Easy This Holiday Weekend

Engage With Consumers Through Social Media During the Holidays

“Engaging with consumers through social media is still going to be the best way to adapt to their changing preferences this holiday season. You’ll be better able to keep your finger on the pulse of consumers’ shopping habits and expectations, and quickly adapt your campaigns to fit their needs. Adaptability is the best thing about digital marketing, and companies will need to be quick on their feet to keep up this holiday season. “ — Christen da Costa, CEO, Gadget Review

Stay On Top of What Relevant Industry Influencers Say

“Keeping on top of what industry influencers are saying enables us to adjust campaigns to align with emerging consumer preferences. While it’s tempting to latch onto whatever goes viral, following influencers relevant to your brand and audience ensures your message resonates. Today’s consumers easily spot things that don’t ring true and will quickly distrust mixed messaging. It’s essential to follow influencers who create content related to your niche. These are the people your audience most likely already looks to for helpful advice and honest opinions about the products they test. This way, you can creatively weave your messaging around theirs to strengthen the authenticity of your efforts.” Jayme Muller, Brand Manager, RTA Outdoor Living

Offer Holiday Package Deals

“Offering holiday package deals is a great way to increase your sales this holiday season. Consumers love getting a great deal, and if you can bundle several deals together, you’ll make it more appealing to your consumers. This makes it more likely they’ll make the leap to purchasing the package deals. The better the deal, the more likely consumers will spend money with your company.” Nick Mueller, Director of Operations, HawaiianIslands.com

Use Ethos To Speak to Consumers During the Holidays

“This year is the perfect time to draw on the story that is integral to the root of your company and share something that can speak to consumers. Wallets are tighter these days, and a good deal or smart product might not be enough to convince someone to purchase your product or service. Instead, you must create a personal story that will draw in consumers. Use emotions and relationships to make a real impact in your marketing strategies that will actually bring results. It’s a bold strategy and requires going through the proper process to do it right, but it can really allow you to make a bigger impact on your potential clientele, especially during these times.” Andrew Hill, Founder, Distribute Digital

Release Limited-edition Holiday-themed Items

“The holidays are a great time to bring out a limited-edition item. This could be a fan favorite that you retired or something new that is only available during the holidays. To compete during a busy shopping season, it’s important to stand out in a fun and engaging way. Promote your limited-edition product on your website, social media platforms and through email. You could even give your VIPs early access to create more buzz.” Melanie Edwards, Sr. E-Commerce and Digital Product Manager, OLIPOP

“Decorate” Your Website for the Holidays and Implement Flash Deals

“Make your site or online platform patterned to current holidays or trends. We need to prepare and set specific data of when we will release holiday-themed content to avoid any last minute planning. This might sound traditional, but it is still effective to this day. Use flash dealsOpens a new window to create attention. While discounts and promos are effective, implementing flash deals will create a sense of urgency for consumers to buy the product or acquire the service at the time they see your post. Take flash deals a step further by including the deals consumers’ have been looking for for so long.” Lily Will, Founder and CEO, Ever Wallpaper

Cater Holiday Marketing Strategies Around Consumer Preferences

“As the holiday shopping season approaches, retailers are preparing their unique marketing strategies to begin attracting consumers. In recent years, there has been a shift in consumer preferences, with shoppers focusing more on experiences and sustainability. Retailers must be aware of these trends and adjust their marketing strategies, accordingly. For instance, because shoppers care about the sustainability of a business and its positive impact on the world, it’s important for them to have products and a business model that reflect that. If a business isn’t moving towards sustainability, shoppers will simply spend their money on a competitor who is. By offering unique experiences that cannot be found anywhere else and giving access to brand exclusives and holiday dealOpens a new window s, retailers can begin to boost conversions this holiday season. For example, you can offer holiday-themed events and discounts. By catering to consumer preferences, retailers can differentiate themselves from the competition and attract more shoppers.” Angel Martins, Marketing Specialist, Finsbury Media

Make Use of Holiday FOMO Strategies and Scarcity Tools

“We use FOMO strategies and scarcity marketing tools during the holiday season since we find them effective for our target consumer and the products we offer. This includes providing a sense of urgency and encouraging consumers to participate in early bird offers or limited-time holiday sales.” Robert Calderon, Marketing Manager, Dalvey

Ensure Holiday Campaigns Accommodate Late Shoppers

“Stretch your holiday campaign offerings to accommodate late shoppers. There might be a variety of reasons why consumers cannot take advantage of the bargains. Many firms prolong their Christmas marketing campaign incentives to attract these consumers. Last-minute shoppers are most concerned about whether their presents will arrive on time. Play on their last-minute wants by offering expedited shipments that will arrive on time. Extending holiday campaign offerings may assist companies indirectly by establishing brand loyalty, giving clients time to create confidence in your company if they are new to you. Finally, it strengthens consumer ties and targets late shoppers who lose out on seasonal sales to create stronger partnerships.” — Christine Brownstein, Chief Marketing Officer, Palaleather UK

Adjust SEO Strategies To Fit the Holiday

“During peak season, neglecting organic SEO could mean losing a significant portion of annual revenue in a matter of weeks. However, basic SEO practices will likely fail if the strategy isn’t altered to fit the holiday cheer. This is because keywords and consumer needs change with the season. For example, as Christmas nears, online searches turn more holiday-specific (i.e., best Christmas gifts for dad) and consumer expectations of finding holiday sales, deals and offers rise exponentially. As a marketer, it’s lucrative to be well-versed on the trends occurring in the space to stay relevant to audiences, and the holiday season is a trend that comes to town each year. Businesses won’t show up in search results if seasonal keywords aren’t included in their main landing pages, product pages, offer promotions, blogs, etc.” — Robert Rothschild, CMO, Botify

Implement 1:1 Personalization With Your Holiday Shoppers

“With peak season fast approaching, our focus is on ensuring our clients are effectively implementing 1:1 personalization for their shoppers in a way that not only tailors content for each individual site visitor but also prioritizes creating experiences that engage and delight. We know that shoppers (especially those that are shopping now, well in advance of the holiday season) are prioritizing savings as well as being conscious of potential shipping delays. Presenting sales or price-drops front and center and highlighting shipping turnaround times are just two ways we’re optimizing the shopper experience for our partners this holiday season.” — Chantelle Campbel, Director of Marketing, Granify

See More: What To Do When You’re Working the Holidays

The ecommerce industry is accustomed to seeing significant increases in holiday spending each year, but especially with today’s increased economic pressures, this year will look different. Consumers are more selective about where they buy, and retailers are more cautious about how they’re spending their advertising dollars. 

Taking the time to establish trust with your consumers during this time will be crucial. I recommend ensuring you get the basics right, so there is no doubt about whether your brand or product is the right fit. Practical things like ensuring your inventory levels are correct, setting aside a realistic holiday advertising budget and building timelines that create a clear picture of the required lead time to ship each product will go a long way for retailers and consumers alike. 

What marketing strategies are you implementing this holiday shopping season to attract customers? Share with us on FacebookOpens a new window , TwitterOpens a new window , and LinkedInOpens a new window .

Image Source: Shutterstock

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Link Walls
Link Walls

VP of Digital Marketing Strategy, ChannelAdvisor, a CommerceHub Company

Link Walls is responsible for leading ChannelAdvisor, a CommerceHub Company, Digital Marketing Strategy, serving as a strategic consultant to leading brands and retailers, helping them with the strategy and solutions needed to successfully advertise their products online.
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