5 ways to prepare your Shopify store for Christmas

It’s the most wonderful time of the year! It’s also one of the busiest times of the year for both Shopify store owners and their customers. Black Friday and Cyber Monday are just the beginning – December is one of the most hectic shopping months. The buying continues pretty much up until the 25th, and while November is a busy month many people leave their shopping to the last minute.

Posted 4 years ago by Tatiana Dudin

Unlike other holidays like Valentine’s Day or Father’s Day, Christmas means you have to buy presents for your family, friends, coworkers, pets. The list goes on!

This means an extremely busy period for Shopify store owners. But it also means fierce competition, as many other e-commerce business owners will be vying for a share of consumer dollars.

So how do you make your store and offers to stand out from the rest?

Follow these 5 tips to prep your store for the holiday season ahead, draw in visitors and give them a reason to spend at your store.

1. Start Planning Now!

Do you have enough inventory for the increase in customers? Will you be able to deliver on time? There’s nothing worse than a disappointed shopper whose package didn’t arrive in time for Christmas and ruined their gifting plan.

Now is the time to figure out the delivery cut off, ensure that your suppliers have the stock you need and start preparing your Shopify store for the busiest and jolliest time of the year! 

While you don’t need a major redesign of how your store looks, some festive graphics will make it welcoming for Christmas shoppers. Of course, this type of work takes time, especially if you’re outsourcing graphic design. Starting your planning now will give you the opportunity to sail into the holidays prepared.

2. Christmas Flair

Humans are visual and emotional creatures. Those qualities affect how we shop, whether it’s online or in physical stores. The Christmas spirit is infectious – people associate this holiday with wholesome family times and they are generally in good, positive spirits.

Stores that decorate show that they are part of the celebration. Even something as simple as a custom hero image for your front page that’s Christmas themed could be an easy way to get into the holiday spirit.

Are you selling a special Christmas collection? 

A collection banner is another way to have some graphic design fun and represent the products you’re offering during Christmas time.

Think of imagery that has a special Christmas meaning to you when directing graphic designers. If the images speak to your heart, they’ll speak to the hearts of your customers as well. 

3. Choice and Upselling

Shoppers expect good deals and discounts leading up to Christmas, as well as choices when it comes to how they gift. Consider the following offers for ultimate Christmas deals.

Free shipping: Free shipping for orders over a certain amount or free shipping on all items leading up to Christmas is a great way to convert.

Gift sets and bundles: This tactic appeals to the bargain-hunters in a way that makes them believe they’re getting a great deal. If they buy one thing, for example, they can get a second one at 50% off.

Gift cards: Because shoppers are often buying for others, nailing that perfect gift may be tricky. The gift of choice is still a popular go-to – consumers are expected to spend $27.5 billion on gift cards this Christmas according to the National Retail Federation.

Gift wrapping: Time is money, and if customers can outsource gift-wrapping they often opt for this option.

4. Mobile Optimization

During the holidays people are often pressed for time, which means they’ll be shopping on their mobile devices. During lunch breaks, on the commute and maybe even a sneaky office-hours browse mean increased mobile browsing when people don’t have access to a laptop or desktop computer.

One of the elements of gift-giving is the surprise. People will often browse on their phones rather than a shared computer to keep things secret.

Both these reasons mean the mobile experience of your store must be absolutely perfect. From easy navigation to a simple online checkout process everything must flow seamlessly and intuitively to make that sale.

5. Social Media

Spread the holiday cheer through your social channels. This is where that visual element comes in again. Instagram is perfect for showing off your products and Facebook has the added benefit of being able to tell a longer story. 

If you’re running ad campaigns, remember to have well-designed ads that appeal to peoples’ emotional sides.

Wrap it Up, Folks!

However you celebrate, there’s no denying that Christmas is one of the biggest holidays of the year. Leading up to it is a chance to increase revenue and gain traction with your online business. Getting your store ready now will give you time to implement as many of the above steps as you feel necessary.

Most of the above tips are fairly simple to execute, and a small investment now can mean a bigger reward later on. The key is to start now. So get your store looking beautiful and merry Christmas planning!

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