Last-Minute Christmas Campaigns

We are facing the final home stretch of the year. In marketing terms, this means we are in the final sprint of the Christmas campaign.

 

I won't lie: it's ideal to prepare it ahead of time, even during the summer, but that doesn't mean that if time has gotten away from you, or you need to adjust the strategy on the fly, you've completely run out of room to maneuver.

 

There are a few days left, so you can still make a significant impact.

As I just mentioned, it may be due to a lack of prior planning, trying to redirect a campaign that is not meeting expectations... but sometimes things happen that are beyond all forecasting.

 

Among these latter cases could be the exceptional factor, to give you an example. Imagine that you sell nougat online or, even better, toys (the most paradigmatic case).

 

For some reason, an article that no one counted on becomes the star gift of the last holidays, the one that runs out everywhere. If you have good stock, you need to do a last-minute Christmas campaign.

 

Other times it may be due to “imponderable" issues, such as having started the business too close to the Christmas dates or simply having received new products that were outside the initial planning.

For all those who find themselves in any of these situations, we have prepared a few tips that will help you get that boost you need right now.

 

Small guidelines and strategic ideas that can be implemented quickly, enough not to miss the positive momentum of the seasonal moment.

A simple but effective automation consists of offering customers complementary products that help complete the perfect gift (while increasing the average ticket amount).

 

Are you too pressed for time to do a massive and automatic implementation?

 

Work only with the main products in your catalog, those you know are going to be the best sellers. It's as simple as including some of those complementary articles in the product listings.

 

For an example of this cross-selling, imagine that you sell soccer goalkeeper gloves. Why not recommend the combined purchase with boots, shin guards, padded trousers...?

When we give gifts to others, a characteristic of Christmas campaigns, it's very common to wonder, "Is it enough?" This happens because, in addition to the natural impulse to get it right, we often buy a product about which we do not know everything necessary.

 

Here you can help and surprise your customers with suggestions and offers that match their likes.

 

Do you remember what they bought before? Offer products that complement those purchases, from accessories to upgrades for what they already have. The key is knowing their tastes.

 

And how do we reach them? Easy, we can play the email marketing card, sending a mass email with those products that they surely need and don't yet know.

If there is something interesting in last-minute Christmas campaigns, it's that time can also play in our favor. Why? Because of one of the most effective principles of neuromarketing: urgency.

 

Those who wait until the last minute to buy Christmas gifts are in a hurry, so I'll give you a quick list of ideas to take advantage of that:

 

What does this mean? Basically, that we perform an exercise in empathy and, putting ourselves in the position of our client, we give them other alternatives to the usual home delivery.

 

This is a time of year when customers don't want to gamble with deliveries. More than ever, they prefer to travel to pick up their shipments, to prevent the recipients of their gifts from receiving and opening them ahead of time.

 

If you have a courier company that uses lockers or has a network of collection points, it's time to shine a light on that strategy. Communicate it on product listings, on the home page, at checkout... even in your advertising campaigns, because it's a real added value.

 

The same can be applied, in the case of having your own stores, to the click and collect process (buy online and pick up offline).

I know it might seem a bit old-fashioned, but you could send a greeting via email or your social media profiles.

 

What do we achieve with this? Being back in their minds when it comes to considering options for their Christmas shopping.