Plan your 2020 Christmas campaign month by month

It may seem a bit exaggerated to start planning your Christmas campaign now; But, believe it or not, it is something that can (and should) be done since the summer. 

Take advantage of the fact that you have regain strength after the holidays to start hard with what is to come. This year, given what has happened with coronavirus and the uncertainty it causes, it is especially important to have a plan as soon as you return from your days off. 

Christmas strategy takes some time to implement, and the last thing we want is to get into the maelstrom without being clear about where to go. It is precisely in these cases that errors begin to occur, and it is difficult to rectify on the fly. 

Of course, not everything can go smoothly. We understand that there must always be margin for improvisation and reactivity, but the truth is that everything works better when we have lines of action clear and we have planned the possible scenarios in advance. 

We are going to see the planning of the Christmas campaign on a monthly basis, focusing on a specific objective or phase. 

Summer is almost over. We start a time when activity tends to slow down. 

Obviously, this statement depends a lot on your niche and the seasonality in which your business area operates. It may be the case that September coincides with your peak period of activity if, for example, if you sell textbooks. 

But in general, for most businesses this is the best time for planning. 

First of all, we recommend that you do a lot of numbers and estimates regarding potential sales and inventory. You knowthe best the deadlines that your suppliers work with, but you must also be aware that, as the campaign progresses, delivery will get complicated. 

It is also a good time to optimize logistics, test other carriers, have warehouses organised ... and plan a customer service strategy. 

This month it no longer even has the inertia of summer sales, nor does it have the change of season, from which you can always get some performance in the form of conversions. 

You can add the shadow of Black Friday is getting longer for the consumer ... Both October and November become a very difficult period to generate business. Customers have learned to wait and postpone their purchases until they know there will be better deals. 

Take advantage of October to give shape to your promotions, both those that you are going to launch for Christmas 2020 campaign and others that you launch during this specific month to start selling the products that are still in stock. 

Also, as you already know, Halloween / All Saints Day  are at the end of the month: perhaps it will work as an excuse for some specific action that encourages sales a bit. 

In November things start to get serious.

All starts with a new date to this of aggressive promotions with Singles Day (November 11).The truth is that last year it began to be noticed, and the fact of moving Black Friday ahead- which this year is on November 27 - means that many of your competitors are considering actions for singles.

Anyway, and as long as things do not slow down, the first days of November are to prepare for Black Friday and Cyber Monday. 

End of the year´s goal. One year that has been especially hard . You have to do your best to end with the best numbers. 

The main advice that we can give you is that, when planning your Christmas campaign month by month, you progressively advance as far as possible so as not to find yourself so busy at the last moment (you are still in time).

Do not just obsessed over Christmas Eve and Christmas. The eCommerce calendar has many interesting dates hidden or, at least, not so competitive: we are talking about Giving Tuesday, Super Saturday, Free Shipping Day … 

It is not advisable to put all your eggs in one basket , especially when, presumably, there is going to be more competition. All resources can be in your favor, and more if you are able to anticipate with a good planning. 

As by now "all is sold out", in the month of December you have to focus on providing service to your customers, but always with an eye on real-time analytics to be able to react, enhance and correct as fast as possible.