Maximize Your Holiday Sales With These Year-End Sales Strategies
With the year-end fast approaching, shoppers are searching for last-minute gifts and investing in self-care. Here’s how to seize these festive season sales opportunities.
- From Christmas gifting to Chinese New Year feasting, the year-end festive season often sees a surge in sales for e-tailers everywhere.
- Businesses can maximize revenue opportunities by rolling out simple year-end sales strategies that attract last-minute festive shoppers.
- Give your sales figures a festive boost by taking a customer-centric approach to seasonal returns policies and guaranteed shipping.
‘Tis the season to be shopping, and you know what that means: a festive boost in sales for e-commerce businesses. From Diwali to Double 11, Christmas to Chinese New Year, the year-end shopping rush now stretches longer than ever, spanning October to January.
Chances are you’ve been planning your year-end sales strategy for months, and everything is set up to capture those holiday sales. But it’s not too late to make some final tweaks to your game plan, making sure you take full advantage of every opportunity.
As consumers kick off their last-minute shopping, here are five tips to grab their attention and give your sales an extra boost.
Chances are you’ve been planning your year-end sales strategy for months, and everything is set up to capture those holiday sales. But it’s not too late to make some final tweaks to your game plan, making sure you take full advantage of every opportunity.
As consumers kick off their last-minute shopping, here are five tips to grab their attention and give your sales an extra boost.
1. Extend your holiday returns policy
Picture this: your customer is last-minute gift shopping for an office Secret Santa, but they aren’t sure which option will suit their colleague best. Luckily, they notice your store offers a 30-day returns window. That gives them plenty of time to exchange or refund the gift if it’s not to their colleague’s taste.
With the holidays around the corner, last-minute shoppers tend to opt for brands that offer a generous returns period. Consider extending your holiday returns policy to at least 30 days as a special perk during the festive season. This gives your customers peace of mind, helping you win over indecisive shoppers.
Even when a purchase does get returned, 97% of consumers say they would shop there again if the returns experience was positive. Make the process seamless for your customers by providing pre-printed return labels and tracking links for easy visibility. A return isn’t a lost sale – it’s an opportunity to build trust with customers and keep them coming back.
Even when a purchase does get returned, 97% of consumers say they would shop there again if the returns experience was positive. Make the process seamless for your customers by providing pre-printed return labels and tracking links for easy visibility. A return isn’t a lost sale – it’s an opportunity to build trust with customers and keep them coming back.
2. Offer a personalized touch
Customized gifts are popular with APAC consumers: 1 in 3 people from Singapore, Thailand, and Indonesia say they’ve purchased personalized gifts. But when shoppers are looking for last-minute presents in December, there isn’t much time to craft a customized gift and get it shipped to their loved ones.
By offering options for personal touches on gift products, you can stand out from the crowd and catch the eye of late shoppers. Look for meaningful additions that will take the gift from standard to special, without costing your team too much time or money.
Here are some ideas:
Add a handwritten note. Let your customers include a personal message with their purchase, and have it handwritten on fancy paper. They might even want to send you a photo file to include as part of the message.
Offer a choice of quirky cards. Curate a range of gift cards with funny or festive greetings to suit the occasion. For instance, a card with well wishes for prosperity would be ideal in the run-up to Chinese New Year.
Use gift wrapping. Look for wrapping paper or gift boxes that fit your brand’s style. Offer a few choices based on color, theme, or occasion – and consider cute stickers as a free gift.
It’s been a tough year for many, and consumers are turning to retail therapy to perk themselves up. 65% of APAC consumers say they make “mood-boosting” impulse purchases at least once a month, with 41% citing sales or deals as the pull factor to splurge.
This urge to splurge only ramps up during the holiday season, with shoppers craving a de-stress after a long year. But with festive season sales in every online store, offering discounts isn’t enough for your brand to cut through the noise.
Use gift wrapping. Look for wrapping paper or gift boxes that fit your brand’s style. Offer a few choices based on color, theme, or occasion – and consider cute stickers as a free gift.
3. Speak to the urge to splurge
It’s been a tough year for many, and consumers are turning to retail therapy to perk themselves up. 65% of APAC consumers say they make “mood-boosting” impulse purchases at least once a month, with 41% citing sales or deals as the pull factor to splurge.
This urge to splurge only ramps up during the holiday season, with shoppers craving a de-stress after a long year. But with festive season sales in every online store, offering discounts isn’t enough for your brand to cut through the noise.
Instead, consider how your promotional content can appeal to consumer desire for comfort and stress relief. If your beauty products are on sale, for example, you can highlight how they’re a wallet-friendly way for anyone to look and feel good. Use emotional messaging to frame your products as treats that soothe, reward, and cheer up shoppers.
With customers starting their holiday shopping as early as September – consumers in the Philippines are some of the earliest to start gift shopping – your order management system is a treasure trove of insights into what’s currently popular. As you embark on a year-end promotional push, this data can help you put the spotlight on the right hero products.
Analyze purchase trends from recent months to find out which products, brands, and categories are getting customers to click ‘buy’. Don’t just look at top-selling items. You can also explore which products have seen a recent uptick in orders, becoming a trending choice for holiday gifting.
Besides your own purchase data, industry-wide reports on e-commerce holiday retail trends can be useful as well. For example, PwC’s Voice of the Consumer Survey reveals that APAC consumers spent less on luxury purchases and more on health and beauty products in 2024. You can also get inspiration from regional gifting trends.
4. Take a last look at holiday shopping trends
With customers starting their holiday shopping as early as September – consumers in the Philippines are some of the earliest to start gift shopping – your order management system is a treasure trove of insights into what’s currently popular. As you embark on a year-end promotional push, this data can help you put the spotlight on the right hero products.
Analyze purchase trends from recent months to find out which products, brands, and categories are getting customers to click ‘buy’. Don’t just look at top-selling items. You can also explore which products have seen a recent uptick in orders, becoming a trending choice for holiday gifting.
Besides your own purchase data, industry-wide reports on e-commerce holiday retail trends can be useful as well. For example, PwC’s Voice of the Consumer Survey reveals that APAC consumers spent less on luxury purchases and more on health and beauty products in 2024. You can also get inspiration from regional gifting trends.
5. Guarantee on-time delivery
The biggest worry for anyone shopping for last-minute gifts is: will it arrive on time?
In FedEx’s latest survey of APAC consumers, 54% cited late deliveries as their top concern during the festive season. The promise of fast, affordable delivery can seal the deal: 65% of consumers said free shipping would spur them to finalize their purchases, and 60% expected their orders to arrive within two to three business days.
To win over last-minute shoppers, it’s crucial to guarantee on-time delivery and offer options for your worried customers to track their orders all the way. Partner with a reliable logistics provider to plan your delivery strategy and work out cost-effective shipping solutions.
E-commerce shipping services like FedEx International Connect Plus (FICP) make it easy to ship internationally across APAC, as well as to the US and Europe. This service combines cost-effective pricing with speedy delivery in two to three business days, allowing e-tailers to meet customer needs during the holiday rush.
End-to-end tracking capabilities also ensure your customers have peace of mind throughout the entire delivery journey.
If you’re sending heavy or bulk shipments, take advantage of FedEx’s last-minute discounts for freight shipping. Use our Rate Tool to find out if your shipment qualifies for discounted rates of up to 80%.
It’s never too late to put some final touches on your year-end sales strategy. Make that last-minute magic happen for your customers with thoughtful offerings like fast and free delivery, and capture a festive boost for your holiday sales.
Learn more about our e-commerce shipping services here.
End-to-end tracking capabilities also ensure your customers have peace of mind throughout the entire delivery journey.
If you’re sending heavy or bulk shipments, take advantage of FedEx’s last-minute discounts for freight shipping. Use our Rate Tool to find out if your shipment qualifies for discounted rates of up to 80%.
Wrap up the festive season on a high
It’s never too late to put some final touches on your year-end sales strategy. Make that last-minute magic happen for your customers with thoughtful offerings like fast and free delivery, and capture a festive boost for your holiday sales.
Learn more about our e-commerce shipping services here.
Share this story
***
The Latest
