1. Audit your online presence

Regardless if consumers will shop with you online or in store, your web presence is everything these days. These tips help make sure customers have a good experience with your business.

Update your business listings (Google Business Profile, Yelp, Bing)
Ensure hours, contact info, and closures are accurate
Add festive photos and seasonal branding

76%

of people who search online for something nearby visit a business within a day.

Source:

Link

True or False:

About 58% of buyers will shop online during the holiday season.

True

False

True

Yep! According to the National Retail Federation, around 58% of buyers are expected to shop online this holiday season, reflecting the continued growth of e-commerce and digital convenience.

Back

False

Not quite. In fact, about 58% of buyers plan shop online this holiday season, showing how popular digital shopping has become.

Back

2. Optimize your website for holiday traffic

It's no doubt your website will see an increase in traffic during the holiday season, and that's what you want! But things like slow-loading pages and a poor mobile experience can cause customers to move on quickly, so meake sure your website is fully optimized now before the rush.

Check mobile responsiveness
Improve page speed
Add holiday landing pages or banners

Here are some stats to show you just how impactful optimization can be:

33%

33% of shoppers plan to use AI in their shopping journey.

4.42%

Conversion rates drop by 4.42% for each second of load time.

56%

Mobile shopping will account for 56.1% of online spend.

3. Launch seasonal promos and sales

For lots of holiday shoppers, it's all about who has the best deals and sales. Keep up with your competitors by running some unique efforts on your own.

Create limited-time offers or bundles
Use urgency tactics (countdowns, "only X left")
Promote gift cards (especially for service-based businesses

Customers will prioritize value

While price is important, customers also seek out quality, trust, and meaningful experiences when buying. Businesses can provide that value, and a great deal will win the most customers this season.

Did you know that younger generations in particular are more likely to shop around

for the best deals?

7 in 10

Shoppers seek out deals.

4. Run targeted ad campaigns

Use geo-targeting to reach local customers
Retarget past website visitors and email subscribers

Sometimes customers don't know what they're shopping for or where to shop until they see it. Running targeted ads on platforms like Google and social media channels can help your business show up in front of the right customers at the right time.

Quiz

During the holiday season, which type of ad do 37% of consumers find the most attention-grabbing?

Incorrect

Video Ads

Correct

Correct

Banner Ads

Incorrect

You've guessed correctly!

Video ads are dynamic, engaging, and often tailored to evoke emotion or urgency...especially during the holidays. That's why 37% of consumers reported video ads as the most attention-grabbing during the holiday season.

Try Again

You've guessed incorrectly.

While banner ads can be effective for visibility and retargeting, they're static and often overlooked...especially in a season flooded with promotional content. They lack the immersive quality that makes video ads stand out.

Try Again

Take a look at just how powerful targeted ads can be:

Persuasive Reach ›

80% of shoppers are influenced by

something they

see online.

Social Conversion ›

50% of shoppers are

more likely to visit a brand's website

after seeing a social media ad.

Online Influence ›

70% of people have purchased a gift on

a website after viewing a digital ad.

5. Boost social media engagement

Customers also turn to social media for gifting inspiration, so the holidays are the perfect time to increase your engagement of Facebook, Instagram, and other popular social channels. Here are some ideas to get you started:

Host giveaways or contests
Share user-generated content and reviews
Go live with holiday specials or events

73%

65%

76%

73%

of social users agree that if a brand doesn't

respond on social, they'll buy form a competitior.

Source: Link

of customers will use social media

to find or buy holiday items.

Source: Link

Back

of people have bought a product after

seeing it in a brand's social media post.

Source: Link

Back

6. Email marketing strategy

Email marketing still works and is still a very viable marketing strategy to implement this holiday season! You just have to make sure you're doing it the right way to get customers to click into your website or landing page.

Segment your list for personalized offers
Send holiday countdowns, reminders, and thank-you notes

68%

of people pay more attention to holiday emails.

Source:

Link

Quiz

What is the average Return On Investment (ROI) for every $1 spent on marketing emails?

$10

$24

$36

$50

Incorrect!

$10: Incorrect. While $10 would still be a strong ROI, it's significantly lower than the actual average. Email marketing is known for delivering much higher returns.

Try again NEXT ↓

Incorrect!

$24: Incorrect. This is closer to the correct figure but still understates the true ROI. Email marketing consistently outperforms many other channels.

Try again

NEXT ↓

Correct!

$36: Correct! According to industry data, marketing emails yield an average return of $36 for every $1 spent, making it one of the most cost-effective marketing strategies.

NEXT ↓

Incorrect!

$50: Incorrect. This overstates the average ROI. While some campaigns may achieve this level of return, it's not the industry average.

Try again

NEXT ↓

Creating a complete and syncronized holiday marketing campaign is a big task. But when you start early and have a handy checklist to follow, it becomes a lot more manageable.

Still, we understand your days are full of all the other day-to-day tasks that come with running your business.

Simplifying your marketing with Hibu One

Partnering with a digital marketing expert like Hibu can help take more stress off your plate than even the most thorough checklist can. Check out all the ways our AI-enabled, all-in-one digital marketing platform can help your business grow online.

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