The festive season is a golden opportunity for retailers to create memorable shopping experiences. Christmas promotions drive sales and strengthen customer relationships by tapping into the joy and spirit of the holidays.
Here are 12 creative promotion ideas, complete with examples and pro tips from your favourite promotion experts that will make your upcoming campaigns shine ✨
Christmas is coming! Explore our choices for the 12 best promotion marketing strategies to use this festive season 🎄
1. Get inspired by the surprise and joy of advent calendars!
Build anticipation by unveiling a new deal or product each day leading up to Christmas, encouraging daily customer engagement.
John Lewis's Treats of Christmas campaign offers daily deals and exclusive offers throughout the festive season, enticing customers to return regularly.
Pro Tip: Create a digital advent calendar on your website or app, complemented by daily email or social media teasers to drive consistent traffic and engagement.
2. Reward each purchase with an extra special something 😉
Offering a free item with a qualifying purchase boosts basket sizes and adds value for the customer.
Harrods provides exclusive beauty gifts when customers spend over a certain amount, enticing them to spend more on luxurious products.
Pro Tip: Use scarcity messaging such as “While Supplies Last” to encourage urgency.
3. Everyone loves free shipping 🚢
Free delivery is a powerful incentive, especially for large purchases or last-minute orders.
Marks & Spencer offers free shipping on orders over £175, making it easier for customers to commit to higher-value purchases.
Pro Tip: Highlight free delivery deadlines prominently on your website to encourage timely purchases.
4. Get personal in your email campaigns
Personalised emails make customers feel valued and understood by tailoring recommendations to their preferences.
ASOS sends tailored emails featuring curated “Perfect Party Outfits” based on browsing and purchase history.
Pro Tip: Use automated segmentation to quickly and effectively group customers by interests, past purchases, or demographics for more effective targeting.
5. Lean into festive influencer collaborations
Influencer collaborations allow brands to connect with target audiences authentically and creatively, particularly during the festive season.
Travelodge partnered with popular Instagram influencers @matthewandryan for their Christmas campaign last year. The influencers created a humorous skit about a surprise holiday trip gone wrong, showcasing the last-minute adaptability of Travelodge.
Pro Tip: Choose influencers whose values align with your brand and encourage creative freedom to craft stories that resonate authentically with their audiences.
6. Win an easy smile with festive-themed promo codes
Create holiday-themed discount codes to add a festive touch to promotions and make them memorable. Codes like "JINGLE20" or "HOLLY15" evoke the holiday spirit while offering tangible savings.
If you prefer security and individuality, consider using unique codes with a festive prefix or suffix. For example, codes like "XMAS-[CustomerName]" or "HOLIDAY-[12345]" make customers feel valued, as though the code is a personal gift. Additionally, unique codes help protect against misuse or leakage, ensuring your promotions stay targeted and secure.
Pro Tip:
Highlight the exclusivity of these unique codes in your campaign messaging to enhance customer engagement and reinforce their special value.
7. Leverage anticipation with 'early bird' and/or 'last-minute' deals
Cater to different shopper segments by offering discounts for early planners and last-minute shoppers.
Matalan offers early bird discounts on Christmas items, encouraging customers to complete their holiday shopping ahead of time.
Pro Tip: Use countdown timers on your website to highlight the limited-time nature of these deals, creating urgency.
8. Don't forget the basics; 3-for-2 Offers
Encourage bulk purchasing by offering a "buy two, get one free" deal on seasonal items.
Boots runs a 3-for-2 Mix & Match promotion on a wide range of Christmas gifts, allowing customers to save while purchasing multiple items.
Pro Tip: Position these offers near complementary products to encourage additional purchases
9. It's all the rage - gamified promotions 🎮
Introduce an interactive element like games to engage customers and reward participation.
Coca-Cola allows customers to scan QR codes on products for a chance to win prizes, adding a layer of fun to their festive campaigns.
Pro Tip: Include instant-win elements to maintain excitement and encourage repeat interactions.
10. Reward the whole family with refer-a-friend bonuses
Expand your customer base by incentivising existing customers to refer friends, rewarding both parties.
Hobbs' Refer a Friend program offers a 15% discount to both the referrer and the friend on their next purchases, encouraging word-of-mouth referrals.
Pro Tip: Make the referral process seamless and trackable, and consider offering tiered rewards for multiple referrals.
11. Let's stay front of mind with eco-conscious initiatives 🌎
Appeal to environmentally conscious consumers by promoting sustainable products or practices during the festive season.
Good Things Gifts offers a range of ethical and sustainable gifts, including plastic-free toys and recycled wrapping paper, catering to eco-conscious shoppers.
Pro Tip: Highlight the environmental benefits of your products or initiatives in your marketing materials to attract eco-conscious shoppers.
12. Christmas is the season of giving, explore charity tie-ins
Think about partnering with charities during the holiday season, perhaps donating a portion of sales or facilitating customer contributions to foster goodwill.
The Times and The Sunday Times have launched their 2024 Christmas Appeal, raising funds for selected charities, and encouraging readers to donate and support the causes.
Pro Tip: Share stories and updates about the impact of the charitable contributions to build trust and encourage further participation.
Christmas promotions are about more than just boosting sales—
They’re an opportunity to delight customers, build loyalty, and spread festive cheer. Our chosen 12 ideas showcase how creativity and thoughtful planning can turn seasonal campaigns into meaningful experiences.
Are you ready to take your promotions to the next level?
Discover how Uniqodo can help you deliver exceptional festive campaigns by contacting us here.
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