10 Marketing Ideas for the Christmas Season

As a business owner, having a strong Christmas campaign is essential for sales in the festive season. That's why we've come up with 10 awesome Christmas marketing ideas to get your customers into the holiday spirit – and ready to shop! So, get your Santa hat on and grow your seasonal sales with our marketing ideas for Christmas below.

Why are effective Christmas marketing campaign ideas so important?

Christmas time has always been an important time for shopping. Not only do people buy products for themselves, but they also pick out presents for loved ones. This abundance of Christmas shopping makes the period incredibly important for many small business owners – just look at the stats:

• US holiday sales reached $1.309 trillion in 2023 and are forecasted to reach $1.372 trillion over the 2024 holiday season.
• 50% of US consumers start holiday shopping in October or even earlier. The average US consumer expects to spend $900+ on Christmas gifts each year.

Every company wants a slice of this profitable pie. That's why creating unique holiday marketing campaigns is vital to help your brand stand out!

Our best ideas to boost your Christmas marketing strategy

Ready to increase Christmas sales? Let's dive into the best Christmas marketing ideas for businesses!

1. Use custom packaging for the holiday season

Custom Christmas packaging always helps in spreading joy to your customers. With your own custom brand imagery and colours on personalized boxes and custom stickers, you boost your brand recognition and improve the unboxing experience – allowing you to create a beautiful unboxing experience and increase customer loyalty.

Plus, pretty packaging is a sweet opportunity for customers to snap some shots, organically sharing your brand and products online.

So, why not expand on this by creating custom packaging for the Christmas season? noissue's low minimum order quantities allow businesses of all sizes to order Christmas-themed custom packaging at affordable prices. Use reds and greens for traditional holiday cheer, or evoke a cool, wintry tone with blue-hue designs. You can add even more luxury with gold-foil UV printing, which is available for a huge range of items in bulk orders.

As the season of gift-giving, Christmas is an excellent way to introduce yourself to new customers who haven't tried your products before. People will love the festive packaging as they unbox it under the Christmas tree – especially if you include a custom-printed card to send warm wishes.

2. Offer limited-time Christmas products

In the same vein, releasing limited-time Christmas-themed products or a seasonal menu is an amazing way to create hype for the holiday season!

Limited-edition, fun or even luxury holiday-themed products encourage customers to spend big before it's too late. They create urgency and boost engagement by getting people excited for a fun, fresh product.

Plus, some things just suit certain seasons better. A great example is how peppermint-scented candles are more popular in winter thanks to their association with the Christmas holidays. And with 35% of annual candle sales occurring during the holiday season alone, it's clear that this period can be a good time to try out something different!

Loyal customers will likely pick up other items while in the store, so keep your best-selling products in stock!

3. Make a Christmas gift guide

With all the promotions going on, it can be difficult for customers to choose Christmas gifts for loved ones.

We suggest providing gift guides based on price and demographics to make purchase decisions easier. For instance, you could share social media posts or videos featuring "The best gift ideas under $50" or "The perfect gift for mom this Christmas." This will draw customers' attention to products they may not have considered before, push your store to a wider audience, and boost sales.

You can make it even more convenient by adding filters or categories to your online shop, streamlining the buying experience in just a few clicks.

4. Update your website and in-store décor

Make your Christmas sale known by dressing up your online store and physical location to match the snowy season!

When customers see the Christmas decorations in the windows or your online store's Christmas theme, they'll instantly know you have fabulous holiday sales and feel enticed to browse.

It's also a chance to review your store or website, ensuring the layout is fully optimized, special promotions are visible, and items are strategically placed. For example, adding “impulse buys” near the checkout can attract attention from customers searching for stocking stuffers, netting you a few more sales on small items.

Start your in-store Christmas decorating early to get everyone in the festive spirit. Adjust your website by switching up colors and background images. Add countdown timers to the landing page to clarify when your special offers start and end. And remember to update your social media profile and cover photo, too!

5. Offer holiday gift bundles

If you want to take your gift guide even further, you can offer discounts through gift bundles designed for different people at various price ranges.

A gift bundle allows people to buy presents from your store, even without knowing what their friends and family may enjoy. By bundling specific products in sets along various price points—for example, "For Him—$50" or "For Mom—$100"—you can help indecisive gift-givers find the ideal present. Gift bundles are a popular option because they allow customers to save on value and time.

Why not arrange your bundles with packaging that doubles as a free item? noissue's custom tote bags are the perfect storage option. With different colors, weights, and sizes available, you can create personalized tote bags to match the Christmas holiday season.

6. Show holiday shipping cut-off dates

Christmas is a busy time for packing and parcels, so as an eCommerce business owner, it's important to mail your products before it’s too late.

Clearly state the cut-off date for online Christmas orders. Knowing when their products are expected to arrive will allow online visitors to plan accordingly, buying from your shop early and on time. It might also encourage some last-minute online sales, where website visitors realize they still have time to snag a Christmas shopping deal. Plus, it'll help you avoid mishaps where the items arrive too late for Christmas day.

Share the shopping and shipping cut-off dates through your social media accounts, a Christmas email campaign, and a pop-up on the eCommerce store, ensuring customers can’t miss it.

And don't forget that consumers are 82% more likely to complete a purchase when the delivery is free. If you can offer free shipping (and even free returns), it's a great asset to your Christmas marketing plan.

7. Promote Christmas gift cards

Sometimes, even gift guides and bundles aren't enough. Gift cards are one of the best Christmas marketing ideas, as they allow customers' giftees to choose their own products—perfect for a Secret Santa!

Not only does this help in boosting sales from those who might not usually visit your store, but it's also a good thing to focus on profit-wise. Gift cards are paid for upfront and sometimes left unused, resulting in direct profit.

Promote seasonal editions of your gift cards by sticking them to a noissue custom recycled card. Your customers will appreciate the convenience of not needing to purchase another card separately. With our low-order MOQ, you can produce various festive-fresh designs for your Christmas marketing campaign.

8. Get creative with social media

Social media is an important e-commerce tool at any time of the year, but it's invaluable when the holiday season rolls around. Use social platforms to your advantage and create engaging content that encourages more customers to share your posts.

Staying active on social media makes it clear to your customers that you're responsive and on top of what's new. And if you update your social media icons and banner with a jolly festive theme, you can make it clear to customers that you have a Christmas promotion going on.

People love to see behind the scenes, so why not share short product packing videos featuring custom-printed wrapping paper or custom packing tape in action? Be sure to re-share any user-generated content, such as unboxing videos – that's free promotion! Influencer marketing is another great way to benefit from the unboxing trend.

You could also try promotional marketing strategies such as running a giveaway contest with your products. Get customers to post their presents for a photo contest with a Christmas-specific hashtag, share the participants' pics, and reward the final winner with a small gift!

9. Offer custom gift wrapping at the counter

Unwrapping presents is a quintessential part of Christmas, but many people don't have time to pack their gifts nicely. Add gift wrapping to your online store and suggest it to customers at checkout for free or a small fee.

Customers will strongly value this service, as it provides convenience and saves time. It'll be a strong draw for those with busy lives.

Want to print custom wrapping paper for this service? Check out noissue's range of custom-printed tissue and wrapping paper. Our products are affordable and high quality, making them the perfect pick for seasonal packaging.

10. Make a holiday advent calendar

There are several types of advent calendar-themed promotional ideas, but they all follow the same principle of revealing a daily mystery giveaway, a discount, or a new product. People love surprises, and these calendars provide a reason to get excited and engaged with your brand every day!

Digital advent calendars involve creating a digital site where customers can sign up to reveal a free gift or discount each day leading up to Christmas. While it requires additional web development, it's an excellent way to get customers to interact with your brand.

Create a social media or advent calendar campaign in which you reveal a new product or offer special discounts each day. This campaign resembles the famous "12 Days of Christmas" format.

Of course, physical advent calendars are ubiquitous in industries such as beauty. These calendars feature 25 small physical products that customers can unbox daily. They’re an excellent chance to share samples that entice customers to buy bigger next time.

The packaging involved in creating physical advent calendars may be a barrier to small businesses, so here's an alternate suggestion: Offer custom gift boxes with little mystery gifts wrapped in custom-printed tissue paper. Customers will still get to partake in the joy of unwrapping presents up to Christmas, and you've just saved yourself a ton of money!

Wrapping it up

Get your Christmas marketing strategy in order with our fantastic ideas above, and enjoy the most wonderful time of the year by growing your business.

Make it a successful campaign with help from noissue. We offer unique custom-printed packaging so you can let your Christmas spirit shine, no matter the business. Explore more Christmas marketing ideas on our blog today, including our holiday packaging inspo and tips on reducing seasonal packaging waste. Happy holidays!