Thanksgiving Selling Guide

The holiday season is upon us, & shoppers are eagerly awaiting the arrival of Thanksgiving. From sales & promos to savvy marketing strategies, here’s how to sell for the holidays. 

Create a Week-Long Thanksgiving Promo

‘Tis the season for giving back & sharing. Embrace your customers in a weeklong Thanksgiving promo they’ll love. Send out daily promo codes or exclusive access to VIP products as a way to say thanks for their business & to generate buzz for your online store. Remember to make your promos fun with Thanksgiving-themed photos on your social media channels & spirited email marketing copy. 

Launch Black Friday & Cyber Monday Early

Turkey may be on the dinner menu, but everyone knows the main entrees during Thanksgiving are deep discounts. Black Friday & Cyber Monday seem to start earlier every year, but your customers are likely to be home & off work during Thanksgiving. 

Tease out your Black Friday & Cyber Monday promos & sales. You’ll score points if you offer flash sales & promos during the week of Thanksgiving when consumers are eagerly awaiting the shopping frenzy to begin. Remember that discounts only go so far. Consider offering exclusive products & VIP access to ready & willing shoppers. 

Keep It Festive

Thanksgiving marks the start of the winter holiday season & consumer spirits are high. Keep your messaging, marketing, social media posts, and interactions with customers fun & festive. 

The start of the holiday season is also an ideal time to jazz up your landing page. Fall decor, turkeys, & expressions of gratitude are all ways to make your consumers smile.

Keep Your Inventory Well-Stocked

The online shopping frenzy can feel swift & severe during Thanksgiving week. The influx of traffic & sales isn’t always a win if you don’t have the inventory & overhead to support the surge. It’s also challenging to know if a new product idea will flop & leave you with excess inventory you now have to store.

Consider partnering with a white-label, print-on-demand service like CustomCat. With CustomCat’s print-on-demand, you can expand your products & easily offer high-quality products with customized designs in no time. 

You can learn more about CustomCat’s services here:

Print-On-Demand Promo Products

How to Get Started Selling Online with CustomCat

Leverage In-Person Selling with Shopify POS

Holiday shoppers may spend most of their dollars online this season, but that doesn’t mean they’re not out & about looking for a deal. Ecommerce sellers can set up shop at farmers markets, festivals, & holiday pop-up shops with the help of platforms like Shopify POS. Your inventory gets more visibility in your market; you have a new method to market your business & get to connect with your community during the Thanksgiving selling season. 

Exercise Gratitude

There’s no better time to exercise gratitude than the Thanksgiving season. Thanking customers with promo codes is one place to start, but it’s also about acknowledging their impact on your business & how much you value them.

Stand out from your competition & make your customers feel fabulous with handwritten notes. You can also give shout-outs to your best customers online & send a thoughtful gift to show them you appreciate their business. Make sure all of your efforts are as genuine & authentic as possible. Your customers will notice & reward your transparency with repeat business. 

Retarget Repeat Customers

If you’ve already installed a Facebook Pixel & have some experience retargeting customers, get ready to launch a Thanksgiving campaign. Take some time to study your analytics & past sales to see what products your customers loved the most. Run ads on Facebook, segment your list accordingly, & retarget customers to come back for more. They’ll feel like you’re speaking directly to them & come by for your Thanksgiving sale designed with them in mind.

Set New KPIs

If you don’t have clarity on your sales goals, knowing what’s working & what’s not for your business is challenging. Embracing the start of the winter holidays is a reason to celebrate your business & set new goals with the help of KeyPoint Indicators or KPIs. Here are a few to consider:

• Organic traffic
• Email sign-ups
• Social media interaction
• Higher conversions
• Longer time on your website (or a decreased bounce rate)

Get as specific as possible with percentages or a particular number of customers you want to hit each goal.  

Plan for a Longer Sales Season

Every year is a gamechanger for Black Friday, Cyber Monday, & winter holiday sales. Expect for the unexpected by planning for a longer sales season. If your traffic isn’t slowing down & customers are eager, why set barriers? Rethink your inventory needs, get set up with CustomCat to alleviate your fulfillment pain points, & extend your promotions to make the most of the holiday sales season.

Extend Generosity

Your favorite causes & nonprofits deserve recognition year-round, but especially during a season of generosity & gratitude. Pledge a portion of your sales proceeds to a worthy cause, or let your customers choose for you. Beyond the positive vibes coming your way, your donations are tax-deductible & show your customers what causes you care about.

Launch a Referral Program

There’s no better time to launch a referral program than during a shopping holiday frenzy. Turn your current customers into a word-of-mouth army to help promote your online store. Shopify apps like ReferralCandy empower your customers to reward existing customers for referrals & also help track top referrers, social shares, and sales.

Be Empathetic

Remember, Thanksgiving isn’t always a time of warm togetherness & holiday cheer for everyone. Take a moment to let customers know whether they’re celebrating with loved ones or reflecting on their own that you’re grateful they’re your customers. Spend some time engaging with them on social media & extend some empathy. You’ll put a human twist on your business & show your customers you actually care.

What’s your favorite way to sell during Thanksgiving & reconnect with your customers? Let us know by leaving a comment below!