We’ve got 5 tips to help you prepare for a jolly Holiday merch rush this season. With the Holidays just around the corner, now’s the time to take advantage of the online shopping demand!
Everything in your shop should be wrapped up nicely with a bow for returning and new customers, alike. This includes the layout of your Spreadshop and how you promote your merch across socials. You need to have a consistent brand identity with added festivity, of course.
These 5 tips will help you map out your marketing strategy for the rest of the Holiday season. You can thank us after all the presents have been delivered!
Create a Marketing Plan
This doesn’t have to be a detailed, 5-page report. Shop owners just need to know the key days leading up to the Holidays so they can plan accordingly.
Cyber Monday is the kick-off to all of this. It’s a bigger day than Black Friday now, and the perfect opportunity to reach out to your audience. Create social posts leading up to the big day that feature all areas of your shop. New merch, seasonal cheer and upcoming sales will catch your followers’ attention.
You want these orders to come in on time though, right? Make sure you repeatedly remind your customers of the order deadlines to ensure their gifts arrive on time.
Order Deadlines for the Holidays:
Standard Shipping: Order by Dec. 13
Premium Shipping: Order by Dec. 14
Express Shipping: Order by Dec. 19
This will help you plan the best times to schedule social posts or make other announcements. Make sure links to your Spreadshop are available in all your bios and mentioned in captions. This should par for the course, but is essential when Holiday merch demand kicks in.
Share Promo Deals
Spreadshop offers promotions through the holidays. This way, your customers can use deals as an incentive to complete their purchases. And they have some big opportunities!
Upcoming Promotions:
Nov. 22 – Nov. 24: Free Shipping
Nov. 29 – Dec. 1: 20% Off
And running your own promotions is easy. Your customers don’t even need an offer code; they can just click the banner at the top of your site to activate rewards.
There’s some key things you should do to run an effective promotional campaign: set your strategy, craft your message and measure your results. The measuring your results part can wait until the Holiday cookie coma you’ve induced is over. It all boils down to your messaging and how you communicate with your followers.
Speak to them personally and directly, avoid coming off as a marketing executive. People will respond to this genuineness with support AND sales.
Update Product Listings
It’s important to have the products that are most in-demand out front on your site. We’re talking about the seasonal go-tos: hoodies, beanies, socks, etc. Bury the tank tops for now.
Spreadshop makes it easy to place the attention on these designs with a feature called design view. Activate this in your shop so people can see what you’re offering the moment they click on your link. This is great for new designs that you want to focus on or related Holiday merch products.
Plush teddy bears and puppies were just activated in the product options. These cuddly creatures are great for the young ones in your life: nieces, nephews, cousins, the list goes on. The plushies wear a t-shirt that you can upload any merch design. They would look adorable under the tree.
If you want to forgo these festive offerings, our classic reusable water bottles make a great gift this year! In collaboration with Mr. Beast and Team Seas, every dollar from a water bottle sold this year will be donated to keep plastic out of the ocean. One dollar = one pound that will be removed from the ocean thanks to Team Seas. Learn more!
Spruce Up Your Shop
Bring some seasonal cheer to your Spreadshop with some simple design changes. You don’t need to do a web design overall, just add a few extra touches.
Use Canva and other design tools to create Holiday related icons you can add to your logo or header. Canva makes it easy: just set the size dimensions and start designing!
If the “About Me” page on your site hasn’t been activated, then what are you waiting for?! This is the perfect place to tell your customers more about yourself and your journey to becoming a shop owner. Add some Holiday cheer to this part of your website with themed photos. Product shots of new merch whether they are holiday related or not are always a good idea for promotion. And it puts your personality to the table.
Get Seasonal With Socials
Posting on socials is more than just advertising promos and sales, it’s another way to reach your customer. More and more users are turning to social media as spaces for shopping inspiration. These purchasing decisions make it or break it for small shop owners, especially during the holiday season.
Take advantage of features on Instagram like the Instagram Shopping Tab. Upload your products and create listings under different categories so interested parties can find your merch. You’ll be more easily accessible to users who have similar interests and shopping patterns. Now that’s holiday merch marketing made easy!
Make sure your feed isn’t totally dominated by Holiday content. Plan out your Instagram grid so it looks aesthetically pleasing, or scatter this content on Facebook and Twitter. You’ll get the most out of Holiday content that sticks to your brand. Feature product shots in dynamic, seasonal environments and keep your messaging consistent.
We hope these 5 tips help prepare you for a jolly Holiday merch rush this year as the demand for online shopping grows each holiday season.
Give people a reason to support you small business – launch your Spreadshop today to start selling your merch, seasonal or not!
