The holiday shopping season is upon us. Black Friday and Cyber Monday have passed, but the excitement is far from over! With Christmas and Boxing Day just around the corner, it’s crunch time for eCommerce brands. Yet, as Klaviyo’s BFCM 2024 report highlights, the pressure to offer discounts has reached unprecedented levels. Consumers are trained to hunt for the best deal, and brands that don’t participate may feel like they’re missing out.
But is this cycle of heavy discounting truly sustainable? Are short-term sales worth the potential erosion of your brand’s perceived value? How can your business thrive during the holiday rush without sacrificing long-term customer loyalty? Below are actionable strategies designed to help you navigate the season successfully without relying on deep discounts.
1. Create Early Access and VIP-Only Sales
The holidays aren’t just about great deals; they’re about how customers feel. And feeling valued makes all the difference. With holiday competition at its peak, offering early access or VIP-exclusive sales can give your brand the edge it needs. Instead of slashing prices for everyone, tailor your offers to your most loyal customers.
Using Klaviyo’s segmentation tools, identify high-value shoppers—those who have purchased frequently or are members of your loyalty program. Reward them with early-bird specials or exclusive VIP sales to make them feel prioritised.
To take it further, incentivise mobile app downloads by offering app-only deals. Tools like Tapcart make it easy to deliver push notifications for VIP offers, ensuring customers never miss a deal. Shoppers who access these exclusive sales through your app feel like part of an elite community, which strengthens loyalty and boosts repeat purchases.
2. Bundle Products for Perceived Value
Shoppers love a good deal—but that doesn’t mean everything needs to be discounted. Creating thoughtfully curated product bundles can offer tremendous perceived value while increasing your average order value (AOV).
For example, if your brand sells skincare and you know a segment of your audience has acne-prone skin, create a custom bundle featuring a serum, moisturiser, and calming mask. Highlight the synergy between the products and the savings when purchased together, rather than focusing on individual discounts.
Rebuy Engine allows you to personalise these bundles dynamically based on customer data. By leveraging past purchases and preferences, utillising bundles tailored to each shopper, delivering a personalised experience that boosts conversion rates without heavy discounting.
3. Offer Gift Guides and Expert Recommendations
The holiday season can be overwhelming, with shoppers unsure of what to buy. While user-generated content (UGC) is powerful, employee-generated content (EGC) adds a layer of trust and credibility that can be invaluable. Personalised gift guides and expert recommendations can position your brand as a helpful, knowledgeable resource.
Create engaging, short-form video content featuring gift guides that cater to specific interests or customer segments. Share behind-the-scenes insights to humanise your brand and deepen connections. Tools like Videowise enable you to embed shoppable videos on your site, allowing customers to explore your products without leaving the page, enhancing both engagement and conversion rates.
4. Implement Strategic Post-Purchase Engagement
The holiday season doesn’t end when the campaign does. Post-purchase engagement is critical to turning first-time buyers into loyal customers. After a purchase, follow up with personalised thank-you emails, exclusive offers, and product recommendations to keep your brand top of mind.
Send a tailored email introducing your loyalty program or offering points for writing reviews. Use tools like Okendo to collect reviews and reward customers for their feedback. Okendo also helps drive engagement across multiple channels, ensuring your customers stay connected through email, social media, and more while earning rewards for their loyalty.
Conclusion
This holiday season, step away from the discount-driven frenzy and focus on building meaningful, long-term relationships with your customers. By offering personalised experiences, creating value through bundles, and maintaining engagement beyond the purchase, you can drive revenue while strengthening loyalty. The holidays are about more than sales, they’re about creating lasting impressions. Make yours count.
