Ecommerce Strategy
Dec 4, 2025
How Do I Maximize Sales Before Christmas?
The question isn't "what CAN I do?" It's "what should I prioritize for MY business?" Your data already tells you.
Black Friday and Cyber Monday are done. Between now and December 23rd, there's still significant revenue to capture. But the window is short, and trying to do everything means doing nothing well.
The question isn't "what CAN I do?" It's "what should I prioritize for MY business?" Your data already tells you. Here's how to read it.
What's the Window?
Between now and December 23rd, shipping deadlines drive behavior more than discounts
This window is different from BFCM. Customers aren't hunting for the best deal. They're hunting for confidence that their gift will arrive on time.
The key dates:
Ground shipping cutoff around December 17th
2-day shipping cutoff around December 21st
Overnight on December 23rd
After that, physical delivery becomes impossible.
This means urgency and trust messaging matter more than discount depth. Customers need to know: "Will this arrive by Christmas?" Answer that question clearly, and conversion follows.
How Do I Know What to Prioritize?
Look at your data from the past 30 days. It tells you where to focus.
Pull up your analytics. Ask yourself:
Where are customers dropping off? If cart abandonment is high, focus on checkout Experiences that build trust and urgency. If product page views are high but add-to-cart is low, the problem is upstream.
What's your current AOV relative to your free shipping threshold? If customers are landing below threshold, AOV-building Offers like Gift with Purchase or tiered discounts can close the gap.
How did your BFCM offers perform? If certain discount structures converted well, lean into those. If something underperformed, this isn't the time to retry it.
Do you have slow-moving inventory? If dead stock is sitting in your warehouse, this window is your last chance to move it before year-end.
Use this framework:
If checkout abandonment is high → Focus on checkout Experiences (trust messaging, delivery promises)
If AOV is below your shipping threshold → Focus on AOV Offers (Gift with Purchase, Buy More Save More)
If inventory is stuck → Focus on clearance-oriented Offers (tiered discounts on specific products)
If checkout conversion is low → Focus on "Delivers by 12/24" and return policy messaging
What Are My Options?
Tactics across Offers, Experiences, and one backup plan
Here are your options. Pick 2-3 based on where your data says you need the most help.
Offers:
Gift with Purchase. Add a free gift at a spending threshold. "Free holiday candle with orders over $75." Increases AOV without discounting.
Buy More, Save More. Tiered discounts that move volume. "10% off 2 items, 15% off 3+." Good for clearing slow inventory.
Free Ground Shipping Offer. Time-limited offer tied to the shipping cutoff. "Free ground shipping ends Sunday." Creates real urgency.
2-Day Shipping Offer. For the December 18-21 window. "Free 2-day shipping on orders over $100." Higher threshold protects margin on expedited shipping costs.
Checkout Experiences:
"Delivers by 12/24" messaging. Replace "Standard: 5-7 business days" with "Order by Friday for guaranteed Christmas delivery."
Gift Return Policy messaging. "Extended holiday returns through January 31st." Removes friction for gift buyers.
Last-Minute Deal Reminder. "Our best deal of the year ends tonight." Works in final hours of any shipping-tied promotion.
Backup:
Gift Cards on 12/23-24. When shipping ends, gift cards become your only product with guaranteed delivery. Don't ignore them.
What Should I Avoid?
Common mistakes during this window
Trying to do everything. Pick 2-3 tactics. Doing many things poorly is worse than doing a few things well.
Copying what worked for someone else. Their customers, margins, and shipping costs are different from yours. Your data tells you what matters for YOUR business.
Waiting until December 16th to set up shipping messaging. By then you've missed days of potential conversions. Set up your Experiences now.
Forgetting to update content as cutoffs pass. Promising "delivery by Christmas" after ground shipping ends creates customer service problems. Plan your content calendar in advance.
Ignoring gift cards. The December 23-24 window is short but valuable. Have your gift card promotion ready to deploy.
Stop Guessing. Start Knowing.
Your data tells you which tactics matter for your business.
Look at where customers are dropping off. That's where to focus. Check your AOV against your threshold. Review what worked during BFCM. Let your data guide the decision.
Here's the framework:
High checkout abandonment → Checkout Experiences
AOV below threshold → AOV-building Offers
Stuck inventory → Buy More Save More
Low checkout conversion → Delivery and trust messaging
After shipping ends → Gift cards
Test what you can. Prioritize based on your biggest opportunity. Don't guess what to prioritize. Know.
Ready to find out which tactics actually move the needle for your business? When you're ready to test what works for your customers, let's get you testing beyond what's typical.
Expert Guide
AB Testing
AB Testing
