Christmas Selling Guide

Get prepared for the largest retail event of the year

Christmas is a massive retail holiday. Sales reached $658 billion last year with the average American buying 14 gifts (see stats here). There are only 3 months left until Christmas! Now is the time to prepare for increased sales.

2016 Christmas season statistics via NRF

As you can see above, 61% of Americans plan to buy clothing and accessories for Christmas, making it the largest gift category. Consumers plan to spend an incredible $936 per person, with $461 spent on family and the remainder spent on friends, coworkers, and others.

PRO TIP : Your Christmas campaigns don’t have to just be gifts. In fact, 56% of shoppers plan to take advantage of Christmas sales and buy for themselves (data via NRF).

Christmas sales start early

This year, 33% of American shoppers plan to make purchases before November. Your Christmas sales and ads should slowly begin in October and peak in November, aligning with Thanksgiving weekend.

2017 holiday sales by month via NRF

Major retail events for Christmas sales include Thanksgiving, Black Friday, Cyber Monday, and early December sales. Stay tuned for our upcoming Christmas strategy guide for planning your Christmas promotions.

Design guide for Christmas campaigns

Here are some festive design ideas to help make your Christmas sales a success.

Classic Christmas

Buyers of all ages will be in the market for some classic Christmas merchandise. Design ideas include Christmas trees, Santa Claus, reindeer, elves, snowmen, candy canes, Christmas lights, Christmas lyrics, stockings, gingerbread, and Christian themes (more on this below).

Ugly Christmas Sweaters

These unusual and sometimes hilarious seasonal sweaters are a Christmastime staple. Thanks to Americans’ sense of humor and irony, ugly designs are encouraged. Your designs can reference classic Christmas imagery, niches, and trending topics. Check out this Buzzfeed article for more inspiration.

Ugly Christmas Tees/Tanks

Ugly designs aren’t just for sweaters anymore. Snag extra sales with designs for shirts and tanks too. You can search online for “free knit fonts” to help create realistic custom text.

Christmas humor

They say laughter is the best gift. Increase conversions with witty, on-trend Christmas jokes. For Christmas humor inspiration, check out this list of funny one-liners and puns.

Memes for Christmas

Never underestimate the power of a great meme. Millennials (under 30) will be in the market for funny, cute, or ironic designs with their favorite memes. Visit knowyourmeme.com for more ideas.

Christian designs

More than 70% of Americans believe in the traditional Christmas story. You can appeal to this large sector of buyers with more traditional imagery: nativity scene, angels, baby Jesus, the Star of Bethlehem, Bible quotes, “Happy Birthday Jesus”, and more.

Christmas niches

Increase your conversions on niche designs this Christmas. Popular niches to cater to include dog breeds, unique animals, sports, hobbies, countries, and music. We encourage you to design around your specialty niche.

Just for Kids

Christmas is a magical holiday for kids of all ages. Parents will be in the market to dress their young ones with festive looks. A smart idea is to include Santa folklore in your designs.

Christmas Duo

Christmas might be the only holiday that allows for goofy matching shirts. A popular idea concept is having one “naughty” shirt and one “nice” shirt. Other ideas include “You’re my Christmas present → ”, or “Hubby, Wifey” duo.

Call-to-action ideas for Christmas

General Christmas CTAs

Shop Santa’s favorites. Spread that holiday cheer with great seasonal buys.
Order now before Christmas arrives!
Give the gift of warmth this year. Shop brand new sweatshirts and hoodies.
Deck the halls with these amazing Christmas deals!

Shoppers buying for themselves

Rock around that Christmas tree in style. Shop the look now!
Treat yo self this Christmas with fresh holiday apparel and accessories.
Bring some merry to your Christmas with this perfect holiday shirt!

Early shoppers

Black Friday not your thing? Shop now and land sweet deals on great Christmas gifts.
Why wait for Cyber Monday to land some amazing Christmas deals? Shop now and save.
Not a fan of the Black Friday madness? Buy early and still save big for Christmas.
Get a head start on holiday shopping with our exclusive early-bird sale.

Expressing urgency

XX% sale! Exclusive Christmas promo! Buy now before time runs out!
Christmas time is here! Buy now before our offer ends!
Our seasonal sale only comes once a year! Shop today and save!
Order early so it can arrive in time for Christmas!

For husband/wife or boyfriend/girlfriend

Find the perfect gift for your Jingle Belle. Shop our top holiday designs.
All they want for Christmas is you, and maybe a new sweater 😉
Share your love this Christmas with the perfect gift. Shop now.

From parents to children

Is your kid a [niche here] fan? We’ve got the perfect gift!
Keep the magic of Christmas alive. Dress your kid for the happiest season of all.
We’ve got the cutest looks for your kiddo! Shop our holiday sales now!
Kids growing too fast? They’ll love this custom shirt/sweater for Christmas.

Create your Christmas campaign

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