How to Make the Most of Christmas eCommerce Traffic

Christmas is no doubt the busiest time of year for any retailer, with plenty of gift buyers all looking for the perfect products. 

With more website visitors than usual over the holiday season, there’s a huge opportunity for increased sales. But if you’re not offering a simple, quick and enjoyable online shopping experience, you could be missing out on vital conversions.

So, how can you take advantage of this Christmas traffic and boost sales through your site?

Get the most out of your Christmas eCommerce traffic

1. Display unique content

First things first, you need to make sure you’re driving high-quality visitors to your site. 

With countless online stores competing for attention, it can be difficult to cut through the noise in eCommerce.

Implementing a festive content strategy and engaging marketing campaigns can make your website and marketing channels memorable, helping you attract new potential customers to your website.

In your content and campaigns, you could include: 

• Curated gift guides: Inspire purchases and offer content that users may not have seen anywhere else in thoughtful, hand-picked gift guides.
• Dedicated landing pages: Link to clever gift ideas and your own products on specially designed seasonal landing pages.
• Your USPs: Display your unique selling points in your homepage content or in an On-Site Messaging campaign, as these are what will make customers want to stay and shop with you.

People who are starting their Christmas shopping and are looking for gift inspiration are already primed to purchase – all you need to do is make sure you can direct them to the right place with dedicated landing pages, gift guides, and engaging content.

Suggested reading: Discover how to drive high-quality festive visitors with our article ‘How to Drive Traffic to Your eCommerce Site the Right Way’

2. Keep shoppers informed with clear messaging

When it comes to online shopping, you need to ensure your users are informed enough to complete their purchase.

Unclear communication or missing details can lead to visitors abandoning their baskets before checkout.

Keep customers informed with clear messaging at every stage, from the homepage to checkout.

• Be upfront about key dates: Display last-minute delivery dates and extended Christmas returns periods to avoid any confusion. 
• Communicate your delivery costs and returns information: Shoppers should be informed about delivery fees and return policies early to prevent abandonment.
• Create clear product descriptions: Use researched keywords and search terms for optimal product performance to create accurate listings that allow shoppers to easily find what they’re looking for.

Consistent, transparent communication is crucial in the Christmas season when you may be faced with last-minute shoppers looking for quick, stress-free purchases.

Suggested reading: Learn more about preventing basket abandonment with our Guide to Shopping Cart Abandonment.

3. Create urgency to drive faster purchases

Now that you’ve attracted shoppers and they’re interested in your products, your site needs to work a little harder to ensure your efforts aren’t wasted.

The Christmas eCommerce period is the perfect time to use scarcity marketing and tap into FOMO to increase conversions.

Shoppers want to secure great deals fast and fear missing out on popular products. Use personalised campaigns and limited-time offers to guide them toward purchase.

Throughout the buying journey, you can integrate campaigns to boost urgency, such as:

• End of sale countdown: Discounts and free shipping incentives can provide the final push for a seasonal purchase. Adding a countdown timer in an On-Site Messaging campaign helps highlight that your Christmas offers are for a limited time only. 
• Product views and product purchases: Showcase real-time product views or purchases to highlight high-demand items and increase urgency.

These simple but effective tactics create urgency and encourage shoppers to complete their orders so they don’t miss out on the best deals.

4. Use dynamic product recommendations to increase sales

Your seasonal shoppers are looking for convenience, and dynamic content remains one of the most effective ways to boost Christmas eCommerce traffic performance.

Show personalised product recommendations based on browsing behaviour to help shoppers find the perfect gift faster. 

Integrating intelligent solutions such as Recommendations offers many advantages, including:

• Inspiring sales: Increase Christmas sales by connecting your shopper with their perfect product and showcasing trending gift ideas.
• Boosting brand loyalty: Shoppers will feel like their shopping experience is tailored to their needs, building a loyal customer base.
• Increasing AOV: Personalised recommendations create upsell opportunities and increase average order value, maximising the value of each festive visitor.

Let your Recommendations unit do the heavy lifting, using personalisation and dynamic features to increase the value of each order and make the most of your seasonal visitors.

5. Capture and retarget festive shoppers

Conversions don’t always have to be considered as direct sales.

A successful micro-conversion can include actions that build long-term customer relationships, such as:

• Filling out a form: Encourage account registrations or sign-ups for early access to new collections.
• Email newsletter subscription: Make the most of the increase in website traffic to grow your mailing list and build an audience for future campaigns.
• Social media follows: Direct shoppers to your social platforms and use this busy sales period to grow your online community.

During the festive rush, many shoppers browse multiple sites before committing to a purchase.

Capturing their contact information allows you to retarget them with timely, relevant messages to remind them of what they viewed or left behind.

The power lies in intelligent identity resolution and data capture tools. Using technology such as Salesfire AI, retailers can identify previously anonymous shoppers and recover valuable browse and cart event data, allowing for more effective retargeting of shoppers.

Effective email and SMS retargeting can not only recover abandoned baskets, but also nurture new audiences into repeat customers beyond Christmas.

Suggested reading: Reconnect with festive shoppers using our Email Retargeting Checklist.

6. Build brand loyalty

This Q4 surge in Christmas eCommerce traffic doesn’t just have to end with the festive season. Use this momentum to nurture new visitors through the marketing funnel and turn them into loyal customers.

Encourage new visitors on your site to subscribe to your email newsletter via data capture campaigns. This helps you build high-quality mailing lists, allowing you to send engaging email campaigns later to reinforce your brand and customer loyalty.

Creating memorable, seamless experiences is key to customer retention. Research shows that customers are likely to spend 140% more after a positive experience than customers who report negative experiences.¹

Christmas is the perfect opportunity to turn first-time visitors into repeat customers. Optimise your site experience with fast Search functionality, simple checkout options, and multiple payment methods to reduce last-minute drop-offs.

Your customers will remember their effortless and personalised experience, and return time and time again.

Looking ahead to 2026

As technology continues to shape consumer shopping habits, 2026 will likely see even more emphasis on personalisation, AI-driven recommendations, and omnichannel marketing.

Retailers that prioritise personalisation, from on-site interactions to automated email and SMS flows, will be best placed to turn Christmas browsers into year-round customers.

Over to you

With eCommerce becoming more and more competitive each festive season, you need distinct ideas to stand out from the crowd.

You should now have some unique inspiration to make the most of your Christmas eCommerce traffic, and give your website the extra push it needs to turn festive visitors into long-term customers.

¹ The True Value of Customer Experiences – Monitor Deloitte