A large number of people enjoy holiday customs and celebrations, especially when it comes to giving gifts. It’s no surprise that 40% of consumers start their shopping sprees even before Halloween. For companies, this signifies the start of the holiday shopping rush. To meet the demands of holiday shoppers, a majority of companies initiate their holiday sales strategies well in advance, preparing earlier than ever. A prime example is Dunkin’s 2019 launch of their autumn-themed food and drink menu across the US on August 21st. This was a strategic move, six days ahead of their main competitor, Starbucks, and their famous Pumpkin Spice Latte (PSL).
In essence, it’s never too soon to organize your holiday marketing plan. If you aim to outperform competitors vying for the same customer base, promoting your holiday sales campaign on Instagram is crucial.
Why Choose Instagram for Holiday Sales?
Why Instagram? Firstly, during the last holiday season, nearly 40% of all ecommerce purchases were conducted using smartphones. Secondly, Instagram’s rapid growth as a visual platform has established it as a perfect marketplace for online purchases. Consider these statistics: 80% of users follow at least one brand on the app, 60% discover products directly on Instagram, and businesses account for one-third of the most viewed stories. Put simply, your target demographic is likely primed to find and buy holiday gifts on Instagram. Moreover, the platform is seller-friendly, thanks to features like product tags, shoppable Instagram Stories stickers, and in-app checkout. Boosting your seasonal sales on Instagram is a fantastic opportunity. To maximize the holiday shopping season, analyze the strategies employed by leading brands last season and learn from their successes. Here are seven proven strategies to elevate your seasonal Instagram sales.
Increasing Your Instagram Sales This Holiday Season
Today’s consumers are well-informed. They effortlessly conduct research before making purchase decisions, making the deal-seeking is on its rise. When aiming to close seasonal sales, customer indecisiveness is your biggest obstacle. Therefore, understanding how to motivate your holiday shoppers to take immediate action is paramount. Let’s explore seven ways to boost holiday sales using Instagram:
1. Leverage Limited-Time Offers and Promotions
Believe it or not, time-limited offers and promotions remain effective. Despite being a familiar marketing tactic, the fear of missing out (FOMO) holds significant sway. Customers are driven to make purchases within a specific timeframe to capitalize on a reward. The incorporation of scarcity yields excellent results for many brands. Take Starbucks, for instance. To celebrate their iconic red cup season, the company designed holiday-themed reusable cups and launched a time-limited offer for seasonal shoppers. This addressed two objectives simultaneously: promoting their sustainability efforts and creating a sense of urgency.
Image Source Lancome provides another compelling example. Recognizing that holiday shoppers value personalize their gifts, the company simplified the process of adding a personal touch:
Image Source Well-executed time-limited offers and promotions are highly effective, so marketers need to establish a clear timeframe. During the holiday rush, e-commerce businesses are swamped, making it easier to overlook crucial dates. Utilizing a social media scheduling tool helps plan content in advance, ensuring your time-sensitive offers and promotions go live as planned. Key Takeaway: When promoting your limited-time offer, remember that holiday shoppers have limited time. Keep your offer concise and straightforward, highlighting the benefits and the deadline. RELATED: 8 Critical PPC Pitfalls to Avoid During the Holidays
2. Host a Seasonal Sale
The majority of customers view holiday shopping as a prime opportunity to snag exclusive discounts and offers. Did you know that 88% of impulse buys are triggered by sales? With the surge in mobile shoppers, promoting your seasonal sales on Instagram is a no-brainer. Need evidence? According to eMarketer, 38% of US holiday shoppers planned to use their smartphones to find deals on Black Friday and Cyber Monday, the year’s biggest shopping days. To convert your followers into customers, announce your seasonal sale and offer an irresistible discount. JCrew’s approach provides a perfect illustration:
Image Source Their offer of 50% off on most full-priced items generated significant buzz for the company and its products. The aforementioned post garnered nearly 16,000 likes and over 370 comments from enthusiastic customers. To replicate such success with your seasonal sale on Instagram, utilize social media listening tools to understand customer expectations before launching your sale. Analyzing customer feedback, reviews, inquiries, and complaints enables you to meet their needs, providing a compelling reason to choose your brand over countless competitors. Key Takeaway: When promoting your seasonal sale on Instagram, simplify the process for interested users to explore your offer, whether through product tags, shoppable Instagram stories, or a link in your bio.
3. Showcase Last-Minute Gift Suggestions
An increasing number of customers delay their holiday shopping until the eleventh hour. One study revealed that 52% of holiday shoppers make some of their purchases on Super Saturday, the final Saturday before Christmas. These shoppers, pressed for time, gravitate towards brands that offer convenient solutions. Thus, providing last-minute gift ideas caters perfectly to this segment. The Gap’s approach exemplifies this strategy. They showcased excellent gift choices and guaranteed delivery before Christmas:
Image Source Madewell provides another stellar example. Last year, they crafted a captivating stop-motion Instagram post to highlight their holiday merchandise. Not only did they present a curated list of gift ideas, but they also extended a 25% discount to last-minute shoppers.
Image Source The holiday shopping frenzy can be overwhelming for most, leading them to seek guidance from brands. To create urgency in your seasonal sales, cater to these late shoppers. Offering last-minute gift ideas is a proven method to deliver effective assistance, fostering brand trust and boosting sales. Key Takeaway: The sheer volume of business profiles on Instagram necessitates staying ahead of the curve. Embrace trends and understand what resonates with contemporary consumers. Whether a large corporation or a small enterprise, incorporating create animated Instagram posts can captivate attention and help you stand out.
4. Organize Giveaways or Contests
The festive season presents a prime opportunity to express appreciation for your customer base. While sending personalized holiday cards to every customer might be impractical, Instagram giveaways offer a fantastic alternative. It’s a psychological fact that freebies are hard to resist. Hosting Instagram giveaways can elevate engagement, enhance brand visibility, and boost seasonal sales. Giving away branded merchandise or gift certificates subtly promotes your holiday products and services without resorting to overt selling. Consider Lulus’s approach. A gift certificate giveaway is an excellent strategy to attract participants, as the winner can select a product that aligns with their preferences:
Image Source To amplify your contest’s reach and make it go viral, increase the gift card value, incentivizing participation. ASOS’s giveaway is a prime example:
Image Source Offering something valuable for free captivates your audience’s attention, serving as a cost-effective promotional strategy for your seasonal products. A wider reach on Instagram translates directly into increased sales potential. Key Takeaway: To maximize the impact of your seasonal giveaway, track its performance. Leverage Instagram’s built-in analytics or explore comprehensive social media marketing tools for in-depth insights.
5. Provide Free Shipping and Gift Wrapping
Free shipping and gift wrapping are a potent combination during the holidays. Let’s face it: 75% of shoppers have come to expect complimentary delivery for their online purchases. For businesses, this signifies the importance of incorporating free shipping into their holiday marketing strategies, as corroborated by holiday shopping statistics. If offering free shipping outright isn’t feasible, consider reducing the minimum purchase threshold for a limited period. As for gift wrapping, it’s widely believed to enhance the perceived value and sentiment associated with a gift, with 28% of Americans acknowledging its role in fostering the holiday spirit. However, 52% of holiday shoppers find gift wrapping to be a tedious chore. Why not alleviate this burden for your customers? Target, recognizing the significance of gift wrapping, offers this service during checkout. To ensure customer awareness, they actively promote it on Instagram:
Image Source Holiday shoppers are constantly on the lookout for good deals and timely delivery. By offering both free shipping and gift wrapping, your company increases its appeal to this discerning demographic. Key Takeaway: Since most companies don’t provide gift wrapping, combining it with free shipping is a golden opportunity to exceed customer expectations and outmaneuver your competition.
6. Evoke Emotions
The festive season often evokes feelings of warmth, joy, and a sense of community. It’s an opportune time to employ emotional writing techniques that resonate with consumers and influence their behavior favorably. Brand messaging that tugs at the heartstrings is more likely to attract customers. Why? People are inherently driven by their emotions. In fact, neuroscientist Antonio Damasio’s one study asserts that decisions are primarily emotional, not logical. Individuals with medical conditions that impair their ability to experience emotions often struggle with decision-making. When crafting posts targeting holiday shoppers, consider incorporating these emotional triggers into your holiday marketing campaign:
- Fear
- Belonging
- Instant gratification
- Time By appealing to emotions, you evoke feelings in your target audience, prompting them to take quicker action. MyBrightJournal’s approach illustrates this concept perfectly:
Image Source Holidays are often associated with cherished moments spent with loved ones, making it a prime time to leverage the power of nostalgia. Chupi’s strategy provides a compelling example:
Image Source While it might seem counterintuitive, emotional marketing during the holidays can effectively create a sense of urgency. By triggering emotions, you forge a connection with your audience through your content, subtly influencing their decisions. Key Takeaway: People generally experience heightened excitement and joy leading up to the holidays. Incorporating emotional triggers into your holiday marketing strategy can encourage purchases. Consider crafting a series of emotionally resonant Instagram posts for enhanced impact.
7. Utilize Ephemeral Content
Instagram Stories have witnessed a meteoric rise in popularity in just three years, with 500 million accounts now engaging with this ephemeral content daily. Their 24-hour lifespan creates a sense of urgency, as users fear missing out on valuable information. For brands, this translates into an effective avenue to reach their audience and deliver their message rapidly. Need proof? Young and Reckless achieved a 6x return on ad spend by running Instagram Stories ads to promote their major holiday sale.
Made.com provides another successful example of leveraging Instagram Stories ads.
Their Instagram Stories campaign promoting their winter sale led to a 69% increase in return on ad spend, a 44% surge in website traffic, and a 28% rise in new visitors. Impressive, isn’t it? If your resources are limited, publishing ephemeral content organically can still yield remarkable results. Instagram continuously introduces business-specific features to expedite goal achievement. The countdown sticker, for instance, effectively creates urgency. This feature reminds your audience about important events. You can share a story with the countdown sticker at the start of your seasonal sale, setting the end date to ensure your followers don’t miss out. Key Takeaway: The transient nature of Instagram Stories encourages prompt action from users, capitalizing on their fear of missing out. Utilizing this ephemeral content is ideal for creating a sense of urgency and driving conversions.
Integrate Instagram Sales Boosting into Your Holiday Strategy
Given Instagram’s surging popularity among consumers, it has evolved into a crucial marketplace for e-commerce brands aiming to maximize sales during the holiday season. However, with over 25 million businesses vying for attention, creating Instagram content that instills a sense of urgency in seasonal sales is crucial for expediting purchase decisions.