7 Ways to Support Your Last-Minute Christmas Shoppers

1. Extend your trading hours into the O Holy Night.

Longer trading hours make things a lot easier for shoppers with packed schedules. Promote your extended trading hours via store signage, social media and email, so customers know you're there when they need you. Consider offering special ‘late-night exclusives’ or ‘last-minute discounts’ to encourage foot traffic during these extra hours.

Top tip: Most promotional emails go unopened, so make sure your subject line gets the ‘extended hours’ message across without any additional clicks required.   

2. Offer shipping that’s swifter than Santa. 

Make life easier for online shoppers by offering discounted express shipping, and make sure to clearly display cutoff dates for guaranteed Christmas delivery. Highlight gift-ready products that are eligible for expedited shipping to further simplify the shopping journey. Also keep in mind that Australia Post also advises their own Christmas delivery cut-off dates, so be sure yours are aligned with theirs to avoid any risk of delayed orders.

3. Gift wrapping, all wrapped up.

Save customers time and hassle by offering gift-wrapping services. Free or paid, it’s a thoughtful touch they’re sure to appreciate, especially if they’re not much chop at wrapping gifts. Better yet, add extra flair by using festively branded wrapping paper. For example, a Santa hat hanging off your logo could be a good design thoughtstarter.

Top tip: If you’re using Zeller POS Lite to sell Christmas gifts this holiday season, add ‘gift wrapping’ as a modifier so you can track how frequently customers request it. You can learn how to apply modifiers to a cart here.

4. More merry helpers.

The Christmas rush can be overwhelming, so ensure you have enough staff to manage the extra foot traffic and handle queries efficiently. Make sure your team members are up to speed and across any new processes to ensure peak service during peak season. A little extra training can go a long way.

5. Deck the halls of your website.

An easy-to-navigate, festively decorated site will draw in time-crunched buyers. Adding a ‘Last-Minute’ section or countdown banners can create urgency and attract shoppers looking for quick solutions.

Top tip: A curated gift guide on your website can be a neat idea, but if it’s too tricky to pull off in time simply create a PDF version to email to customers. It’s a great way to build and drive engagement from your subscriber list, too.

6. Many happy returns.

Ease customers' hesitation with a flexible return policy. It’s a simple way to encourage impulse purchases. Promote this benefit in store and on your website (and perhaps via email or social media too) to reassure shoppers that buying now doesn’t mean risking regret later. You can also add your flexible return policy to your receipt printed, emailed, or sent via SMS from Zeller Terminal too — learn how to do that here.

7. Sleigh the essentials.

Make sure you’re stocked up stocking stuffers, greeting cards, wrapping, and any other items that make easy and essential add-ons at the checkout. Consider bundling these items into ready-to-go holiday kits for added convenience.

By putting these strategies into play, you’ll not only provide your customers with a seamless, thoughtful shopping experience, but also give yourself the best chance to boost your holiday sales.

If you’d like to learn more about payments and POS solutions to make spirits bright this Christmas, give our local team a call on 1800 935 537 and we’ll be happy to help.