5 Steps To Prepare Your Website For Holiday & Seasonal Sales
The year has flown by, and before we know it, the holiday season will be here. Instead of scrambling at the last minute, why not start preparing now? With a little planning, you can head into the busiest shopping months feeling calm and ready to embrace the festive season. To help, here's a step-by-step guide to getting your website and marketing holiday-ready.
Step 1: Map Out Your Plan & Analyze Last Years Data
"The earlier, the better" is the golden rule for holiday prep. Don't wait until December to put things together—instead, aim to have a clear plan by mid-October at the absolute latest.
Start by preparing your shop behind the scenes. Look at the previous year's data. What sold well? What didn't? If you offered personalizations, was it successful? You can use this insight to prepare your inventory and promotional material.
Some key things to decide ahead of time:
Holiday bundles & product collections
Seasonal promotions and discounts
Order deadlines for shipping
Step 2: Start Leaving Breadcrumbs
Once your plan is set, start dropping hints about what's to come. You don't have to go into complete festive mode yet—instead, tease future bundles and promotions that you will be running during the holiday season. This creates curiosity, builds momentum, and keeps your brand top-of-mind leading up to the holidays.
Step 3: Plan Your Holiday Marketing
Your marketing will carry a lot of weight, so get ahead of it before the rush begins.
Email Blasts
Draft holiday email blasts by the end of October and have them ready to go out in early November. This ensures your customers get clear, thoughtful reminders about promotions, key sales dates, and shipping cut-offs without feeling bombarded.
Pro Tip: Pre-schedule your discounts and promotions so they're ready to go when the season hits. This will save time and prevent last-minute stress.
Festive Social Media & Imagery
Decorate your space for the holiday season.
Add festive touches to your product photography (think garlands, ornaments, twinkle lights)
Incorporate holiday colours and seasonal backdrops into your imagery
Browse tools like Etsy’s Seller Handbook, Pinterest Predicts and Pinterest Trends for inspiration to stay on-trend with seasonal design. We love these tools because they pull together real-time search results that reflect what consumers are actually looking for.
Tap into Nostalgia
Look at your audience and ask: what resonates most with them? Classic holiday traditions? Or a sleek, modern vibe? Lean into that tone in your visuals and messaging so customers feel emotionally connected with your content.
Step 4: Show Your Customers Some Love
The holiday season is all about giving, and it's the perfect time to show a little extra appreciation to the people who've supported you and your business.
A few easy ways to spread the love:
Send a small thank-you gift or an exclusive discount code
Run special offers for your email subscribers or Instagram broadcast members
Add in a personalized handwritten thank-you note to their order
These little touches go a long way in building lasting loyalty.
Step 5: Create Gift Guides & Support Local
Holiday shopping can be overwhelming, so why not make it easier? Create a gift guide that features your items as well as other local favourites. It's a win-win: your audience gets inspired, your brand gets traction, and you can lift up and support other local businesses.
With these five steps in place, you'll be ready to welcome the holiday season with less stress and more joy. Connect with our team today to find out how we can help you plan out your Holiday Season promotions!
✿ Written By Tori Warkentin
Hey there! I’m Tori, the in-house writer at Cedar + Mint Co.! With a deep love for words and a passion for storytelling, I specialize in crafting engaging, insightful content that resonates with readers.
