How to Motivate Online Shoppers This Holiday Season

Holiday shopping is critical for earning. In fact, according to Forbes, businesses could gain one quarter of their annual revenue during the holiday season. This is why it is vital to motivate online shoppers to select your online store and purchase your products.

But many online businesses struggle to grab the attention of seasonal shoppers. Some might believe prices need to be slashed to gain the necessary success, but this is not the case. There are actually plenty of ways to motivate customers to shop with you this holiday season.

In this post, you will learn about three key tips to ensure online shoppers pick your store for their festive purchases.

Create Urgency and Scarcity

There are several psychological drivers that businesses can leverage to drive impulse purchases this holiday season. This is just one of the key takeaways mentioned in the 2025 Ryder E-Commerce Consumer Study. Creating urgency and scarcity is one way to do this by triggering the fear of missing out (FOMO). When customers are at risk of missing out on time-limited sales and limited stock, anxiety prompts them to take faster action to secure the item before someone else does or before the offer expires.

Your business must select the most suitable tactic for your customers. Common strategies include countdown timers, exclusive access, and limited stock notifications. However, to avoid disappointment and frustration, final order dates for guaranteed holiday delivery must be clearly communicated. As the deadline approaches, you might decide to send a “Last Chance for Guaranteed Christmas Delivery” email to drive immediate action.

Of course, you must be authentic when implementing these tactics. Only genuine urgency and scarcity strategies should be used. Falsely advertising low stock or extending deadlines repeatedly could damage customer trust, which will harm your business long-term.

Offer Convenience and Value

Customers will be busy and price-sensitive during the lead up to the holiday season, so you must prioritize convenience and value. These factors make it easier and more worthwhile for consumers to complete their purchases. Shoppers will appreciate your business’ attempts to save them time and money by providing promotions and rewards. In many cases, they will be encouraged to choose your brand over others because of this.

Offering convenience and value begins with the shopping procedure. You must ensure your website is easy to use on a smartphone for on-the-go shopping and make the checkout process as quick and simple as possible. Similarly, including flexible payment options and providing expedited shipping will ensure your business is incredibly convenient.

Delivering value will require alternative methods, though. Customers will be looking for the best deals, so you might create special promotions or consider price matching. Launching a loyalty program is an ongoing way of offering value, too, that can be used throughout the year. This will reward repeat customers with exclusive deals, extra points, and/or special access.

Engage with Festive and Personalized Marketing

As the holiday period is highly emotional, your business should aim to connect with customers’ emotional states. Shoppers will typically look for gifts that show the recipient appreciation and love, and festive marketing can connect with this feeling. This creates a more meaningful shopping experience.

Motivating online shoppers through the use of festive and personalized marketing is only successful if the right strategies are used. The shopping experience is made easier by curating gift guides for different recipients, like “gifts for him” or “gifts for under $25.” During the festive period, these curated gift guides should be given a festive makeover, with a holiday-themed banner or font.

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