The pre-Christmas period is approaching and with it one of the strongest sales periods of the year. For most online retailers, this means more orders, higher expectations and lots of challenges, especially when it comes to shipping goods. We have put together some practical tips so that you don’t lose track of things during this stressful time and your customers have their parcels under the Christmas tree on time.
Good prospects for retailers
A recent study by Fiverr* shows that almost one in four consumers (24%) plan to spend more money on Christmas gifts this year than last year. Almost half (48%) want to plan the same budget as last year. This sounds promising for you as an online retailer, as the pre-Christmas period is one of the most important sales phases of the year for many. Especially on discount days such as Black Friday and Cyber Monday, retailers are already expecting around 22% of their total turnover. This makes it clear that now is the perfect time to optimally prepare your store for this hot phase and benefit from the increasing interest in buying.
1. plan discount campaigns & promotions in good time
Consumers love discount campaigns. Think about possible Christmas promotions or special listings for your customers early on. The possibilities are endless: whether it’s an instant discount, a particularly favorable limited listing or a small bonus. Everyone enjoys little surprises and extras in the run-up to Christmas.
2. everything is Christmassy - including your online store
Christmas decorations are everywhere. Online, too, people get into the Christmas spirit as Advent approaches. A festive picture on the homepage or a Christmas-themed newsletter will get customers in the mood for this special time of year. Perhaps you could also create an extra “Christmas gifts” section? The possibilities are endless here too.
3. allow fair exchange periods for Christmas gifts
We’ve all been there: you buy your presents in good time and then unfortunately you have to exchange something after the presents have been given. You can score extra points with your customers if you advertise particularly accommodating exchange options until January in the run-up to Christmas. This is also a special incentive to complete orders early and without risk.
4. communicate delivery times transparently and prominently on the day of the order
Once the order has been placed, reliable and fast delivery of the parcel is the be-all and end-all for customer satisfaction. Therefore, always adjust your delivery times for the Christmas period to the current situation. Take into account factors such as stock levels, increased order volumes, shipping costs and the collection time of your logistics provider. Just before Christmas, precisely communicated delivery times and last-minute ordering options for Christmas gifts are particularly important for last-minute shoppers.
5. save shipping costs: With the Warenpost shipping option
Inexpensive Warenpost is ideal for small and lightweight products. It offers many advantages – including shipment tracking and delivery usually on the next working day. By the way: at the beginning of 2025, Warenpost will become DHL Kleinpaket. It will then become even more interesting for shipping thanks to improved services: the shipment height will be increased from 5 cm to 8 cm. The newly included liability up to 20.00 euros value of goods per shipment offers even more service. Other new features include the option of shipping hazardous goods in limited quantities from the very first shipment and the parcel stop service from March 1, 2025.
6. inform about the exact shipment status
Once the shipment is on its way, customers want to be informed in detail about the route and time of delivery. As an extra service, you can communicate shipment tracking prominently on your website or link it to dhl.de.
JTL-Track&Trace shipment tracking is specially tailored to your needs as an online retailer. It shows you at an early stage directly in your ERP if there are any problems with shipping. This allows you to reliably inform your customers about delivery delays.
7. individual parcel delivery on the desired day & alternative delivery locations
With the shipping options of preferred day or alternative delivery location, such as dropping off at a neighbor’s, at a preferred drop-off location or at the nearest branch, you can give your customers the certainty that the shipment will arrive on time at the desired location and day. In addition, the Packstations, which are open 24/7, enable even more flexible collection.
With the JTL-Shop plugin DHL Wunschzustellung you can easily set up individual parcel delivery!
8. avoid returns due to undeliverability
It is equally annoying for senders and recipients when eagerly awaited gifts have to make their way back to the warehouse due to incorrect addresses or insufficient information. You can save yourself the extra work involved by using DHL’s branch routing service. With this service, undeliverable shipments – both parcels and merchandise mail (or DHL small parcels from January) – can be collected from the branch on the next working day.
9. offer simple returns options
Customer-friendly and transparent returns options are particularly important for customers if the selected gift does not fit after all. Returns should be simple and uncomplicated, possibly even free of charge.
10. send and communicate sustainably
With particularly high shipping volumes, the aspect of sustainable shipping becomes even more important. As a pioneer in sustainability, DHL offers you the lowest possibleCO2e footprintin national goods shipping with most recipient services in order to avoid additional routes due to multiple delivery attempts.
You can also control your emissions with our GoGreen and GoGreen Plus sustainability services. In this way, you contribute to reducing emissions in Germany, reduce your own footprint in shipping and can also communicate the issue to your recipient customers.
Successfully through the pre-Christmas period
Remember: the pre-Christmas period is a great opportunity to impress your customers and build long-term loyalty. With well thought-out planning and an optimized shipping service, you can ensure happy faces on Christmas Eve.
*Source: The Fiverr platform commissioned the independent market research company “Censuswide” to conduct a study that surveyed 2,508 SME owners and managers in retail and eCommerce internationally. This included 504 entrepreneurs and 503 consumers from Germany.
With Gen Z Planning to Spend More This Holiday Season, Retailers Intensify Focus on AI, Social Media, and Deep Discounts (fiverr.com)
