The holiday season brings more than just festive cheer. It’s a high-stakes time for e-commerce, with recent data showing that holiday sales make up nearly 20% of annual retail revenue.1 For Artist Shops, this means endless opportunities to connect with gift-seeking shoppers and grow your brand. It also underscores how important it is to have a robust holiday marketing plan in place.
Sound daunting? We’re here to help. This Artist Shops Holiday Checklist is your guide to prioritizing, prepping, and promoting your shop for the peak season. Each step is broken down into four levels of action:
This checklist will streamline your holiday marketing strategy, guiding you from the essentials to those extra steps that can make a difference. Grab a mug of hot cocoa, get cozy, and let’s start ticking those holiday boxes!
Your essential tasks are the backbone of a successful holiday season. Think of these as the core components that will help your shop stand out in a busy market. By tackling these first, you’re laying a strong foundation for the holiday rush, ensuring that everything is ready to handle the increased traffic and meet shoppers’ expectations.
1. Refresh your product lineup. ✅
Give your shop’s homepage a seasonal twist by featuring top-selling items and giftable products. Classics like t-shirts and art prints are always in demand, but don’t forget to spotlight fleece apparel and jackets for winter warmth, unique items like jigsaw puzzles, and the newly added scarves available in 25”x25” and 50”x50” sizes. These options make thoughtful gifts for your audience and add variety to your offerings. Additionally, consider stocking stuffers like buttons, stickers, and magnets, which make for wallet-friendly, last-minute buys.
2. Opt into managed pricing (or plan your sales in advance). ✅
Managed pricing takes the guesswork out of your holiday promotions. With this setting turned on in your shop, Threadless will automatically adjust your prices during key sales events, letting you benefit from optimal pricing without the hassle. Just focus on letting your followers know about the upcoming sales! For those artists who like to steer their own ship, no problem! Just map out your holiday discounts ahead of time.
3. Make and schedule your social content ahead of time. ✅
The holidays are for indulging in cookies and carols, not for throwing together last-minute social media posts promoting your sales. Free up time for holiday fun by planning and scheduling your social posts ahead of time. Use our Promo Toolkit to access templates and resources that help streamline post creation. From captions to graphics, get everything in place so you’re not stuck working through the holidays.
4. Promote FREE HOLIDAY SHIPPING. ✅
Throughout the holiday season, your customers will receive free US shipping and a $10 flat-rate for international orders when they spend $99 or more. With the holiday budget juggle being real for many shoppers, free shipping can be the cherry on top that seals the deal. Make sure this sweet offer is front and center in your promotional messages to your audience.
5. Share holiday shipping cut-offs. ✅
Help your customers avoid last-minute stress by reminding them of shipping cut-offs, ensuring their gifts arrive in time. Use the provided image below to share important shipping dates, keeping everyone on track for on-time delivery.
With your essentials covered, it’s time to move on to actions that elevate your shop’s appeal. These are steps that, while not critical, significantly enhance the shopping experience and strengthen your brand’s presence during the holidays. These additional efforts help to differentiate your shop from the rest, creating a more memorable experience for your customers and encouraging repeat visits.
1. Enable managed email for a better reach. ✅
It’s email marketing made easy. When you activate managed email in your Artist Shop, Threadless will automatically send holiday marketing emails to your existing customers and newsletter subscribers to create awareness and drive sales. If you’re also opted into managed pricing, these emails will highlight your shop’s sales throughout the holiday season, keeping your customers in the loop about special deals. When enabled, a signup popup also appears on your shop’s homepage, making it easy for visitors who haven’t bought anything yet to subscribe.
Ready to amplify your reach? Head over to your shop settings and toggle on “Let Threadless send email marketing communications to my customers and gather potential subscribers.”
2. Make an impact with Threadless Causes. ✅
With the Threadless Causes feature in your Artist Shop, you can donate a percentage of your earnings from any designs to a cause and charity that resonates with you. The wide array of available causes you can choose from includes, but is not limited to, Racial Injustice, Human Rights, Environment, and Mental Health Awareness. Using your art to help charities continue their critical work is a beautiful way to make your mark, especially during yearly traditions like GivingTuesday.
Given the recent devastation by Hurricanes Helene and Milton, we urge artists to focus on hurricane relief efforts. Consider supporting the American Red Cross, which provides emergency assistance and disaster preparedness, and World Central Kitchen, known for their rapid, nourishing food response in crises. Your art can play a pivotal role in aiding those severely impacted by these storms.
3. Set up an engaging About Page. ✅
Share your creative journey on your About Page to make a memorable connection with your audience. Add personal details, insights into your artistic process, and links to your socials. A well-curated About Page is also great for SEO, helping search engines connect shoppers to your Artist Shop. Need help crafting a great story? Read our Creative Resources post, “Tell Your Brand Story: How to Write an Engaging About Page.”
4. Spotlight Gift Cards and Promo Codes. ✅
Gift Cards and Promo Codes are lifesavers during the holidays, especially as shipping cutoffs approach. Promote these options as the perfect solutions for last-minute gifting: Gift Cards let your customers share the joy of choice, while Custom Promo Codes provide an extra nudge to make a purchase. Create unique codes and share them on your social channels to attract both new customers and loyal fans. These tools help boost your shop’s visibility, increase sales, and keep the holiday momentum going, right through to the last minute!
5. Curate themed Gift Guides. ✅
The Collections feature in your Artist Shop lets you create themed, curated landing pages for products that share a common vibe. Assembling collections as gift guides helps customers quickly find the perfect item for everyone on their list. Some ideas to spark your imagination: “Secret Santa Gifts,” “Gifts for Pet Lovers,” or “Winter Essentials.” Keep in mind that these collections don’t have to necessarily feature holiday-themed designs. It’s always a good idea to lean into your most popular and newest designs.
The holiday season is a perfect time to add those special touches that resonate with shoppers. These optional steps allow you to inject personality into your shop, showing off your creativity and holiday spirit. From festive photos to exclusive designs, these are the “extra mile” efforts that make a lasting impression. By dedicating a little time to these, you’re showing your customers that your shop is the go-to destination for unique and thoughtful holiday gifts.
1. Order product samples for showcasing. ✅
Use product samples for lifestyle photos or unboxing videos, which make your social media promotions more dynamic. Seeing your products in real-life settings can inspire your audience to imagine these items as gifts for themselves or loved ones. Remember, you can purchase samples from your Artist Shop at the base cost instead of full price—just make sure you’re signed into your account.
2. Snap festive lifestyle photos. ✅
Add holiday cheer to your marketing with lifestyle photos of your products in holiday settings. Displaying items as gifts in natural settings enhances their appeal and showcases their potential as meaningful presents. Show your lifestyle photos in your Homepage Collection, email newsletters, and social media posts.
3. Give your shop banner a seasonal makeover. ✅
Update your shop’s banner with festive colors and holiday-themed graphics. Use it to draw attention to current promotions, free shipping, or new collections—adding a bit of holiday magic the moment visitors land on your page. Think of your banner as wrapping paper for your digital storefront—it promises something special inside!
4. Post interactive social media content. ✅
Engage your audience with polls or holiday-themed posts. Pose fun questions like, “Favorite holiday movie?” or “When does your holiday playlist officially begin?” These interactive posts are easy ways to engage your followers and keep your shop top of mind.
5. Unveil an exclusive, limited-time design. ✅
Add a special holiday design for a limited time to create urgency and excitement. Limited-edition designs make fantastic gifts, giving customers a unique reason to shop now. Check out our Creative Resources post, “The Power of Limited Edition Merch: Creating a Buzz Around Your Shop,” for tips on creating buzz.
To make the most of the holiday season, bringing new and returning customers to your shop is key. These traffic-boosting strategies increase your shop’s visibility and help you reach a wider audience. Each action here is designed to expand your reach, whether through social media, partnerships, or engaging content.
1. Add new designs as often as possible. ✅
Keeping your shop updated with fresh designs maintains excitement and gives customers a reason to return. Our data shows that shops adding new content frequently tend to have more consistent engagement. Plus, if you’ve been selected for the Threadless marketplace, new designs are more likely to show up in search queries filtered by “New.” Continually adding new content is a crucial step in building a successful merch brand over time.
2. Use a “link in bio” landing page. ✅
A “link in bio” landing page creates synergy between your social media accounts and your Artist Shop. From a single, easily shareable web link, this landing page enables you to list out multiple links to your shop and any other site featuring your content. Using this landing page as your bio link will allow you to more effectively direct traffic from your social media to specific products and gift guides you want your followers to see.
3. Run a social-media giveaway. ✅
Draw attention to your shop with a festive giveaway. Encourage followers to like, comment, and share for a chance to win product samples or custom promo codes. Giveaways are a fun way to build excitement and grow your following.
4. Share works-in-progress. ✅
Give followers a sneak peek behind the scenes by posting works-in-progress, whether rough sketches or time-lapse videos. This glimpse into your creative process builds anticipation for new designs and keeps followers engaged. For more ideas, check out Ink Tuesday on TikTok.
@inktuesday And now I’m worried 😧
♬ Merry Metal Christmas – Public Domain
5. Partner with a social media influencer. ✅
Boost your reach by collaborating with an influencer whose audience aligns with your brand. A simple share from an influencer during the holiday rush can introduce your shop to thousands of potential customers. Need tips on reaching out? See our guide to influencer outreach.
Download the Artist Shops Holiday Checklist
Keep this checklist handy as you navigate the holiday season. From must-do basics to extra steps that amplify your impact, each task will help guide your holiday success. For added convenience, download the PDF version of the Artist Shops Holiday Checklist with links to resources for every step of your journey. Happy holidays and happy selling!
FOOTNOTES: 1. National Retail Federation – Winter Holiday FAQs
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