How to create a last-minute gift guide for your online store

Looking for an easy way to get your customers shopping this holiday season? It’s not too late to make a gift guide! Creating curated lists of gift ideas for your online store is a great way to help your customers not only find what they’re looking for, but also help them discover new products in the process.

Here are a few things to consider when you’re creating a gift guide for your online store.

Who your customers are shopping for

This might seem like an obvious question to ask, but it’s not necessarily an easy one to answer. Challenge yourself to go beyond the standard “men”, “women”, and “kids” categories and instead ask yourself what kind of person your customers might be shopping for this holiday season. 

You could create categories based on the recipient, such as teachers, doctors, parents, siblings, or neighbours. Or, if your store features products that might appeal to various recipients, age or price categories are a popular choice. 

Another creative solution is to categorize your products according to interest. Common categories in this vein include gourmands, outdoor adventurers, and health and fitness enthusiasts. If your online store is more niche, you can organize your products into experiential categories like “for the beginner”, “for the enthusiast”, or even “for the person who has everything”.

Finally, if your online store has a large product catalog, use a combination of these categories to help your customers whittle their choices down to exactly what they’re looking for. 

Which products should you include in your guide

A gift guide is not necessarily a place to list every single product in your catalog, especially if you have a lot of products in your online store. Rather, it’s a great place to feature your bestselling or buzzworthy products, the ones most likely to create return customers and great reviews. 

Increased shopping traffic during the holiday season brings with it the opportunity to wow customers and generate brand awareness for the rest of the year. 

Make your gift guide visually appealing

Your gift guide landing page should include high-quality images or graphics, clearly identified categories, and even a short description of what your shoppers can expect to find in each category. Exploring your gift guide should be an easy and even exciting experience. 

Test the design and responsiveness of your gift guide on multiple devices to make sure it functions just as well on mobile as it does on your computer. Don’t forget to promote your gift guide on your home page and make it noticeable in your store’s navigation so customers can easily find it wherever they are in your store.

Feature your shipping policy

With only a few weeks to go before Christmas and people relying on speedy delivery times, make sure your shipping policy is stated in your gift guide. If you can promise delivery before the big day, even just locally, promote that prominently throughout your gift guide to encourage last-minute shoppers to convert. You might even want to offer free shipping over a certain threshold as a special promotion for added incentive.

Sharing your gift guide

After you’ve put time and effort into creating a gift guide, don’t forget to tell your customers about it! Send out an email campaign to your subscribers letting them know you’ve made it easier for them to shop for those last-minute presents. You might even want to create some social media ads showcasing categories in your gift guide to target specific holiday shoppers.