For many small shops, the last six weeks of the year bring in a third or more of annual revenue. They also bring the most stress: stock runs out, delivery slows down, and every big brand is shouting at the same customers. A plan made a few weeks early beats any last-minute discount.
Four weeks out: decide the offer
You do not have to discount everything. Pick the offer type that fits your margins:
| Offer | Good when | Watch out for |
|---|
| Percentage off sitewide | High margins, lots of stock | Trains customers to wait for sales |
| Bundle deals | You want a bigger order value | Bundles must feel genuinely useful |
| Free gift over a threshold | Margins are tight | Gift must be cheap for you, valuable to them |
| Free shipping | Shipping is your main objection | Factor the cost into the threshold |
| Early access for subscribers | You have an email list | Actually make it earlier and exclusive |
Write down the minimum margin you will accept and check every offer against it.
Three weeks out: stock and suppliers
- Look at last year's best sellers and order more of those, not more of everything.
- Ask suppliers for their holiday cut-off dates now.
- Prepare packaging, gift notes and labels in bulk.
- Decide what happens when something sells out — hide it, show "sold out", or take pre-orders.
Two weeks out: get the site ready
- Speed: compress large images. A slow page under holiday traffic costs sales.
- Homepage banner: one clear message with dates — "Black Friday: 20% off everything, 28 Nov – 1 Dec".
- Gift guide page: group products by person ("for dad", "under 25") — gift buyers love being told what to buy.
- Delivery deadlines: show the last order date for Christmas delivery on every product page.
- Test checkout on a phone, with a real card, end to end.
One week out: tell people
- Email your list a "something is coming" teaser, with early access for subscribers.
- Schedule social posts for every day of the sale — a short video of products being packed works well.
- Update your Google Business Profile with holiday opening hours if you have a physical location.
- Prepare answers to the questions you'll get most: delivery times, returns, gift wrapping.
During the sale
- Send no more than one email a day, and stop emailing people who already bought.
- Check stock levels morning and evening.
- Reply to messages fast — an unanswered question during a sale is a lost order.
- Note what sells and what doesn't. That is your plan for next year.
After the sale
- Send a thank-you to new customers with a reason to come back in January.
- Extend returns windows for gifts — it reduces hesitation before Christmas.
- Calculate real profit, not just revenue, including discounts and extra shipping.
Mistakes to avoid
- Raising prices before the sale so the discount looks bigger — customers notice, and in some countries it's illegal.
- Discounts so deep you lose money on every order.
- Promising delivery dates your courier can't keep.
- Forgetting to switch the banner off when the sale ends.
Make the creative quickly
You'll need banners, product photos on festive backgrounds and short videos. Volnyn's AI Image and Video generators can produce those from a description in minutes, and the AI builder can add a gift guide page to your existing site. Start free at volnyn.com.
