- christmas
- local business
- giveaways
Christmas campaign for your local shop: 8 ideas with giveaways and loyalty
Christmas is the time of year with the most new customers and the most gift shopping. The challenge for a neighbourhood shop isn’t selling more in December, but getting those customers to come back in January. To make it happen, combine giveaways with winners announced on key dates, points that can be redeemed after Epiphany and seasonal stamp cards. Here are 8 ideas ready to put into practice.
Key dates for the campaign
| Date | What’s happening | What to do in your shop |
|---|---|---|
| 1-5 December | Christmas shopping begins | Launch the campaign: poster, notification and social media |
| First weekend of December | Lots of people out and about in the neighbourhood | Extra stamp or points over the weekend |
| 22 December | Christmas is just days away | Announce your giveaway winner, just before Christmas |
| 24-25 December | Christmas Eve and Christmas Day | Final reminder for last-minute shopping |
| 31 December | New Year’s Eve | A season’s greetings message to your customers |
| 6 January (Epiphany) | The festive season draws to a close | A gift for your most loyal customers |
| The January sales | The January slump begins | Christmas points become redeemable |
8 Christmas campaign ideas
- Giveaway of a Christmas hamper with products from the neighbourhood. Every customer who buys in December gets an entry. If the hamper includes products from other shops on your street, you all gain visibility.
- “Your own Christmas draw”. Run a giveaway in your shop and announce the winner just before Christmas, on 22 December. At that time of year everyone is in the mood for surprises.
- Christmas points to redeem in January. Points earned in December can be redeemed once the January sales begin. It’s the most direct way to bring customers back during the January slump.
- An extra stamp for every gift purchase or festive product. It helps customers fill their card just when shopping is at its peak.
- A seasonal stamp card. Ideal for bakeries and patisseries: “buy 5 festive treats and get one free”.
- A reward for bringing a friend. At Christmas people shop together: reward whoever brings you a new customer.
- A neighbourhood “Christmas passport”. Team up with the shops on your street: anyone who buys in several of them enters a joint giveaway. If you all use Socios, customers will discover you on the shop map.
- An Epiphany gift for your most loyal customers. On 6 January, send a notification to your best customers with a gift: a coffee, a discount or a product to collect in store.
Which idea suits your business
| Business | Recommended idea | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Bakery and patisserie | Seasonal card + giveaway of a seasonal bake for Epiphany | December is their best month: it’s worth turning it into loyalty |
| Café | Extra stamp on the first weekend of December + breakfast for two giveaway | Lots of passing trade over the holidays |
| Hair and beauty salon | Christmas points to redeem in January | A peak in bookings before the holidays and a dip in January |
| Grocery shop | Hamper giveaway + points for January | Big December shop followed by the January slump |
| Fashion and gift shops | Bring-a-friend reward + points for the sales | Gift shopping and a return visit for the sales |
How to promote your campaign
- Shop window: place your poster with your QR code somewhere visible, next to the Christmas decorations, with a clear message: “Christmas giveaway: enter with your purchase”.
- App: send notifications to your customers on key dates (campaign launch, the first weekend of December, 22 December and Epiphany). Don’t overdo it: 4 or 5 messages over the whole month is enough.
- Social media: show off the giveaway prize and share how many customers have entered.
- On the receipt or the bag: a sticker or card with the QR code for anyone who doesn’t have the app yet.
The most important thing: getting them back in January
December fills the till, but January decides whether the campaign has worked. To bring your Christmas customers back:
- Open point redemptions when the January sales begin, when the January slump bites hardest.
- Send a reminder to December’s new customers in mid-January: “you’ve got X points waiting for you”.
- Check in Socios Plus who signed up in December and hasn’t been back, and give them a specific reason to return.
If you ran a Black Friday campaign, link the two: November and December points count towards the same reward.
A note on giveaways
If you run a giveaway, publish simple terms and conditions: who can enter, how, what the prize is, the date and how the winner will be announced. Display them in your shop window or on your social media. We explain in detail how to run a giveaway in your business and what the rules say.
Frequently asked questions
When should I start my Christmas campaign?
Ideally in the first week of December, before the first weekend of the month. If you want to link it to Black Friday, you can start at the end of November.
What prize should a small shop give away?
Something attractive and related to your business: a hamper of your products, a shopping voucher, a treatment or breakfast for two. It doesn’t need to be expensive: what matters is that it’s visible and tempting.
How do I avoid giving away too much margin at Christmas?
Reward with points or stamps instead of direct discounts, and make rewards redeemable in January. That way the gift generates a new visit and a new purchase.
Set up your Christmas campaign in 5 minutes
Create your giveaway, your seasonal stamp card or your Christmas points in Socios Plus. 14-day free trial, no credit card required.
