[11+] Best Thanksgiving Marketing Ideas To Boost Sales In 2024

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EComposer Team

Nov 1, 2024

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[11+] Best Thanksgiving Marketing Ideas To Boost Sales In 2024

The Thanksgiving season is fast approaching, bringing with it an incredible opportunity for businesses to capture holiday-driven shoppers and boost sales. With customers eagerly awaiting deals for Thanksgiving, Black Friday, and Cyber Monday, this time of year offers a prime window to connect with your audience in meaningful, festive ways.

So, how can you stand out in a sea of seasonal promotions and capture your customers' attention? In this blog, we'll explore the best Thanksgiving marketing strategies that’ll help your business spread holiday cheer and sales alike. Let’s dive in!

Thanksgiving eCommerce Statistic For 2023

Looking back at Thanksgiving 2023, the season exceeded expectations and proved the resilience of holiday shoppers. Despite economic pressures from inflation and rising interest rates, holiday retail sales saw an impressive increase. According to the National Retail Federation (NRF), U.S. holiday sales in 2023 grew between 3% and 4%, reaching between $957.3 billion and $966.6 billion — underscoring the unwavering enthusiasm for seasonal shopping.

Early data from October 2023 set the stage for this growth, as Adobe Analytics reported a strong 5.9% year-over-year (YoY) increase in consumer spending. The Cyber Week rush — from Thanksgiving to Cyber Monday — further amplified this momentum, with shoppers taking full advantage of the season’s best deals. Thanksgiving Day itself saw significant traction in e-commerce, largely driven by mobile shopping as more retailers opted to close physical stores for the holiday.

Globally, the Thanksgiving shopping trend continued its upward trajectory, with double-digit increases reported across key metrics. Salesforce noted a 14% rise in same-store gross merchandise value (GMV) on Thanksgiving Day alone, well above the global e-commerce growth rate of 1%. This year’s figures confirm a robust trend that shows no signs of slowing as consumers worldwide embrace Thanksgiving shopping as an early holiday tradition. For businesses, these statistics reinforce the importance of Thanksgiving as a critical time to engage customers and boost seasonal sales.

When Should You Start Marketing For Thanksgiving 2024?

To make the most of your Thanksgiving marketing in 2024, it’s best to start planning and executing your strategy in early October. This early launch allows you to build up excitement, get in front of your customers before the rush, and ultimately drive more traffic to your business.

Here’s a simple breakdown of when to start each marketing activity:

Early October:

Content Planning: Start creating Thanksgiving-themed content for your blog, social media, and email newsletters to set the holiday mood.
Email Marketing: Send out early-bird emails to introduce upcoming deals and get your audience interested.
Social Media: Begin sharing seasonal posts, like Thanksgiving recipes, decoration ideas, and fun holiday traditions.
Website Optimization: Update your site to showcase Thanksgiving specials, making it easy for customers to navigate and shop.

Mid-October:

Early Bird Deals: Offer early discounts to capture shoppers who like to plan.
Influencer Partnerships: Team up with influencers to spotlight your Thanksgiving products.
Paid Advertising: Start social media and Google Ads campaigns to reach a larger audience and boost brand visibility.

Late October to Early November:

Peak Promotion: Ramp up your marketing! Post frequently on social media, send out more email campaigns, and run targeted ads.
Limited-Time Offers: Create urgency with short-lived deals or flash sales.
Customer Engagement: Interact with your audience through contests, giveaways, or fun social media challenges.

What To Prepare For Thanksgiving 2024?

Preparation is key for a successful Thanksgiving marketing campaign. By planning, updating your listings, and creating holiday-themed content, you can make sure your brand stands out and captures the holiday spirit. Here’s how to get ready:

Set Clear Goals and Objectives: Decide what you want from your Thanksgiving campaign - more sales, website traffic, or brand awareness. Setting clear goals helps you stay focused.

Know Your Audience: Create a simple profile of your ideal customer so you know what types of deals, products, or content will interest them most.

Make a Content Calendar: Plan out your social media posts, emails, and blog articles for the season. A calendar makes it easy to stay organized and ensures you have fresh, festive content ready to go.
Set a Budget: Decide how much you want to spend on things like paid ads, influencer partnerships, or any other marketing activities. A budget keeps your campaign on track and helps you get the most out of your investment.
Update Your Listings and Profiles: Refresh your website, social media pages, and any online listings with holiday-themed images and accurate info. Highlight any special Thanksgiving deals to grab attention!
Create Holiday Content: Share Thanksgiving-themed blog posts, videos, and social media posts that spotlight your products or services in a holiday light. Use popular keywords like “Thanksgiving deals” or “holiday shopping” to help customers find you online.
Offer Special Deals: Thanksgiving is the perfect time for limited-time offers and discounts. These can create urgency and encourage shoppers to purchase the holiday passes.

Top 11 Best Thanksgiving Marketing Ideas

1. Build a Thanksgiving Landing Page

Creating a dedicated Thanksgiving landing page is a powerful way to drive holiday sales. This page focuses on specific products or holiday offers, guiding visitors directly to a page built to convert them into customers. A well-designed landing page enhances engagement, generates leads, and helps maximize conversions during the Thanksgiving season.

To build a standout landing page quickly, consider using EComposer, a next-generation page builder for Shopify. EComposer offers an intuitive drag-and-drop interface with a variety of customizable templates, allowing you to create visually appealing and effective landing pages tailored to your brand. By applying EComposer's Thanksgiving landing page template, you can easily launch a unique, festive landing page that captures customer attention and drives sales.

Additionally, consider using in-web pop-up notifications on your site to remind visitors about your Thanksgiving deals and campaigns. These pop-ups can reinforce your offers on any page, ensuring customers won’t miss out on the seasonal discounts.

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2. Give Thanks To Your Customers via Thanksgiving Email

Thanksgiving is a perfect time to show gratitude to your customers. Use a Thanksgiving-themed email to wish them a happy holiday and let them know how much you appreciate their support. This email can also be an opportunity to preview upcoming deals and remind customers of the big shopping days ahead, such as Black Friday, Small Business Saturday, and Cyber Monday.

To make your message impactful, use a festive email template and include any special promotions or discounts you’ll be offering both online and in-store. Planning with your marketing calendar can ensure you get your Thanksgiving message out on time, helping you connect with your audience and get them excited for the deals to come!

3. Create Thanksgiving-related Content

Get into the holiday spirit and connect with your audience by sharing Thanksgiving-themed content on social media. Try posting fun and helpful ideas like Thanksgiving recipes, decorating tips, or even a spotlight on your team members. This type of seasonal content not only engages your customers but also helps improve your search ranking.

To keep things interesting, mix up your posts! Share a few sneak peeks of holiday deals, along with festive ideas and tips. By adding a personal and holiday touch, you can keep customers excited about your brand and make sure they think of you when it’s time to shop.

4. Create a Sense of Urgency

Encourage quick action from your customers by adding a sense of urgency to your Thanksgiving deals. Time-limited offers are a great way to motivate shoppers to make a purchase sooner rather than later. To enhance this effect, include a countdown timer on your holiday deals page, showing how much time is left to take advantage of the offer. This visual reminder can create excitement and push customers to “buy now” before the deal disappears!

A Thanksgiving giveaway is a fun and engaging way to create excitement around your brand while showing appreciation for your customers. Here’s how to make it a success:

Choose a Great Prize: Pick something appealing to your audience, like a popular product, gift card, or special holiday bundle.
Create Urgency: Keep the entry period short or tie it to Thanksgiving Day to encourage quick participation.
Announce the Winner: Share the winner on your social media to build excitement and trust. You could even thank all participants by offering a small discount to non-winners!

This approach builds brand visibility and loyalty, leaving a lasting impression just in time for the holidays.

6. Create a Limited Thanksgiving-themed Product

Offer a special, Thanksgiving-themed product to drive excitement and sales—especially appealing to loyal customers who love collecting unique items. If you’re a custom ceramics business, for instance, consider adding a pumpkin bowl or Thanksgiving-themed mug to your lineup.

Limited-time products create urgency, sparking interest among both new and returning customers who don’t want to miss out. Keep it fresh by introducing a new Thanksgiving item each year, building a tradition that keeps customers coming back every holiday season!

7. Offer Exclusive Thanksgiving Bundles

Thanksgiving-themed product bundles give customers the joy of added value while making their shopping experience more convenient. By combining complementary items into a special holiday package, you can enhance the appeal of your products, making customers feel like they’re getting more for less.

Use third-party apps like EComposer or EcomRise to create and manage product bundles quickly. These exclusive bundles capture the Thanksgiving spirit and encourage customers to make larger purchases, boosting both engagement and sales during the holiday season.

8. Create Thanksgiving Upsell & Cross-Sell Your Products

Thanksgiving upsell and cross-sell products give customers added value and make holiday shopping even more convenient. By pairing complementary items into special holiday bundles, you can encourage customers to buy more, all while making them feel like they’re getting more for less.

Apps like EcomRise - Upsell & Bundles make it easy to set up these offers on your site, offering user-friendly options, even with a free plan. With these tools, you can smoothly create and display festive bundles that encourage shoppers to add more to their carts—boosting both engagement and sales during Thanksgiving!

9. Create a Thanksgiving-themed Livestream

Thanksgiving marketing isn’t only about discounts—it’s a great opportunity to connect with customers and drive traffic to your website through engaging content. Try hosting a Thanksgiving-themed livestream to build excitement and share valuable tips.

If you sell kitchenware, for example, you could host a cooking demo showing how to prepare a holiday dish using products from your store. Or, if your business is in home décor or fashion, stream a live session with holiday decoration tips or outfit ideas for Thanksgiving dinner. This personal, interactive approach lets you showcase your products in action and engage with your audience, festively driving interest and sales.

10. Run Paid Ads on Social Media

With Thanksgiving weekend being a major retail event, capturing customer attention amid the flood of holiday ads can be challenging. Stand out with eye-catching, Thanksgiving-themed social media ads on platforms like Facebook and Instagram.

These platforms allow you to set budgets based on your reach goals and precisely target specific audiences, making it easy to get your holiday promotions in front of the right people. Create multiple test ads with varied messages and visuals to see which resonates best. Track the analytics closely, refining your approach to maximize engagement and holiday sales.

11. Give Gifts to Loyal Customers

Thanksgiving is the perfect time to show gratitude to your loyal customers by offering them special gifts. Recognizing their ongoing support with a free gift—whether it's a product sample, holiday-themed item, or even a discount for future purchases—reinforces their connection to your brand.

Additionally, you can encourage customers to bring friends to your store by offering a small gift for each new referral. This approach not only strengthens customer loyalty but also brings in new potential buyers, helping you expand your reach and boost holiday sales.

Frequently Asked Questions

1. What is the best form of marketing for the holiday?

The best form of marketing for the holiday season is influencer marketing. As a top priority for many brands, influencer marketing can be highly effective during this time of year. Many businesses allocate a significant portion of their holiday advertising budget toward influencers because they have the power to engage large audiences and create excitement about upcoming shopping events. With influencers frequently posting about holiday deals on social media, partnering with them can help spread the word about your brand and attract more holiday shoppers.

2. What makes a great holiday marketing strategy?

A great holiday marketing strategy starts with knowing your target audience and tailoring your efforts to reach them effectively. By understanding who you’re trying to connect with, you can create more impactful campaigns. For instance, increasing social commerce efforts to share seasonal promotions and discounts resonates well with younger customers like Gen Z and Millennials, who are highly engaged on social media. Customizing your promotions to match your audience's preferences can significantly boost engagement and drive holiday sales.

3. Is Thanksgiving a holiday in the USA?

Yes, Thanksgiving is a federal holiday in the United States, celebrated on the fourth Thursday of November. It's a time for families and friends to gather, give thanks, and enjoy a traditional feast.

4. What do people shop for on Thanksgiving?

Thanksgiving is a US holiday on the 4th Thursday of November. People shop for food, decorations, gifts, and Black Friday deals.

5. What is the most sold item on Thanksgiving?

Turkey is typically the most sold item on Thanksgiving. It's the centerpiece of the traditional Thanksgiving meal.

Final Thoughts

Thanksgiving is a great time to make your brand shine among all the holiday promotions. The most important thing is to align your promotions with your goals and sincerely thank your customers for their support. With the right plan, your Thanksgiving marketing campaign can lead to a successful holiday season and beyond. Wishing you a wonderful Thanksgiving filled with joy and lots of sales! Happy Thanksgiving!

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EComposer Team

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