Black Friday is over and Cyber Week is already under way. I hope you put together a good campaign but this is just the start of the holiday run and Etsy is already transitioning into
Last Minute Shopping
December will be dedicated to last-minute gifts. Etsy has already created last-minute shopping experiences on the website and in the app and they are already adding shipping filters to search results. Timing your processing and shipping times right and staying on top of your messages and orders over the next few weeks can give you an edge over the competition.
1. Time your cutoff date right
Your cutoff date, also known as last orders date or Christmas delivery cutoff, is the last day orders placed in your store will be eligible for delivery before Christmas. Unfortunately, shipping times can vary but it's important to calculate your cutoff date, especially if you are offering local delivery which can be fairly predictable.
This year last-minute shopping will happen as late as December 17-18. Try to extend your cutoff date as close to December 18. as possible.
If you are shipping overseas, the key to timing your cutoff right is delivery time. You can offer express shipping as your default shipping option this month so you can tap into the last-minute rush.
If you are shipping domestic, ideally you want to gear up for next day or even next-day processing of new orders in the final week. The last week should be all about shipping out orders. Being the last one standing in your niche can win you a lot of orders on giftable items.
In some cases, it makes sense to create a separate section with ready-to-ship listings that can be ordered well into the final week.
Once you time your cutoff strategy, communicate your cutoff dates clearly in your Announcement section. If your cutoff date is very competitive, you can put it front and center on your Etsy cover and even add you last date for holiday orders in the first 1-2 seconds of your listing videos.
2. Make sure your shipping profiles fit Etsy's search filters
Etsy is highlighting listings that will arrive by Dec 24. The search links from the core last minute gifts pages come with pre-set filters.
Over the next weeks we may even see the so-called "ready-to-ship" filters for listings processing within 1-3 business days. If you are aiming for gifting orders this month, make sure to review your shipping times this week and make them as competitive as possible.
If you are usually taking longer to process orders, you can create a special shipping profile for December shipping and assign it to your ready-to-ship listings. After the holidays, you can revert to your usual shipping settings. You can find your Etsy shipping settings and set everything up from this link.
3. Keep an active promotion going throughout December
Christmas sales go well beyond Cyber Week and discounts will keep playing an active role this month. Holiday shopping is very promotion-driven and if you already have a sales strategy in place, you can maintain it at least until your cut-off date.
You can vary with discount levels depending on what your competitors are doing in the niche but 25% remains the recommended level. Make sure discounts are factored into your price so you can maintain a healthy margin.
And of course, your best-sellers deserve the most attention - they should always carry an attractive discount to maximize conversions in the top season.
4. The holidays are time to rest but don't fall into the trap of Etsy vacation mode
The Holiday Season is a big push for everyone and then it's time to slowly wind down towards a well-deserved holiday rest. Just keep in mind that as we move into the slower half of the month after December 15-20, it's important to keep your store active.
Vacation mode removes the store from the algorithm and reduces listing quality-scores and rankings. Recovery from vacation mode can take months so make sure to stay away from this similar to the summer months.
Taking some time off is only natural for everyone while orders slow down after the shopping frenzy. The best way to do this is by increasing processing and shipping times and turning on auto-reply. You can set up auto-reply from your Etsy messages here and you can adjust order processing times from the shipping settings we linked above.
5. Shopping during and after the holidays
While Christmas shopping winds down in the second half of the month, the next seasonal opportunities follow immediately.
Etsy's next sales event is planned for the days after Christmas, aka Boxing Day in the UK and Canada. After the holiday preparations and family time are over, it is the perfect moment to relax... and spend time shopping online. Shopping during the holidays is all about treating and spoiling oneself with hobbies, beauty treatment, or inspirational decor.
The next big trend usually comes immediately after Jan 1. with New Year's Resolutions. New Year’s Day has come to signify a fresh start for customers around the world. From fitness to self-care, new hobbies and planning, the "New Year, New Me" audience sets-out to search for active wear, loungewear, bath essentials, soothing candles, planners, and more.
And as you can see above Etsy have already planned two sale events for Q1 of 2025:
- Home Sales Event - Jan 6 to Jan 12, 2025
- Jewelry Sales Event - Feb 3 to Feb 9, 2025 - aka Valentine's shopping
Valentine's orders usually start from mid-January in the niches related to men's and women's accessories, personalized tokens of love and appreciation, couple gifts, etc. Optimization of products matching these trends starts as early as December and if your products are a good fit, you can get ready for a smaller peak season as early as January.
You can choose to participate in any of the planned sales events and set them up here.
December is the best time of the year to wrap up, recharge, and get ready for the next wave. Make sure you make the most of the next few weeks while using any precious moments of peace and quiet to relax and unwind.
Winter shopping comes with multiple seasonal occasions and you want to make sure you are ready to reboot and get a head start into the first weeks of the year!