We’re nearly to the finish line of 2016.
Any holiday features you’ve built for clients have likely been live for weeks, and in your personal life, you’re (hopefully!) nearly finished all your Christmas errands.
Let’s slow down, and take a peek at what other businesses have been up to this holiday season. I’ve highlighted 10 stores built on Shopify (with the help of Shopify Partners) that show the best of what this holiday season has to offer. Enjoy!
Learn more about building Shopify themes for clients with Shopify Theme Kit.
(Don’t miss my list of holiday-themed, web design takeaways, at the bottom of this article.👇)
You might also like: How Ecommerce Stores Are Designing Web Pages for the Holidays
1. Ciaté London by Ego by Design
There’s no mistaking what time of year it is when you arrive on Ciate’s website. The first image on their hero carousel introduces their 'Christmas Collection,’ which consists of bundles of goodies that make it easier to spend more. They even have a “Christmas” tab on their menu bar. (As a side note, the bow dotting the “i” in their logo is a year-round feature, although it certainly comes in handy over the holidays).
2. Frank Body
Some brands are nearly religious about keeping their design assets consistent, never deviating from their standard color, size, or aesthetic. But under the right circumstances, some are willing to have a little fun with their image. Frank Body’s logo is wearing a Santa hat at the moment — a playful, yet simple, homage to the season.
They also have some clever holiday-themed content, including a holiday gift guide, and a gift quiz that allows you to find out what persona category your gift-receiver falls under. For example, someone on my gift list is “the original babe” who can be found on Christmas Eve, apparently, “drinking wine…from the bottle.” (Note to self: this is surprisingly accurate.)
3. Kylie Cosmetics by BVAccel
Every day for 12 days, Kylie Cosmetics offered a different holiday incentive to her audience. On December 10th, it was her pop-up store in the Westfield Topanga Mall, powered by Shopify. These limited edition deals instill urgency in visitors, prompting them to buy sooner than they might have otherwise. Kylie has also bundled together holiday packages to make it easy to buy a complete “kit,” and has added a falling snow animation to her homepage hero, just for fun.
4. Mpowered by Genome
Deals specifically for holiday buyers (like “shop more, save more” discounts), give seasonal shoppers exactly what they’re looking for when they arrive on this site. Mpowered’s playful gift guide allows you to search for gift ideas based on the personality type of the recipient — and there’s even a section with “gifts for you.”
Some people who start spending have a hard time stopping — this company is clever to consider that part of the human psyche, by making it easy for visitors to tack on a little extra something for themselves.
5. Cookie Good by Greta Rose
Cookie Good’s website allows you to create your own holiday box for those on your Christmas list. They provide lots of information up front about shipping and availability. Notice their seasonal logo as well — similar to Frank Body, Cookie Good isn’t afraid to have a little fun with their creative assets.
The clear promotion of gift cards on their homepage is a great way to provide easy options, for those who are unsure of what their gift receiver is really wishing for, this season.
6. Paez by SoftLimit
This site’s fun holiday hero video shows a wish list being created before your very eyes, with items popping up to form a holiday collection. Their rotating carousel carries non-Christmas content as well, but the blast of bright red and green is the first thing you see when you arrive.
7. Opus Grows by Herman Scheer
You don’t have to change every aspect of your website to get in on the holiday cheer. Scroll down to this company’s blog (which they call their “Journal”), and you’ll find tons of holiday-related content, like “10 Eco-Friendly Gifts for Plant Lovers,” and “8 DIY Alternatives to a Christmas Tree.”
You might also like: 4 Ways to Give Some Holiday Flair to an Ecommerce Store
8. Inhabit by Little Rocket and Jane Creative
At first glance, this site doesn’t appear to be festive — Inhabit hasn’t changed their branding colors or theme. But they do have a special “Holiday Stockup” section, so that you can “bundle up on the perfect gifts for you and your loved ones.” If you or your clients are hesitant to take part in the red and green-washing of the holidays, a subtle collection like this can entice seasonal shoppers, while retaining your brand’s integrity.
9. Lil Gadgets by DBNY
Another example of an under-the-radar holiday branding experience, Lil Gadgets offers holiday treats like free shipping until December 31. Although the website isn’t branded with Christmas conventions, offering special deals for holiday shoppers is a great way to get in on the buying mayhem, without fully hopping on the snow-covered bandwagon.
10. Province of Canada by Up Later Than You
Nowhere on their website will you see anything changed for the holidays, but Province of Canada has cleverly pulled in their Instagram feed, featuring holiday-appropriate images. You can replicate this look on your client’s site (or your own) using FourSixty, a Shopify app that makes Instagram shoppable. This technique is a great way of getting in the spirit, without putting a strain on your development resources.
As an aside, Province of Canada also took part in an innovative holiday campaign in Toronto this season, with Shopify and the UberEATS app. Using the UberEATS app, for a limited time, you could order from a select list of merchants, including Province of Canada, and receive same-day delivery right to your door.
Takeaways
These beautiful holiday-themed stores employ a variety of different ways to get into the holiday spirit. Here’s my list of key takeaways to Christmasify your clients’ stores, or even add some seasonal cheer to your own portfolio website:
- Create a Christmas collection with product bundles and gift packages that encourage customers to splurge.
- If appropriate, have fun with your logo — add a Santa hat, or some snowflakes so that people get into the spirit as soon as they land on your page.
- Consider limited edition offers that will “expire” after a set amount of time, or a flash sale to instill urgency for purchasing. A great way to host a successful flash sale is to use Shopify’s Frenzy app.
- Take advantage of both digital and in-person sales. Consider hosting a pop-up shop in a high traffic area to make the most of the holiday mayhem.
- Create a gift guide highlighting your products. Bonus points if you classify gifts by personality-type to make decision-making even easier for customers.
- Have fun with holiday-related content, including quizzes to determine what type of gift would best fit those on your Christmas list.
- Provide a clear explanation of your shipping policies, and make sure people know whether they will receive their purchases in time for Christmas morning.
- If you offer gift cards, put them front and centre during the holiday season to encourage people to buy from you, even if they’re not sure what they want.
- Take advantage of the human compulsion to splurge by adding a “gifts for you” section, or similar range of Shopify sections.
- Publish seasonal content on your blog. The closer you get to the holidays, the more people tune out of their regular business lives — they’re looking for something light that will get them in the mood for the holidays, so provide content that helps them do so.
- Hop on innovative holiday campaigns, like offering same-day delivery in your region.
Have you implemented any unique Christmas features, products, or content on any of your client stores? Let us know in the comments below!
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