How to Maximize Your Holiday Revenue This Year

Every holiday season, people across the U.S. open their wallets — and not just for gifts under the tree. Purchases this time of year range from festive home décor and extravagant grocery hauls to driveway cleanings, light installations and even last-minute doctor or dentist visits before benefits expire.

Holiday spending touches nearly every sector — not just retail — and it keeps climbing year after year.

In fact, U.S. holiday spending is expected to hit a record-breaking $979 billion this season. Even during recessions, holiday shopping proves resilient. For many small businesses, this period is critical: About 50% report generating more than a quarter of their annual revenue during the holidays.

At PostcardMania, my $119 million marketing technology company, Q4 and Q1 are consistently our strongest quarters. It’s always a top priority of mine to maximize our sales during this time. Over the years, I’ve refined strategies that maximize holiday revenue, and I want to share some of those with you here.

Related: 3 Tactics to Turn One-Time Holiday Shoppers Into Year-Round Buyers

Get ahead of holiday fatigue with fresh messaging

Shopping behavior is shifting. Consumers no longer separate Halloween, Thanksgiving and Christmas the way they once did. According to recent research:

• 88% of consumers want holiday promotions early.

• 64% plan to shop before Halloween.

• 55% are tired of holiday marketing by October.

• 71% are tired of holiday marketing by late November.

What does this mean for you? Start marketing early, but don’t rely on the same stale offers all season. It may be tempting to recycle the same promotions year in and year out, but you could be losing out on top-line growth by not optimizing your messaging.

I suggest A/B testing a few fresh angles against your traditional messaging and scaling up what works.

Some ideas to test:

• Swap “gifts for everyone” with “gifts for coworkers you barely know” or “gifts you don’t have to think about.”

• A bar or restaurant could launch “Bah Humbug Wednesdays” or promote cozy “holiday takeout nights.”

• Position your offers around convenience: “Get It All Out of the Way Early” or “Actually Relax in December.”

Test some new ideas against your tried-and-true messaging and increase the budget on whichever performs better.

This doesn’t just go for email. Test messaging on every channel, from digital ads and social media posts to TV commercials and mailers. Keep analyzing throughout the holiday season. As the results come in, move budget to the ads that are working best.

Related: Why Your Content Messaging Isn’t Converting — And What to Do About It

You miss two-thirds of holiday shoppers if you only advertise online, so test offline tactics

Here’s the reality: Only 31% of consumers shop exclusively online during the holidays. That means relying on digital ads alone leaves over two-thirds of your potential customers untapped.

And let’s face it, holiday digital fatigue is real:

• 63% ignore at least half their marketing emails

• 82% unsubscribe from brands during online shopping

• 40% unsubscribe from four or more brands during the holidays

One proven way to break through the noise? Direct mail.

• 84% of marketers say it delivers their highest ROI out of all the channels.

• Consumers rated direct mail 74% more likely to catch their attention than email.

• 62% of consumers who responded to mail in the last three months did so with a purchase.

And keep in mind: Modern direct mail is new and improved. You can now introduce fully scalable, responsive direct mail into your sales funnel that’s as easy to set up and run on autopilot as email.

If you’re new to direct mail, I recommend integrating your CRM with a direct mail automation platform. It will allow you to trigger personalized postcards based on actions like:

• A new lead or contact is created → trigger an introduction postcard

• A quote is sent → trigger a personalized follow-up card

• No response for 10 days → trigger a re-engagement offer

You only pay for the mail you send, and each piece is customized, making it one of the most efficient and personalized ways to reach shoppers where they are most receptive — at home.

Related: What Our Digital World Is Missing — and How I Turned It Into $100 Million After Dropping Out of High School

Reactivate past customers to maximize ROI

Acquiring a new customer costs up to five times more than reactivating an existing one. That means your holiday goldmine is likely already in your customer list.

Turn them into repeat buyers with these ideas:

• Send personal reminders: “Sarah, don’t forget — you’ve got a free massage waiting! Use it before December 31.”

• Use future spending hooks: Offer discounted gift cards (“$100 gift cards for $80”) to lock in revenue now and encourage repeat visits later.

• Reward loyalty: Create VIP offers, early-access sales or “thank you” discounts to make past customers feel valued.

The holiday season is a huge opportunity to supercharge your revenue. By refreshing your messaging, diversifying your channels beyond digital and reactivating past customers, you’ll position your business to capture your share of America’s $979 billion holiday spending.

Work smarter, not harder — and finish the year stronger than ever.

Every holiday season, people across the U.S. open their wallets — and not just for gifts under the tree. Purchases this time of year range from festive home décor and extravagant grocery hauls to driveway cleanings, light installations and even last-minute doctor or dentist visits before benefits expire.

Holiday spending touches nearly every sector — not just retail — and it keeps climbing year after year.