How to Create Holiday Gift Guides That Inspire Shoppers & Boost Sales

The holiday season can be stressful enough without the added pressure of finding the perfect gift. In fact, a survey from the American Psychological Association found that 40% of shoppers cite finding the right gifts as a major source of anxiety during the most festive time of the year. Between juggling year-end deadlines, organizing get-togethers and planning family visits, the last thing people need is another reason to worry.

For retailers, this presents a perfect opportunity. You can be the solution by making the shopping experience easier and more enjoyable. The key? A well-crafted gift guide.

But creating an effective holiday gift guide is about more than just putting products in a catalog. With a more competitive market than ever, your guide must be thoughtfully curated and strategically marketed.

So, how do you create a holiday gift guide that truly converts?

You need to start by leveraging your retail data, industry trends and customer insights. From there, it’s about curating products that support your customers’ shopping journeys. And marketing is just as important—you need to make sure your gift guide gets in front of the right people.

When implemented correctly, holiday gift guides can significantly increase sales by helping customers find and purchase the products they need.

Today, we’ll cover how you can accomplish that. Here are some tips to ensure shoppers actually pay attention to your guides:

• Start by looking at your data
• Make it a team effort
• Ask your customers
• Work with your suppliers
• Think about your gift guide categories
• Have a guide for last-minute shoppers
• Include bundles
• Make sure your gift guide looks great on different channels or platforms
• Consider video
• Target not just your customers, but also those who would be giving them gifts
• Promote, promote, promote
• Make your gift guides easy to find

1. What should be included in a gift guide? Start by looking at your data

How do you decide which products should make it into your gift guide? One reliable way is through the use of data. Here are some ideas:

Popular products

Lean into data-backed insights with the help of your POS to generate reports on your top sellers. From there, identify the items that would make for great presents and include those in your guide. You could, for example, have a “Featured” section on your guide to showcase gifts that everyone would love.

The “Gift Shop” section on Alex and Ani’s website, for example, has a subcategory called “Top 10 Bestsellers” which compiles consumers’ favorite items.

Ideally, your gift guide should contain products that would appeal to various shopper segments. If you can, generate sales reports according to customer category. You can easily do this with Lightspeed’s Advanced Reporting capabilities. These reports can surface valuable data, including your customers’ purchase history, demographic information, contact details and more. 

Market trends

It’s also a good idea to look at market and consumer trends. What styles or activities are popular among your target consumers? Are there any trends or products that everyone seems to be getting into? Get a feel of what’s happening in your market and incorporate those trending products into your guide.

Use a tool such as Google Trends to identify opportunities in your location or industry.

Let’s say many of your customers are getting into health and wellness. If this is the case, then consider stocking products for improving one’s health, and then include those items in your gift catalog.  

2. Make it a team effort

Numbers and sales trends, while helpful, aren’t the only things you should rely on. Be sure to gather qualitative information from your associates and get their say on which products would do well during the holidays (or the specific occasion that you’re creating the gift guide for).

PGA TOUR Superstore, a national retail chain of golf stores, does this when they’re creating their gift guides. According to Chief Marketing Officer Matt Corey, the practice has worked well for them.

“Our internal team reviews every product category to hand-pick the best products that we want to present as gift ideas, then we present those items both in-store and through various online marketing efforts as well,” he says.

3. Ask your customers

You shouldn’t be creating your gift guide in a vacuum. Go out there and talk to your customers about their ideas or any items that they think should be included.

When chatting up shoppers in-store, casually ask them about what they’re planning to buy for the holidays and what they’d like to receive. You’ll get a lot of anecdotal information, but if you do it enough times you and your staff should be able to spot patterns.

You could also use social media and online polls to gather insights.

PGA TOUR Superstore, for example, leverages social media to let customers share the items they love, as well as vote on their top gift ideas.

Consider doing something similar in your business. Post a quick social media update asking your fans and followers which of your products would they like to receive this season. Or if you’re considering adding a particular item to your gift guide, try posting an image of it on Facebook and Instagram and see how your customers react.

Do something similar, but for your gift guides. Create a poll listing some of your products and ask people to vote on which items would make for great gifts. 

4. Work with your suppliers

Another potential source for gift guide input would be your suppliers. Have a talk with some of your vendors and ask them which items are hot and trending. Their insights could prove to be valuable when you’re creating your guide.

And who knows? If your conversation goes well, you might even get the opportunity to score a great deal on your next order.

5. Think about your gift guide categories

How products are arranged and categorized can make or break your guide, so take some time to come up with the right categories. There’s no one right answer when it comes to how to categorize your products, as this depends on your business and customers.

For example, if you’re able to identify your customers’ shopping goals, then you can use that information to curate collections like “Cozy Gifts for a Night In” or “The Ultimate Self-Care Collection.”

If you have a lot of price-conscious customers, consider adding a category like “Gifts under $100 / $50 / $25,” to help them quickly find products that are within their budget.

Another option is to categorize gifts according to people’s personalities or roles. For example, City Bird, a Detroit-based gift shop, has a nice long list of gift guide categories dedicated to the giftee’s interest. These include:

Foodie Gifts

Sports Fan Gifts

Design Lover Gifts

Plant Lover Gifts

Hostess Gifts

Better yet, if any of these categories are extra-popular, put them front and center in your retail store and website. That’s exactly what City Bird is doing on its homepage. 

6. Have a guide for last-minute shoppers

Often, the customers who need gift guides the most are those who are shopping for last-minute presents.

Do them a favor and create a gift guide (or a section within your existing guide) that spotlights easy-to-buy and crowd-pleasing gifts. You could include your bestsellers or items that are practical and can be used by a lot of people.

Total Wine & More did just that a while back. The beverage retailer sent a last-minute gift guide that had gift recommendations based on top-selling wines, award-winning spirits, and beverage accessories.

And if all else fails, a gift card is the perfect solution. Stores like Blue Bird Mercantile offer gift cards that are an excellent option for customers who are in a rush and are unsure of what to buy. They’re the ultimate stress-free gift.

7. Include bundles

Showcasing individual items is great, but you should also consider throwing in a few bundles or gift sets here and there. It’ll give you the opportunity to showcase items that go together, while subtly upselling products at the same time.

Take a look at the “Gift” section on Sephora’s website. Not only does Sephora put gift sets and bundles front and center, but the company takes a step further by categorizing those gift sets. You’ll find collections like “Value Sets” and gift bundles marked $25 and under.

8. Make sure your gift guide looks great on different channels or platforms

Your customers are likely going to view your gift guide on different channels or platforms, so you’ll want to make sure that your guide looks great no matter what. If you’re creating a digital gift guide, see to it that it’s responsive, so people can view it with ease whether they’re on their desktop or phone.

Giving out physical gift guides? Invest in high-quality paper and printing. You want people to actually browse your guide, rather than treat it like a generic flier and ignore it.

And whether you’re creating physical or digital guides (or both), be sure to only use original, high-quality images. Gift guides are meant to be highly visual, so opt for hi-resolution imagery.

9. Consider video

Looking to kick your gift guide up a notch? Consider creating a videoguide. This is an excellent way to capture your audience’s attention and showcase your products in a fun and dynamic format. A video allows you to bring your gift guide to life, showing off the details of each item and helping customers visualize how they might use or appreciate the gift.

Video content is a powerful tool for driving traffic, increasing views and boosting engagement. Whether you create a short, snappy reel for social media or a more in-depth video for your website or YouTube channel, a video gift guide can be the perfect way to get people excited about your products.

10. Target not just your customers, but also those who would be giving them gifts

See to it that your gift guide appeals to people outside your ideal clientele. Remember, your guides should also engage those who would be buying gifts for your target customer.

For example, if you’re a pet supplies store, then your typical customer (year round) would be people who have pets. But when the holiday season rolls along, then you may start attracting people who don’t necessarily own pets, but have friends who do.

As such, you need to start thinking about how to engage this segment of shoppers (i.e. The gift-givers.)

Avoid using jargon or industry-specific terms in your gift guides, as you might end up confusing those outside your market. This tip is particularly helpful if you own a specialty retail store that’s frequented by hobbyists or aficionados.

PGA TOUR Superstore is a great example of a retailer that creates relatable gift guides. They recognize that the people buying from them during gift-giving seasons aren’t necessarily golfers, so they’ve made it simple for these individuals to use their guides. According to Corey, doing this has resulted in a lot of positive feedback from shoppers.

“Non-golfers really love that we make it easy for them to buy a variety of key items, and golfers can find unique specials and items that they may not have found before just because we make those items come alive in our stores and online. It’s about making it fun and easy for people to find the perfect golf gifts.”

11. Promote, promote, promote

Already crafted the perfect gift guide? The next step is to get it in front of your customers. Leverage the following channels to promote your gift guide.

Gift guide emails

Craft a gift guide email giving people a preview of the guide. Select some of your top categories and products to include in your message, then link to the gift guide so shoppers can see the other items you have in store for the holidays.

SMS

If you’ve built up an SMS list, you’re sitting on a goldmine of direct communication. Use it! Be sure to alert your customers about your gift guide. SMS messages have an incredibly high open rate (up to 98%) and are often read within minutes, making them the perfect tool for getting your message seen fast.

Keep your message short and to the point, and include a clear link to the guide so shoppers can instantly browse your recommendations. You could even use this opportunity to offer an exclusive text-only promotion to make your subscribers feel like VIPs.

Social media

Don’t forget to talk up your guide on social media. Since these networks are so visual, they’re the perfect place for showing off your products. You can repurpose your gift guide by taking snippets of content for platforms like Instagram, Facebook and Pinterest.

Get creative with the formats you use. Instead of just a single post, try a carousel to showcase a curated collection of gifts, or use a Reel or TikTok to show your products in action. You can also use Instagram Stories for quick, engaging content; use features like polls and quizzes to get your audience involved and excited about the guide.

Focus on creating high-quality, aspirational visuals that showcase your products as the perfect gift. Think about creating a consistent look and feel for all your social media posts related to the guide. This helps build a cohesive campaign and makes your brand instantly recognizable.

12. Make your gift guides easy to find

Ensure that your gift guides are prominently displayed and easily accessible on your website or in your store. This could mean featuring them on the homepage or in a dedicated section, so customers can effortlessly find the perfect gift ideas.

Need inspiration? Take a look at MySelf Lingerie, whose gift guide links are displayed right on their website’s top navigation. Not only that, but they have several banners on their homepage promoting their gift-able items.

Ready for the holidays

The holiday season is a massive opportunity, and a powerful gift guide is an essential tool for providing your customers with the best experience possible. By curating a dazzling guide, you can inspire purchases, boost sales and truly help shoppers find the perfect gifts.

But a great gift guide is just one piece of the puzzle. To truly capitalize on the holiday rush, you need a powerful platform that can handle everything from high-volume sales to seamless inventory management.

Lightspeed offers resources for the busiest time of year. Our platform goes beyond just reporting, helping you streamline everything from your in-store and online inventory to your sales and marketing efforts. Find out how Lightspeed’s unified commerce solution can help you make this your most successful holiday season yet. Schedule a call with an expert to learn more.

FAQs

What is a gift guide?

A gift guide is a curated collection of gift ideas, typically organized by categories such as interests, occasions, recipient types (like gifts for him, her, kids), or price ranges. It’s designed to simplify the gift-shopping process for customers by presenting a variety of options that cater to different needs and preferences.

How do I make an online gift guide?

To create an online gift guide, start by identifying your target audience and their interests. Organize products into clear, themed categories. Use high-quality images and detailed descriptions for each item. Host it on an easily navigable section of your website and consider creating a digital catalog or a dedicated landing page for it.

What is the purpose of a gift guide?

The purpose of a gift guide is to help customers find suitable gifts for different occasions and recipients more easily. It aims to simplify decision-making, showcase a range of products, and ultimately drive sales by catering to the specific needs of various customer segments.

How do you promote a gift guide?

Promote a gift guide through various channels like email marketing, social media, paid ads, and on your website’s homepage. Collaborating with influencers, bloggers, or utilizing SEO strategies to increase visibility can also be effective. Highlighting it in newsletters and store signage if you have a physical location can help too.

What is the content of a gift guide?

The content of a gift guide includes a selection of products or services, accompanied by images, descriptions, prices, and links to purchase. It often includes categorizations based on themes, price points, or recipient types, and may feature recommendations or tips related to the products.

How do you make an Instagram gift guide?

To make an Instagram gift guide, create visually appealing posts or stories featuring selected products. Use engaging captions, hashtags, and tag the products if possible. You can create a highlights section on your profile for the gift guide or use Instagram’s shopping features to provide direct links to the products.