As WooCommerce asks, when should you start your promotions? As early as September. Why so soon? It’s because 40% of shoppers actually start buying for the holidays prior to Halloween. With that being said, the ideal time for you to start you promotions varies, so you need to know your audience, your products, and your historic best performing times of year.

Another surprising tip is that you need to start planning your marketing efforts now, well before the weather cools off. Really, you should have at least a rough plan in place months ahead of time, and that plan needs to be based on factors specific to this year. You cannot simply assume that what you did last season will work again this year, unless you have compelling evidence to support that theory.

When it comes to your marketing plan, you need to ensure that you’re visible to customers online. That means getting active on social media, and having plenty of banners here and there around the Internet. However, it also means that you need to ramp up your email marketing campaign. Email marketing is not only still viable, but it’s one of the single most effective methods at your disposal, particularly for customers who already know who you are (they’re part of your mailing list).

This tip might not work for all multichannel ecommerce operations, but it should for most. Offer gift cards. It cuts down on the amount of time a customer has to randomly surf your website, reduces returns, exchanges and refunds, and gives buyers what they really want. Online gift cards alone in 2017 accounted for $14 billion, with $149 billion in sales for traditional, physical gift cards.

If you really want to cut through the noise and stand out to your customers this holiday season, you need to focus on your USP, or unique selling proposition. What is it that makes you stand out from competitors? If you’re in the automotive industry, do you offer performance parts from leading brands available nowhere else? Do you offer high quality for low prices? Define your USP and then make that part of your marketing message.

Consumers today expect the businesses they patronize to support causes. That can go a long way toward bolstering your success. The Washington Post points out that “a socially active company can reap many benefits besides increasing revenue. Companies that participate in certain causes are able to recruit better talent, increase employee morale, improve their brand, and attract more capital.” What causes should you support? That’s where things get a bit sticky. Most of it depends on your customer base – certain demographics have preferences in terms of causes they want to support. It really boils down to knowing your customers and choosing causes that resonate with them but also tie into your brand and culture.

Why is Black Friday such a massive hit? What is it that causes Cyber Monday shoppers to get online in droves? In part, it’s the deals available, sure. However, there’s also the fact that both events are limited. Black Friday only lasts four days. Cyber Monday is a 24-hour window. These are great examples of how urgency can make your offer stand out more and get your customers in gear. Marketing your multichannel ecommerce business is vital, but it can be daunting. The tips we’ve provided above should help you lay the groundwork for a more successful 2018 holiday season. However, if you have not yet started your planning, you’re behind the curve – get to it!