Finding a great gift is a challenge for many people. With an overwhelming array of options available, would the recipient love or hate the present? On top of that, lack of time is an unavoidable obstacle in today’s fast-paced world. When December approaches, some people start to feel gift-giving anxiety.
But fear not! As a savvy marketer, you have the power to transform your customers’ gift-giving experiences and make their lives significantly easier. Imagine providing a solution that helps them find the perfect gifts and engages them in an exciting and interactive way!
A holiday gift guide is an online experience that guides your visitors toward the best-matching gifts. Studies reveal that nearly 50% of shoppers seek inspiration for their holiday gifts, and you can be their ultimate source of guidance, elevating your brand to top-of-mind awareness throughout the festive season.
Nonetheless, creating a gift guide requires some time and effort. You might ask yourself: is it worth it? In the next section, we elaborate on one of the most common questions regarding this tool.
Do gift guides increase sales?
Absolutely, a holiday gift guide undoubtedly boosts sales. Imagine having a dedicated sales assistant for your online store, engaging with visitors, showcasing a diverse range of products, and offering valuable buying recommendations. Well, that’s precisely what a well-crafted gift guide accomplishes, all in the blink of an eye! A digital tool that guides your audience toward the products that would make a perfect gift will increase orders and, thus, sales.
Nonetheless, the success of your gift guide depends on its features, design, responsiveness, and, of course, product suggestions. The more accurate and user-friendly you make your holiday gift guide, the more revenue you generate.
What should be included in a gift guide?
You should include the following elements in a holiday gift guide:
- Catchy and clear headline
- A short introduction to the guide
- Elements to organize your guide: age, category, personality, budget, etc.
- Product photos, brief descriptions, and prices
- Add to cart button to make it easy for visitors to purchase the items
To reduce drop-out rates, crafting an engaging landing page featuring a clear title and a descriptive guide is essential. The guide should be presented visually and well-organized, considering age groups, gender, and product categories.
When formulating questions, ensure they are straightforward, helping to narrow down the suggested items effectively. Crucial information to gather includes the recipient’s personality traits, the desired product category, and the gift buyer’s budget. To conclude your holiday gift guide successfully, provide accurate product recommendations, high-quality images, concise descriptions, and an easily accessible “add-to-cart” button.
Pro tip: Once you display the suggested gifts, you can offer discount codes on the corresponding items. This way, you will increase the chances of users purchasing products from you.
How to create a holiday gift guide?
Before jumping into the holiday gift guide examples, let’s go through the steps you must follow for a successful result.
1. Define the general idea
The first step is to define your general idea: how should your gift guide look like, how many questions would it contain, and what your goal is. For instance, incorporating videos, blog posts, filters, categorized product lists, and Gift Finders can assist customers in finding the perfect presents effectively.
A Gift Finder is an Interactive Experience where users respond to questions, leading to personalized product recommendations for exceptional gifts. Gift Finders are a proven method to increase time on page and customer engagement, all thanks to their interactive nature. As a result, the Gift Finder becomes a valuable tool that elevates the user experience to new heights.
Further in this blog post, we have included 11 holiday gift guide examples designed to stimulate your creativity and inspiration.
Pro tip: Avoid perceiving your holiday gift guide as an individual, one-time campaign. Instead, make sure the general idea ties to the entire customer journey.
2. Categorize your products
Next, categorize the products you want to suggest. Arrange the products you intend to recommend into relevant categories. For instance, consider classifying them according to gender, personal preferences, and budget. Doing so will enable you to create thoughtful and targeted questions, especially if you opt for a Gift Finder experience. However, remember to stock on the items you include in this experience, as you will likely experience a surge in orders.
Pro tip: You can use an Interactive Product Catalog to inspire your shoppers before they access your guide.
3. Come up with relevant questions
Of course, you can create a static gift guide where visitors must go through the filter options and pick a present based on category. Nonetheless, you will increase engagement significantly by replacing a static holiday gift guide with an interactive one where users answer questions, watch a video, or interact with your website.
Once you have selected the products you want to promote, it’s essential to determine the appropriate questions to include. Remember that the users engaging with this experience are shopping for someone else, so asking relevant questions is vital to narrow down the items that align with the recipient’s preferences.
Pro tip: Keep it simple. The shorter the questionnaire, the better the user experience.
4. Design your holiday gift guide
The design of your guide is crucial for ensuring a smooth user experience. Furthermore, building a responsive guide is more important than ever. People who can use their computers and mobile devices deserve an equally user-friendly experience.
You can create and design the gift guide from scratch or utilize an Interactive Content platform such as Dot.vu to simplify the process.
Pro tip: Maintain brand recognition throughout the guide. As you make your customers’ lives easier, it would be great if they immediately associated the experience with your brand.
5. Embed
Next, embed your holiday gift guide where it makes sense for the user. For example, you can place it on your landing page, product category page, or dedicated feature page.
6. Promote
Promoting your holiday gift guide will help you reach larger audiences and increase website traffic. You can boost its visibility through interactive social media posts or paid advertising.
When is the best time to create and promote your guide? Research shows that approximately half of consumers start their holiday shopping before November. Raising awareness about your gift finders in late October or early November can give you a competitive edge, leading buyers to choose your offerings over those of competitors. However, promoting your gift guide in December will also help you cater to last-minute shoppers. For this reason, we recommend you plan your promotional strategy in such a way that you reach both early and late shoppers.
Related: How to promote your Interactive Content to boost results?
12 Holiday gift guide examples
Get ready to be inspired! This section contains 12 holiday gift examples that will inspire you. We have selected Interactive Experiences that will engage your customers fully.
And here’s the best part: All these phenomenal templates are available in our marketplace and is expertly crafted for you. The templates mentioned in this blogpost can be easily replicated and customized to suit your needs. Therefore, you can easily pick one of these and customize it to fit your general idea and brand guidelines. We hope you find the perfect holiday gift guide template for your needs!
1. Product Recommender Popup
This gift guide experience contains a few questions about the recipient’s preferences. Customers get a present recommendation in no time.
This interactive tool pops up with a user-friendly interface, making holiday shopping stress-free and enjoyable. No obligations to use, just delightful gift ideas tailored to customers
Related: 12 powerful Guided Selling examples that will drive success
2. Birthday Gift Finder
Using this template, your customers are guided through a personalized journey, ensuring they discover the perfect gift for their loved ones. No more guesswork or uncertainty—make every occasion special with tailored recommendations.
3. Christmas Wishlist Flipbook
This Interactive Flipbook template allows your customers to add items from the flipbook to their wish list. As the experience has an embedded Gift Finder, visitors can use it to find presents for their loved ones. Therefore, it is an excellent Christmas marketing idea.
The Christmas Wishlist Flipbook is a digital version of the good old product catalogs. Online catalogs take your customers on a digital journey that engages them on a deeper level.
4. Beauty Booster
In this experience, your visitors answer the questions by picking their desired looks. As a result, the user gets three product recommendations. The Beauty Booster template is perfect for marketers who want to foster a relationship with their customers. Visitors can confidently discover the best products that suit their unique features and preferences.
Related: Marketing in the beauty industry
5. Perfect Gift Finder
With four thought-provoking questions, this user-friendly experience leads your customer on a journey to find the perfect perfume; once they’ve answered all the questions, a carousel of several products tailored to their requirements awaits, ensuring a personalized selection that matches their preferences.
Embrace the joy of gifting this Christmas season by offering your customers a personalized and memorable shopping journey with this interactive tool.
6. Chatbot Gift Finder
Create a personalized and interactive gifting experience for your visitors with our versatile chatbot template. By building your own chatbot, you can effortlessly recommend the perfect gifts, increasing sales potential significantly.
Studies show that 60% of shoppers would buy from a website that has a chatbot. Elevate user satisfaction by offering a virtual assistant to potential customers, guiding them through their gifting journey, and making their experience on your website seamless and delightful.
7. Product Swiper
This is one of the most exciting gift guide examples. Instead of answering three questions, visitors choose what images most describe their loved one’s preferences. Then, they swipe left or right on images to reveal the gift recipient’s preferences.
Swiping is captivating because it is easy and natural. Think of it as Tinder but for shopping! That’s why millennials love it. So, why not use it to improve the user experience on your website?
8. Singles’ Day Personalized Offer
Apart from suggesting Christmas presents, you can use interactive gift guides to recommend gifts for any occasion, such as birthdays, singles’ day, and more. We created this example easily using the Dot.vu editor. You can also customize the template to fit any occasion.
9. Shoppable Video
As previously mentioned, you can use videos to guide your customers toward the best gifts. While you are at it, you can add interactivity to your videos and make them far more engaging. A Shoppable Video allows you to create an online store walk-through experience for your customers. You can suggest different products and help your customers pick the best present in the video.
10. Simple Gift Finder
This Simple Gift Finder has an elegant design and three questions that will lead your audience toward the best presents for their loved ones. You can upload a CSV with your product information when customizing the template.
11. Electronics Product Recommender
This Christmas, helping your customers find the perfect electronic gifts for their loved ones is easier than ever with our innovative Electronics Product Recommender. This interactive tool takes the guesswork out of gifting, guiding visitors through a series of quick questions to understand your recipients’ electronic preferences and interests. Whether it’s the latest tech gadgets, smart home devices, or entertainment accessories, you can curate a tailored list of top-notch electronic gifts that are sure to impress.
12. 3 Question Gift Finder
This holiday gift guide template has three questions and a product recommendation result. Our advanced algorithms work their magic and present your visitors with a carefully curated, personalized product recommendation that suits their needs. No more overwhelming choices; our template focuses on delivering one standout item, ensuring a thoughtful and memorable gift-giving experience.
Apply one of these holiday gift guide examples and boost sales!
Creating a holiday gift guide will help you rekindle connections with existing customers and entice new ones. Guide your visitors toward the perfect gift for their loved ones to strengthen relationships and enhance your seasonal marketing!
Get started today by creating a free account and accessing our diverse marketplace of customizable templates. This blog post guides you step-by-step in building a successful gift guide suitable for all occasions, be it Christmas, birthdays, or any other cherished holiday. Let the joy of giving and personalized gifting experiences flourish with your tailor-made gift guide!
This blog post was updated by Felicia Rozario on July 24th, 2023.
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