3 businesses on how they drive more holiday sales
Behind every holiday sales success is a strategy. Three retailers reveal the tips that helped them win big – and how you can apply them, too.
A magic holiday season doesn’t just happen. It takes planning, strategy and careful execution.
We spoke to three businesses that enjoyed strong results last sales season to uncover their top tips and strategies.
“Keep your message clear - and add the Afterpay logo to your ads”
Hair styling brand Cloud Nine focuses on cutting through the noise with clear messages.
The start of the holiday season marks the culmination of months of hard work for hair styling brand Cloud Nine. “It’s what we prepare for all year,” says Cloud Nine e-commerce manager Eleanor Dook. “We’re a high-end consumer good, so our products are perfect for gifting, which makes Black Friday a really key moment for us.”
"Our products are perfect for gifting, which makes Black Friday a really key moment for us."
To drive sales, Cloud Nine promotes Black Friday/Cyber Monday (BFCM) across its touchpoints, from homepage banners to countdowns. The brand also sends emails that are personalised by customers’ hair type and sweetens the deal with gifts with purchase.
However, it’s paid media – from ads on Meta and TikTok to pay-per-click ads on Google – that drives the most traffic, says Dook.
Cloud Nine includes the Afterpay logo on paid ads during the BFCM and festive sale periods, with Dook explaining “When we have the Afterpay logo on our paid ads, we see much a higher conversion rate.”
In fact during the critical BFCM period, one in five sales is made by customers paying with Afterpay.
TIP: “Keep all messaging really, really clear. There’s so much noise around that time and so many different offers for customers to navigate through that you just need your key offers or promotions to be really clear,” says Dook.
“In the past I’ve tried to make things sounds different or add that marketing/brand aspect to messaging. It doesn’t work. People just want to shop.”
“Drive urgency”
Creating a sense of urgency – and appearing on Afterpay’s Shop Directory – is a key part of the sales strategy for clothing brand YOUKNOW.
For fashion brand YOUKNOW, BFCM means focusing on existing customers rather than acquiring new ones.
“We see it as a chance to surprise and delight our customers,” says marketing manager Conor Hill. “We only really have one big sale a year and it’s a chance for customers we’ve acquired throughout the year to get a deal. We find that easier than trying to reach out to new customers during the frenzy that is BFCM.”
To stand out, YOUKNOW takes a creative approach to BFCM sales. Last year, it staged a ‘break-in’ at its warehouse, and invited social media followers to guess what had happened – before revealing that the incident was to mark the launch of its Black Friday sale. The posts garnered thousands of likes and comments.
“In 2025, the landscape is different to what it once was. To get cut-through we try to do something big that creates a bit of noise.”
To get cut-through we try to do something big that creates a bit of noise."
As well as creative executions the brand also rolls out emails, social media ads and influencer-driven user-generated-content to promote its offer.
Afterpay’s Shop Directory is another key source of traffic during peak sales periods. Last year, the business received hundreds of referrals from the Shop Directory and more than 100 sales.
Plus, says Hill, customers who pay with Afterpay spend more during the festive season. “We find that our average order value increases and this is only possible thanks to Afterpay.”
TIP: “Lean into people’s FOMO. What we find most effective is driving the urgency of that first night of sales – that feeling that people don’t want to miss out. And provide something over and above a discount that is only available for a certain time frame.”
“Make shopping stress-free and easy for customers”
BFCM and the holiday season is a critical period for clothing retailer Flo & Frankie.
“BFCM is a really exciting time for us,” says Flo & Frankie marketing manager Chloe Harvey. “It’s not only one of our biggest sales moments of the year, but it’s also when so many new customers discover Flo & Frankie for the first time.”
To maximise the moment, Flo & Frankie focuses on delivering a consistent message across all its channels - and highlighting that Afterpay is available.
“Afterpay takes away a barrier for so many customers and makes it easier for them to say yes, whether that’s treating themselves or ticking off their gift list.
"A large number of our customers already prefer Afterpay as their payment choice, so highlighting it during BFCM and Christmas really supports conversion and gives shoppers that extra flexibility.”
TIP: “Make it as easy and inspiring as possible for the customer. Clear messaging, curated gift guides and a smooth checkout experience all help take the stress away.
“But above all, content is key. Customers are looking for ideas and solutions, so styling inspiration, gift edits and content that solves a problem for them makes the shopping journey not just convenient but exciting."
All references to any registered trademarks are the property of their respective owners. Afterpay does not endorse or recommend any one particular supplier and the information provided is for educational purposes only.
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