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How to Create Personalized Gift Guides that Boost Holiday Sales

Discover five strategies to create personalized gift guides that will stand out from the crowd, engage your customers, and boost holiday sales.

A person holding several bags from a retail store and walking

Is it really better to give than to receive? For many consumers, the answer to this is shifting with a new trend on the rise: self-gifting.

No, buying gifts for friends and family isn’t going anywhere, but it’s now joined by over 41% of consumers who plan to get themselves a gift this year (up from 30% in 2022). This trend shows that holiday shopping isn’t just about others, it’s also for people to splurge with gifts for themselves.

How can retailers tap into this while cutting through the noise of holiday marketing? The answer is through personalized gift guides.

5 Strategies to Create Personalized Gift Guides

Personalized gift guides are all about making holiday shopping easier for your customers. By sending tailored recommendations based on your customers’ preferences or past purchases, you cut through the noise of generic marketing.

To create a personalized gift guide, you need the right tools to segment your customers, personalize your messages to them, and have them sent from a real person in your store. This is where a retail CRM like Endear excels, making it easy to create gift guides in minutes.

Now, let’s dive into 5 different ways to personalize your gift guides.

1. Segment by Shopping Behavior

The first strategy is to segment your customers by their shopping behaviors. Do they tend to gravitate toward discounts, or are they frequent buyers of premium items? Group your customers into categories like “bargain hunters” or “luxury lovers” and create gift guides that reflect their preferences.

For example, a discount shopper may appreciate a guide focused on holiday sales or accessories, while high-end customers might prefer a selection of your premium products. This way, you’re creating a guide around their past behavior that is much more likely to result in a sale.

2. Segment by Product Category Preference

Another way to personalize your gift guides is by segmenting your customers by their favorite product collections. Group your customers based on the collections or categories they have shopped in the past, and send them a gift guide from the same category of products.

Let’s say a customer has purchased several products from your outerwear collection. You can create a holiday gift guide featuring more outerwear, or introduce them to a collection that pairs well with what they’ve already bought. This strategy helps you highlight what they love while offering fresh options.

3. Segment by Past Purchases

The final segmentation strategy is to group customers by their specific purchases. You can use past purchases to recommend complementary products, similar styles, or the same product again if it’s an item that needs replaced more regularly.

For example, if someone recently bought a cozy sweater, you could send them a guide featuring scarves, boots, or jackets that pair well with it. This not only feels personal but also encourages add-on purchases that boost your sales.

Can your retail tech do this?

Watch an overview of Endear to see how it can help you utilize your customer data to create personalized campaigns.

4. Ask What They're Looking For

Another way to send gift guides (without relying on specific segmentation) is just to ask customers what they're looking for. It may seem too simple, but directly asking what they’re shopping for feels personal and is likely to get a response. A quick message like, “Hey Ben, are you looking for anything specific this holiday season? I’d love to put together a personalized gift guide for you!” opens up a conversation that leads to meaningful engagement.

This approach is highly personal and makes the customer feel valued. Plus, once they tell you what they’re searching for or who they’re shopping for, you can quickly whip up a tailored guide that drives conversions.

5. Share *Your* Favorite Products

Finally, if you want to keep things easy while still being personal, just send a guide of your favorite products. This utilizes the trust and expertise that you’ve built with your customers. It can be as simple as creating a guide called “Store Staff Picks” or “My Favorite Products.” Some brands personalize this further by having their associates send a picture of them wearing their top outfit followed by a gift guide with all the individual pieces.

This is best for customers who have shopped with you in-store before and will feel like they’re getting an inside look. By offering your expert recommendations, you create an authentic, personal touch that builds trust.

Building personalized gift guides is all about showing your customers that you’re there for them during gift shopping season. By segmenting your customers, you can deliver custom gift recommendations that feel personal, increase engagement, and ultimately boost holiday sales.

But how do you present these gift guides? That’s where Endear’s Shoppable Stories come in. With this feature, you can create beautiful, interactive gift guides using your store’s existing product photos. These stories work like social media stories, and even better, they allow your customers to shop products directly and check out without missing a beat.

Example of an Endear Shoppable Story

Putting it all together, gift guides are the perfect way to engage your customers in a personalized way this holiday season. While other brands will be focused on blasting their customers with generic discounts and basic recommendations, you can capture their attention with personal gift guides.