Holiday Season Deadlines and Tips (2024)

Table of contents

• Overview
• 1. Holiday lab deadlines
• 2. Price lists and automated campaigns for the holidays
• 3. Reactivate offers for the holidays
• 4. Un-archive jobs
• 5. Send a one-time message
• Some things to keep in mind:
• 5. GDPR notice (UK customers only)

Overview

Get ready for the holiday season with this guide to key order deadlines and practical tips to maximize your holiday sales. From setting up seasonal price lists to reactivating past offers, you'll find everything you need to make the most of this festive period while ensuring timely deliveries for your customers.

1. Holiday lab deadlines

Here you will find an overview of the order deadlines for photo products that are due to arrive before December 24th (as specified by the labs). *Deadlines for 2025 will be updated here once available*

Please note: 

2. Price lists and automated campaigns for the holidays

Using special automated campaigns and price lists for the pre-Christmas period is a great way to get customers back in your shop!

1. Price list: Adapt your price list offerings for the season to include more gift-related items and seasonal items listed in the print lab product inventory.
2. In addition to our Christmas email templates, there are also automated campaigns that you can use for your photo orders. Use these as-is, or tailor them to your needs.

3. Reactivate offers for the holidays

Have you taken a lot of photos this year? Then you can make use of them again at the end of the year! With the one-time message function, you can boost repeat orders and new orders around the holidays by re-activating previous photo jobs.

Please note: For additional sales at Christmas, your orders should have been archived some time ago, preferably in spring or summer.

1. Holiday products
   Adjust your product offer or price list beforehand. Create new packages so customers get added value.
   Why? If customers find the exact same offer again, it may harm trust. Frame it as a one-off promotion with exclusive products.
2. Use vouchers
   Give a 15% discount on the basket and set expiry three days after sending. Use a seasonal voucher code. More about vouchers.

4. Un-archive jobs

To make an archived Photo Job available for sale again:

1. On the Photo Job Main Settings page, remove the tick from Archiving, or set a new future date.
2. Deactivate your automated campaign for the Photo Job, or set a new one such as the Christmas campaign.
3. To start the secondary sale, set the job status back to "Selling".

5. Send a one-time message

You'll want to send out a newsletter to your customers to notify them of your sale and incentives. When creating your one-time message, search for "holiday" or "Christmas" in templates. Adjust placeholders as needed.

Some things to keep in mind:

• Subject Lines: Keep them specific, clear, and 50–60 characters long.
• Design: Use holiday graphics (download here) and placeholders like [[Customer.photos]].
• Timing:Send three emails:
  1. Email 1: Nov 24 – Advent shoppers, focus lightly on deadlines.
  2. Email 2: Dec 1 – Late buyers, stress exact deadlines.
  3. Email 3: Dec 15 – Downloads only, adjust price list to downloads.

Most recipients read in the morning or evening. Set send times accordingly.

5. GDPR notice (UK customers only)

Disclaimer: Non-binding information, not legal advice. For individual advice, seek legal counsel.

GDPR requires consent for marketing emails. Opt-out is not sufficient; consent must be explicit and voluntary.

• Separate consent for notifications is required.
• You must document consent.
• Consent must be easy to understand, voluntary, and clear. OR
• You may cover it in your Terms & Conditions, but only buyers who accepted them may be contacted.

Have you possibly already obtained consent with GotPhoto?

• For all orders since 25 May 2018, GotPhoto has collected consent on your behalf.
• These customers agreed to receive order-related info, which includes Holiday campaign notifications.