Ecommerce Holiday Marketing Strategies: Turning Days Off Into Sales on Shopee, Lazada, and TikTok Shop

Ecommerce Holiday Marketing Strategies, Running ads during long holidays often goes against the traditional grain of digital advertising. Many sellers on platforms like Shopee, Lazada, or TikTok Shop tend to turn on “Vacation Mode,” making their stores temporarily unavailable. Some simply pause their advertising campaigns altogether, assuming that people aren’t shopping and that their ad spend will be wasted.

However, this is actually a golden opportunity for businesses that are prepared.

While it’s true that overall platform traffic might decrease during long holidays, it doesn’t mean people stop buying entirely. Shops that remain open and consistently run ads often sweep up the sales during this period. As for shipping concerns, most platforms automatically adjust and extend the delivery timeframes during holidays, so you don’t need to worry about being penalized for late shipments.

From our experience managing Ecommerce Ads Thailand for various brands, keeping campaigns active during holidays is a proven way to boost revenue. You shouldn’t let this opportunity slip away. Here are the best strategies to run ads during long holidays and make your investment truly worthwhile.

1. Lower Ad Costs: Less Competition Means Cheaper Clicks and More Visibility

The advertising systems on most marketplace platforms work on a real-time bidding basis. This means that if many sellers are running ads for the same type of product, the Cost Per Click (CPC) will naturally go up due to high competition.

Conversely, when many sellers pause their ads during a long holiday, the competition drops significantly. As a result, your Cost Per Click (CPC) usually becomes cheaper. (For context, think about “Double Day” mega campaigns where CPC skyrockets because everyone is fighting for ad space).

However, getting more clicks at a lower cost or gaining more impressions doesn’t automatically guarantee that your Return on Ad Spend (ROAS) or Total Sales (GMV) will break records. The profitability might not match a normal day or a major campaign day. Therefore, carefully managing your budget is crucial, which brings us to the next point.

2. The “Wait and See, Then Attack” Strategy

Because it’s a holiday period, you don’t need to max out your daily budget like you would on a normal day. Our goal is to maintain a steady flow of sales while ensuring that your returns (ROAS) and overall sales value (GMV) remain profitable.

You can safely reduce your daily ad budget by 20% to 50% from your normal spending. But simply cutting the budget isn’t the whole strategy. You need to play defensively first, then go on the offensive.

Here is how it works: Monitor your ads for the first 1-2 days of the holiday. If you notice a high ROAS and strong sales performance, prepare to “attack.” You can do this by injecting more budget into the specific products that are delivering great results. This highly efficient method allows you to maximize your total sales. The only slight downside is that it requires you to monitor your campaigns during your time off!

3. Choose the Right Products: Focus on Essentials and Semi-Seasonal Goods

Customers shopping during long holidays usually know that shipping companies are also taking a break. They understand that their orders will likely be shipped after the holiday ends.

Because of this, you should avoid promoting “urgent need” items or highly emotional impulse buys. Promoting these during a holiday often leads to high cancellation rates or return requests because the customer couldn’t get the item immediately.

Instead, the core of effective Ecommerce Holiday Marketing Strategies is promoting essential items that people need but can wait for. Think of products like household goods, pet food, daily supplements, or items people need to restock. Customers know they will eventually need these products anyway, so they are perfectly fine ordering now and receiving them after the holiday. Additionally, semi-seasonal products relevant to that specific holiday time can also sell very well because buyers have high purchasing intent.

4. Use Copywriting that Focuses on Immediate Sales, Not Just ‘Add to Cart’

Even if customers are willing to wait for delivery, your ad copy (the text you write) and promotions must create urgency. You want them to click “Buy Now,” not just add the item to their cart for later. An immediate purchase guarantees the sale.

If you are running Collaborative Ads (CPAS)—which show your marketplace products on social media platforms like Facebook or Instagram—make sure your message is clear. Highlight that this is an “Exclusive Long Holiday Promo,” mention limited stock, and clearly state the end date of the promotion. This accelerates the customer’s decision-making process. Ensure your store’s artwork and promotional banners boldly reflect this too.

Another highly effective tactic is using your own Store Coupons. Create time-limited discount coupons that are only valid during the holiday period. This is an excellent tool to rush the final checkout. Plus, it gives you great data; you can track exactly how many coupons were used, providing valuable insights for your next holiday marketing campaign.

5. Strong Backend Management: Chat Responses and Order Fulfillment

Even though it’s a holiday, if your ads are running—whether On-Platform (inside Shopee/Lazada) or Off-Platform (like CPAS)—customer inquiries will continue to flow in.

Having someone ready to answer chat messages is crucial. If human staffing is an issue, utilizing an AI chatbot to assist can be a game-changer. Make sure your automated or human responses clearly state exactly when the customer’s item will be shipped. This gives the buyer peace of mind. Fast and clear chat responses drastically increase your chances of closing the sale and boosting your total orders.

Regarding order management, many shops that keep selling during holidays find themselves overwhelmed on the first day back to work. To prevent your fulfillment process from breaking down, don’t wait until the holiday is over to start packing. Try to gradually pack the accumulated orders day by day during the holiday. This ensures a smooth workflow and guarantees you meet the platform’s shipping deadlines once operations resume.

Conclusion: Holiday Ads Are a Golden Opportunity, But Require Smart Planning

As outlined, running ads during long holidays offers a fantastic opportunity to capture sales while competitors sleep. However, it requires a strategic approach.

From deciding how to adjust your budget and selecting the right products, to optimizing your store operations like chat support and order packing—everything is interconnected. By applying these Ecommerce Holiday Marketing Strategies, you can successfully turn quiet holidays into highly profitable days for your business.

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Originally in Thai. Translated to English with the help of Gemini.