This document outlines the customer journey and marketing strategies for retailers during the Sinterklaas and Christmas season. It discusses four key stages: the preparation stage focused on getting brand awareness, the high season aimed at maximizing sales, the final sprint to catch last-minute shoppers, and the post-Christmas period for clearing stock. For each stage, it provides objectives, checklists, and solutions for retailers to optimize their marketing and online presence.

1. The customer journey with
Sinterklaas & Christmas

2. 1
Follow the customer journey
This period of the year is very crucial for people and
companies.
This represents the moment that queries are rising in
almost vertical (retail, telco, business gifts, etc).

3. 2
Follow the customer journey
So get ready for every phase !

4. 3
Follow the customer journey
Preparation stage
High season
Final sprint
Post Christmas

5. 4
Preparation stage – Objectives :
Get on top of mind and catch the early birds shoppers
 Get (store) brand on top of mind during
full Christmas season
 Promote unique selling points (e.g
service, price and assortment
 Increase & stay in touch with active
client base

6. 5
Preparation stage – Checklist :
Get on top of mind and catch the early birds shoppers
 Have complete assortment online so that shoppers can
find your products.

7. 6
Preparation stage – Checklist :
Get on top of mind and catch the early birds shoppers
 Reach gift giver on every touchpoint, especially on :
 Mobile/Tablet : Optimise the experience (search &
landingspage)
 Video : active brand channel
 Social : Christmas gift wish-listing by social media

8. 7
Preparation stage – Checklist :
Get on top of mind and catch the early birds shoppers
 Register new customers, build remarketing lists
 Activate loyal clients by remarketing

9. 8
High Season – Objectives :
Maximize sales revenue
 Maximize traffic of Christmas shoppers to
in-and offline stores
 Maximize sales volume, margin and
basket value
 Stock management

10. 9
High Season – Solutions :
Maximize sales revenue
 Maximize Traffic :
 Influence brand perception with a Christmas Contextual
Display campaign
 Complement TV with online video advertising to profit
from synergies
 Use promoted video for product reviews and product
information
 Use Video & Display remarketing to re-engage with
existing client base

11. 10
High Season – Solutions :
Maximize sales revenue
 Conversion focused with all marketing campaigns :
 Activate all search campaign (incl.merchant center &
dynamic ads)
 Use insights for search to real-time stock management
adjustment

12. 11
Final Sprint
Catch last minute shop
 Catch the last minute shopper
 Capture peak in product demand : all products available
 Finish stock with high margins

13. 12
Final Sprint – Solutions :
Catch last minute shop
 Make sure the customer finds you in the last moment :
 Search : Capture the uplift in brand and generic queries
by raising bids & budgets
 Local : Use local extensions to drive traffic to physical
store
 Use Display remarketing to up-and across-sell
 Guarantee on-time delivery

14. 13
Post Christmas
Clear stock
Change of focus : Gift seekers become shoppers
 Post-Christmas sales : empty your stock
 Manage returns
 Upsell to returners

15. 14
Post Christmas
Clear stock
 Create new remarketing list for new
customers
 Adjust your banners to sales promotion
message

16. 15
Xmas-6-Point Checklist
1. Be present – make sure your keywords reflect you offer.
1. Take advantage of the increased traffic to your website!
Make Remarketing lists to cover specific Christmas and
Sinterklaas / Saint-Nicolas interested public. Increase budget
for the existing remarketing campaigns.
1. Benefit from Mobile Boom : Make separate mobile
campaigns to appear in the top positions and take
advantage of the increase mobile traffic.
1. Prepare for the final Sprint : Adjust your budget and CPCs for
the spike in Christmas and Christmas Sales. Make sure you
are shown in the top positions.

17. 16
Xmas-6-Point Checklist
5. Think about your Offline channel : use Location Extensions to
send last minute shoppers to your stores. Use Mobile
campaigns to send price sensitive shoppers to your
webshop.
5. There are Sales after Christmas : Take advantage of the
buying interest and stay in the race with higher CPC’s and
Budgets. Use Remarketing lists to address the non-buyers with
special Remarketing campaigns.

18. 17
Search Volumes for Sinterklaas

19. 18
Search Volumes for Christmas

20. 19
Search on Sundays, Shopping on Mondays

21. 20
Consumers keep changes
People are connected all the time wich provides numerous
opportunities to reach them

22. 21
Retail & Shopping queries are rising
The mobile retail spike is increasing

23. 22
Be mobile ready – Various solutions
 Text ads on  Display ads on  Display ads on  Display ads on
Mobile Search Mobile Web Mobile Apps Mobile YouTube

24. 23
Use online video to highly engage with users
 Remarket users who have been to you website with video on
YouTube
 Use sequential targeting to engage with users in the up run to
Christmas
 Make use of external annotations to link directly to your products

25. 24
Use the right solution at the right moment
PREPARATION STAGE HIGH SEASON FINAL SPRINT POST CHRISTMAS
(Get on top of mind) (Maximize sales revenue) (Catch last minute (Clear stock)
shopper)

26. 25
Enjoy Shopping !
Happy Sinterklass
& Merry Christmas
Thank you for your attention