14 Effective Thanksgiving Marketing Ideas to Boost Your Sales

Barbara Bartucz
August 27, 2025
Ecommerce
6 min read

Thanksgiving is more than just a time for feasting and family. It also serves as a major opportunity for ecommerce businesses to kickstart the holiday season with creative Thanksgiving marketing ideas.

Positioned right before Black Friday and Cyber Monday, Thanksgiving gives you a prime chance to engage customers, generate buzz, and boost sales ahead of the bigger shopping days.

In this article, we’ll explore:

why running a Thanksgiving marketing campaign is crucial,
creative ideas to help you make the most of the season, and
real-world examples of businesses doing it right.

Let’s dive into it!

Why should you be running a Thanksgiving marketing campaign?

While Thanksgiving isn’t the behemoth shopping event that Black Friday is, it still plays a vital role in getting shoppers excited for the season.

Thanksgiving is a golden moment to connect with your audience, but timing and context are key. Start with empathy: your emails should feel like a friendly nudge rather than a hard sell. Segmenting your lists based on past behavior or engagement is a quick win. Highlight products that solve real problems or make life easier. People respond to relevance, not fluff.

Noah Kain Owner at Noah Kain Consulting

Here’s why you should run a Thanksgiving campaign:

1. Make the most of the Black Friday & Cyber Monday buzz

Thanksgiving sits right before Black Friday and Cyber Monday, which means it’s the perfect opportunity to build excitement for these massive shopping days.

By running a Thanksgiving promotion, you can start building momentum and engage your customers before the big shopping weekend begins.

2. Connect with an emotionally engaged audience

Thanksgiving is a time of gratitude and family. Using this emotional connection in your campaign can help create stronger relationships with your customers.

Emotional appeal can spark deeper engagement and foster customer loyalty, encouraging them to return to your store when it’s time for the holiday shopping season.

3. Kickstart early holiday season shopping

Not everyone likes to wait until the last minute to shop. Thanksgiving promotions cater to those early shoppers eager to complete their purchases before the holiday season gets into full gear—think people who’d rather avoid the chaos of Black Friday and Cyber Monday.

It’s a prime opportunity to capture sales early with the right Thanksgiving marketing ideas.

14 effective Thanksgiving marketing ideas

Now that you know why Thanksgiving marketing is a must, let’s dive into actionable strategies to help you maximize your success during this time.

1. Build your email list effectively

Ahead of the holiday season, you’ll want to make sure your email list is in good shape. This is something you can focus on building long before Thanksgiving arrives.

To do this effectively, use a multi-step approach with popups like OptiMonk’s Smart Discount Popups.

Start with a simple yes/no question to get your foot in the door, and then progressively offer more value. This ensures visitors don’t feel overwhelmed, leading to higher conversions.

Check out how Mott & Bow asked visitors, “Want to pay $26 less for our jeans?” By clicking “Yes, please,” visitors were then prompted to enter their email address.

Tip: Personalize product recommendations at the final step of the popup to make it even more effective.

Get started with these templates:

See how Mott & Bow used this technique and grew their subscriber base to 100k.

2. Build hype with a countdown timer

Creating excitement and anticipation is key. Use a countdown timer to generate buzz before your Thanksgiving sale begins.

To keep your audience engaged, announce your sale:

on your website,
through social media posts, and
via email.

For example, check out how Big Blanket Co. uses a countdown timer to boost the feeling of urgency.

Add a countdown timer to a sticky bar—like in the example below—or an eye-catching banner that remains fixed on your website as visitors scroll, ensuring they keep thinking about your upcoming sale.

Here are a couple of ready-to-use templates to get you started:

3. Offer limited-time discounts

Urgency is a strong motivator.

Hosting flash sales during Thanksgiving helps maintain momentum, while offering limited-time discounts encourages fast decision-making. This approach is a key part of an effective holiday marketing strategy.

Take a look at how Ibotta adds urgency to their Thanksgiving promotion—which offers $50 cash back for referring 5 friends—with the copy “Ends tomorrow.”

Promoting these deals with attention-grabbing popups can push hesitant shoppers to finalize their purchases.

4. Create bundle deals

Bundle deals are a fantastic way to increase your average order value.

Create deals that include complementary products, like a Thanksgiving-themed wine bundle or a kitchen essentials package.

Below, online store Wine Connection offers a Thanksgiving bundle deal on three bottles.

Tip: Make sure the bundled products are naturally aligned, making the offer seem like a curated gift set, perfect for the holiday season.

5. Run a Thanksgiving giveaway

If you want to avoid discounting, running a Thanksgiving giveaway can be a great alternative.

Offering prizes like gift cards or free products can:

excite customers,
grow your audience,
help expand your email list, and
attract potential customers.

Here’s an example from Eastland Food Showcase, where they run a Thanksgiving giveaway on Instagram:

A bejegyzés megtekintése az Instagramon

Eastland Food (@eastlandfoodshowcase) által megosztott bejegyzés

You can also promote giveaways on your website with popups. Check out these giveaway popup templates:

6. Gamify your Thanksgiving popup

Engagement is key during the holiday season, and gamifying your popups with “Spin to Win” games can be irresistibly fun for shoppers.

Offer prizes like discounts or free shipping to make the experience more rewarding for customers.

Tip: Gamification creates excitement and urgency, making visitors more likely to complete their purchases. Use it to add a bit of extra fun to the holiday shopping experience.

7. Offer free shipping

48% of shopping carts are abandoned due to excess shipping fees or a lack of transparency.

Offering free shipping during Thanksgiving can eliminate this barrier, making it easier for customers to complete their purchases and increasing conversion rates.

Tip: Display your free shipping threshold prominently with a sticky bar on your website to remind customers during checkout, reducing the chances they’ll abandon their carts.

8. Offer extra loyalty points

Why not reward your most loyal customers by offering extra loyalty points during Thanksgiving shopping? This motivates repeat purchases and shows your appreciation for their continued support.

Tip: Highlight the bonus points in your email campaigns or on your website to encourage shoppers to take advantage of this reward.

9. Personalize product recommendations

Personalized recommendations can provide a seamless shopping experience for your website visitors. Use popups to suggest products based on a customer’s browsing activity.

For instance, if a visitor lingers on a particular product page, trigger a popup to recommend similar items they may be interested in.

Check out how Millie N Me applied this strategy on their site:

Personalization creates a sense of relevancy and encourages customers to complete their purchase.

Simplify the process of offering products to your audience with these templates:

Discover how Millie N Me increased their sales using smart product recommendations.

10. Send email marketing campaigns

Email marketing is one of the most powerful tools in every marketer’s arsenal, boasting a 2.8% conversion rate for B2C brands.

Before launching your campaigns, ensure your email list is properly segmented based on criteria such as customer behavior and purchase history.

Check out this campaign from Athletic Brewing, which is all about Thanksgiving dinner:

And here’s another from Robinhood, offering $10 for each friend you refer.

11. Use social media

Thanksgiving offers a great opportunity to connect with your audience on social media.

You can follow Kosas’ example by asking your followers about their favorite holiday dish, encouraging engagement and creating Thanksgiving-themed content.

A bejegyzés megtekintése az Instagramon

Kosas (@kosas) által megosztott bejegyzés

Alternatively, you can share behind-the-scenes content, like Laird did, to embody the holiday spirit and connect with your community.

A bejegyzés megtekintése az Instagramon

Laird Superfood (@lairdsuperfood) által megosztott bejegyzés

Tip: Make sure to use Thanksgiving hashtags to ensure your social media posts reach a broader audience.

12. Offer special discounts

Offering special Thanksgiving discounts can draw in shoppers looking for great deals.

A straightforward discount, like flyby’s 25% off Thanksgiving sale, can grab attention and motivate purchases.

Tip: To ensure customers don’t forget their coupon codes, set up a follow-up sticky bar. This will remind visitors about their unused codes and encourage them to complete their purchases.

13. Create a limited-edition Thanksgiving product

Limited-edition products generate buzz and build a sense of exclusivity. Create a unique Thanksgiving-themed product, such as a holiday shirt or special-edition item.

Here’s Tracksmith showcasing a limited-edition Thanksgiving shirt.

Tip: Enhance the feeling of exclusivity by offering early access to loyal customers or email subscribers, making them feel like VIPs.

14. Ask for post-purchase feedback

After the sale, reach out to customers for their feedback. This gives you valuable insight into their shopping experience and helps you improve your future campaigns.

Use popups on the order confirmation page to collect feedback about the shopping experience.

Keep the questions simple and focused on key aspects of their journey, such as product satisfaction or ease of checkout.

FAQ

How can I create a Thanksgiving holiday gift guide that resonates with my customers?

A well-curated holiday gift guide should feature products that cater to different tastes and needs, providing thoughtful selections for each customer. Personalizing the guide for various customer segments, like loyal customers or first-time shoppers, can enhance its effectiveness and increase conversion rates.

How do I show appreciation to my loyal customers during the Thanksgiving season?

During Thanksgiving, express gratitude to your loyal customers with exclusive discounts, early access to sales, or special gifts. Personalized emails or loyalty points can also be a great way to show appreciation and deepen customer relationships, ensuring they feel valued and connected to your brand.

How can I improve customer engagement during Thanksgiving?

Boost customer engagement by crafting personalized experiences for your audience. Offer tailored promotions, create engaging social media content, and run interactive campaigns (like polls or giveaways) that allow customers to feel involved with your brand throughout the Thanksgiving season.

Wrapping up

Thanksgiving offers a unique opportunity to connect with customers and get ahead of the holiday shopping rush.

By tapping into the excitement of Black Friday and Cyber Monday while gratitude is running high, you can create effective marketing campaigns that boost engagement and drive sales.

Make this Thanksgiving your best yet by implementing these creative strategies and helping your audience get ready for the big holiday season!

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