Personalization Done Right: Give Your Customers What They Want for the Holiday Season
‘Tis the Season to Personalize! With the holiday rush approaching fast, print-on-demand sellers are gearing up for the busiest time of the year. This is the prime time to start offering what your customers want most: unique, personalized gifts that create memorable moments.
In this newsletter, explore top-selling personalized decor ideas and strategies to ensure your business is at the top of everyone’s holiday wish list! Read more about our 2024 Christmas Collection—exactly what your customers need to create unique gifts.
Personalized Gifting: A Growing Trend
Personalized gifts continue to grow in popularity. A 2023 study by Deloitte revealed that 36% of consumers are more likely to purchase products that offer personalization, and nearly 1 in 5 are willing to pay a premium of up to 20% for customized items. This trend is especially strong among Millennials and Gen Z, who prioritize meaningful, unique gifts over mass-produced items.
For sellers, product personalization translates into higher margins and greater customer satisfaction. We have some useful tips to optimize your product personalization strategy:
➡️ Offer Product Previews:
Personalization tools like Customily and Teeinblue have made it easier than ever to offer customers a seamless, personalized shopping experience by integrating directly with e-commerce platforms. These platforms allow your customers to design and preview their personalized products in real-time, reducing cart abandonment and returns and increasing conversion rates.
Both personalization tools are integrated with merchOne, enabling you to offer our products to your customers with next-level personalization. For more tips on how to capitalize on the personalization trend, check out our blog articles:
➡️ Promote Gift-Worthy Products:
Highlight products that make great gifts—personalized wall art, custom ornaments, or glitter picture frames. Help customers envision the products as thoughtful gifts for their friends, family, or colleagues. Use specific callouts on your website or social media that showcase their appeal as "perfect for holiday gifting."
➡️ Set Up Early Ordering with Personalization Deadlines:
To ensure timely delivery of personalized items during the high season, clearly communicate cut-off dates for custom orders. This creates urgency for shoppers while reassuring them that they’ll receive their items on time. Catch last-minute shoppers with targeted marketing offers and campaigns. Remember that at merchOne, we offer industry-leading cut-off dates for you to be able to sell products 2-3 days more during the peak seasons.
💡Tip of the Month: Nearly half of U.S. consumers buy holiday gifts during Black Friday and Cyber Monday (NRF). Offer personalized products with discounts to capture this audience and maximize holiday sales.
➡️ Incorporate Seasonal and Holiday Themes:
Align your product offerings with the festive season by including holiday-themed designs like Christmas icons, winter themes, family names, or festive quotes. This makes your products more appealing as seasonal gifts and adds that personal holiday touch your customers are looking for.
➡️ Use Data to Tailor Offers:
Analyze customer behavior from previous seasons to understand which personalized products sold the best. Use this data to create targeted offers or promotions, highlighting popular items for specific demographics.
➡️ Create Personalized Product Bundles:
Allow your customers to create personalized gift sets. Offer bundles like personalized pillows, blankets, and ornaments as themed holiday packages. This will add convenience for your customers and increase your average order value.
➡️ Encourage User-Generated Content:
Encourage your customers to share photos of their personalized products on social media. Use hashtags or contests to engage your audience. This builds brand loyalty and provides real-life examples of how customers use and love your products.
➡️ Offer Personalization as an Upsell:
If you offer non-personalized products, consider adding personalization as an upsell option. For instance, allow customers to add names, initials, or custom messages to an existing product design for an additional fee, increasing your revenue per order.
➡️ Leverage Your Email List:
Segment your email list and send tailored emails highlighting specific personalized products based on past purchases. For example, if someone purchased a custom pillow last year, send them a follow-up email this year suggesting personalized ornaments or matching pillows.
Using these tools and strategies, you can transform your product lineup into a go-to destination for high-value holiday gifts.
Understanding Holiday Décor Styles by Demographic
When it comes to holiday décor, styles vary more by age and taste than by geography. Understanding your audience's preferences is key to maximizing sales. Here are a few examples of what’s trending this year:
Millennials (Aged 25-40)
Millennials favor minimalist designs with a modern twist. Think simple, clean lines, neutral tones, and eco-friendly materials. Custom wall art, like sleek canvas prints featuring family photos or minimalist holiday icons combined with personalized wooden ornaments, resonates well with this group. They also value sustainability, making items like reusable personalized holiday pillows and blankets popular.
Gen Z (Aged 18-24)
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Gen Z tends to embrace playful, bold designs and unique, personalized décor. Glitter picture frames with custom designs, clear acrylic snowflakes, and quirky wall art designs appeal to this audience. This generation also appreciates novelty and exclusivity, making limited-edition custom items a great selling point. Incorporating pop culture references or trendy motifs can also increase appeal.
Gen X and Baby Boomers (Aged 41-65+)
For mature generations, traditional and nostalgic décor is key. Think rustic or vintage-style wooden ornaments, classic holiday colors (red, green, and gold), and personalized items like family name canvases or engraved wooden snowflakes. These customers often seek gifts that celebrate family and tradition, so offering multi-generational items such as customized family-tree wall art or photo-themed ornaments can drive sales.
Why Canvas Prints Are Always a Holiday Favorite
Canvas prints remain a go-to holiday gift due to their versatility and emotional appeal. Whether customers are looking to commemorate a special moment or gift a personalized family portrait, the canvas is easily customizable to suit any style and age.
On-demand wall art decor designs can always be easily adjusted to match market demand. For more tips on increasing your sales during the high season and discovering how wall art can become the centerpiece of your holiday product lineup, be sure to check out our previous newsletter.
The Chameleon of Home Décor: Whether your customers prefer sleek, modern aesthetics or rustic, vintage charm, canvas prints fit into any home. Personalized designs make them the perfect, meaningful gift for all age groups. For example, family-oriented designs resonate with older generations, while minimalistic or abstract options appeal to Millennials and Gen Z.
The Gift That Says “I Thought of You”: Nothing beats a personal touch, and canvas prints deliver that in style. From personalized family photos to custom designs, these prints transform into sentimental keepsakes that your customers will cherish year after year.
Easy to Wrap, Impossible to Forget: Canvas prints are not only simple to gift wrap but also look amazing when displayed. Their various sizes, premium finish, and frames ensure that they stand out as a gift that recipients will proudly hang.
Data-backed Popularity: According to a report by the The Business Research Company , the global wall art market is expected to grow at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 7.5% from 2021 to 2026. Personalized canvases, in particular, are seeing a surge in demand as consumers seek more meaningful and thoughtful gifts.
merchOne Christmas Collection: Ornaments and Home Decor
Our 2024 Christmas Collection offers products that will appeal to every audience. From ornaments to cozy pillows, these items go beyond simple holiday decorations—they’re a way for customers to make their homes and gifts feel special.
What makes this collection truly unique, is your designs. While merchOne provides the base products, it’s your creativity that caters to diverse spaces and tastes. Whether it’s a modern aesthetic or traditional, family-centered charm, your design is what resonates with your audience.
The simple truth is that shoppers are always on the lookout for unique décor and special gifts. The merchOne Christmas Collection perfectly satisfies this demand, offering high-perceived value products that enhance any living area. With personalized holiday print-on-demand products, you tap into that strong appetite for décor with personality, driving sales as customers seek one-of-a-kind gifts and interior accents.
What’s in the Collection? Our collection includes Christmas Baubles, Wooden and Clear Snowflakes, Decorative Pillows, Cozy Blankets, and Glitter Picture Frames with five different glitter options. These pieces will take your holiday product lineup to another level and make for memorable, personalized gifts that will be cherished for years.
Add our Christmas Collection to Your Store:
Personalized Ornaments with a Twist: While our ornaments look stunning hanging from the tree, they don’t stop there. The wooden and clear snowflakes can be used as personalized place cards, centerpieces for table settings, creative gift tags, or even as unique wall or window accents. With a customized design, these pieces will add a personal touch to any room or gift.
Festive Pillows and Blankets: Cozy up the holidays with custom pillows and blankets that make great gifts for any household. Whether it’s adding a family name or a holiday-themed design, these items appeal to both younger and older generations who value comfort and personalization in their holiday décor.
Glitter Picture Frames: Offer customers a fun, festive way to display their favorite holiday moments. With five glitter options, these frames are perfect for Gen Z buyers who love a bit of that sparkle and are fans of customization.
Explore merchOne’s Christmas Collection now and start offering these in-demand products to boost your holiday sales!
Creative Marketing Tips for Personalized Décor
Helping your customers see the value of personalized décor can drive sales. Here are some practical ideas for promoting your merchOne Christmas Collection:
Family-Themed Décor for All Ages: Family is the cornerstone of holiday celebrations, and personalized décor reflects that sentiment. Offer baubles, wooden snowflakes, and glitter frames featuring family names or special dates. Encourage your customers to use these items as table centerpieces, mantel accents, or wall art.
Gifts for Pet Lovers: The pet industry is booming, with over 70% of U.S. households owning a pet ( American Pet Products Association (APPA) ). Offer custom pet-themed pillows, ornaments, and wall art that celebrate their furry family members. These items make for great gifts and are easy to market to pet-loving customers across all generations.
Corporate Gifts with a Personal Touch: Personalized corporate gifts, like custom pillows, blankets, or framed prints with company logos or holiday messages, can set your business apart. These items make memorable, practical gifts for employees and clients alike, ensuring they will be used long after the holidays.
Bundle for Convenience: Offer holiday bundles that combine various items—like a festive blanket, personalized ornament, and glitter frame. This not only increases perceived value but also provides customers with easy, cohesive décor sets they can use to elevate different areas of their homes.
Get Ready for a Successful Holiday Season
With the merchOne Christmas Collection and the right personalization tools, your business is primed to meet customer demand this holiday season. Whether you're using integration platforms like Customily (YCS21) or Teeinblue to offer next-level personalization or focusing on data-backed trends in gifting, you’re equipped for a successful season.
Start planning your holiday strategy now, and be sure to use the insights, tools, and product ideas we’ve shared to increase your sales and stand out to customers looking for meaningful, personalized gifts.
With merchOne’s fast fulfillment and extended cut-off dates, we’ll ensure your products get to customers in time, making this holiday season your most successful yet. Set up your free merchOne account in minutes and start selling today!
merchOne is thrilled to be part of our sellers' journey in the print-on-demand industry. Our monthly newsletter aims to inform, inspire, and support your business as it reaches new heights. Let's design, sell, and print our way to success together.