5 Powerful Ways Conversational Texting Can Help Customers Find the Perfect Holiday Gift
The holiday rush brings excitement, long wish lists, and a little bit of chaos. Shoppers are racing to find the right gifts before the shipping cutoffs, while retailers are juggling in-store traffic, online orders, and customer questions from every direction.
That’s where conversational texting shines. It bridges the gap between online convenience and in-store experience, helping customers make faster, more confident decisions, and helping retailers capture more sales with less stress.
That’s exactly why we’ve partnered with Masterlinq, a platform that brings your fulfillment, brand catalogs, POS, and e-commerce together so your team can deliver a smoother, more connected shopping experience.
Here are five powerful ways conversational texting can help your customers find (and buy) the perfect holiday gift.
#1 Guide shoppers toward the right gift with webchat
Help customers find you, and the perfect present
During the holidays, shoppers aren’t always buying for themselves, they’re looking for inspiration. That means more people are discovering new stores while hunting for gifts.
Conversational texting can turn their curiosity into a connection for you.
When someone lands on your site or sends a quick message like “I’m looking for a gift for my dad who loves biking,” your team can reply with personalized recommendations, even photos or links to your most popular products.
This kind of one-on-one gift guidance makes shopping easier and builds instant trust with new customers. Instead of bouncing between websites, they’ll stay with the retailer who helps them make the decision.
Create a few holiday message templates based on what you’ve seen your customers ask: “Gifts under $100” or “For the cyclist who has everything”. This way your staff can reply fast and consistently.
#2 Save on shipping with curbside pickup
Offer flexible options when time (and budget) is tight.
Holiday shoppers love convenience, and curbside pickup gives them exactly that. With Ikeono, customers can text to check if an item is available, place the order, and pick it up the same day.
The best part is that as they pull up to the parking lot or in-front of your store, they can easily communicate with you to make sure the hand-off is smooth.
For some customers, offering curbside pickup also means skipping shipping costs and avoiding delivery delays.
For retailers, it’s a chance to win more last-minute sales from people who don’t want to hit a free-shipping minimum or risk a package arriving late.
Plus, curbside pickup helps you move local inventory faster while keeping your team in control of fulfillment timelines.
#3 Speed up sales with text-to-pay
Turn buying signals into same-day sales
Every time a customer asks a question: “Is this in stock?” “Do you have it in another color?”, that’s a buying signal. And if you can lock in that interest with an easy payment option, you’re far more likely to win the sale.
With Text-to-Pay, you can send a secure checkout link right in the conversation. Customers can pay instantly without switching tabs, creating accounts, or retyping information, all while they’re still excited about the product.
This quick, seamless process shortens the sales cycle and keeps your brand top of mind during the busiest shopping season.
Payment links naturally expire for security reasons, but you can also let customers know that the payment link is valid for only 24 hours to create a gentle sense of urgency without adding pressure.
#4 Handle the holiday question rush with ease
Answer the questions customers are actually asking
The holidays come with a predictable wave of “Are you open?” and “What’s your return policy?” questions. Even if you update your hours on social media, your Google Business Profile, and create Ikeono automations, people still want to ask directly.
And that’s a good thing. It means they’re interested.
Texting gives customers an easy, freeform way to get answers in real time, without calling or searching through your site.
Whether they’re on your website, browsing after hours, or in line somewhere else, they can send a quick message and get a response that keeps them moving toward purchase.
Use after-hours automations outside of business hours to make sure that customers are not left hanging till the next business day, and use message templates to answer common questions more quickly throughout the day.
“Thanks for reaching out! We’re open from 9–3 on Christmas Eve. Text us anytime and we’ll get back to you when we’re in.”
#5 Bank on post-holiday reviews
Turn gift buyers into long-term customers
The holidays don’t just bring in revenue, they bring in a wave of new customers through gift giving.
Every recipient who unwraps your product is a potential repeat buyer.
After the holidays, use automated feedback and review requests to check in and ask for feedback or simply a Google review.
Just make sure you adjust the timing, some customers buy gifts weeks in advance, so a well-timed review request in January may perform better than one sent right after purchase.
With Ikeono, you can customize when and how review requests are sent, ensuring each one feels personal, timely, and authentic.
3 ready-to-send text templates
Quick feedback request
Simple review ask
Check-in + review combo
Make this holiday your most connected season yet
Holiday shopping can be stressful, for both sides. But conversational texting turns it into a smoother, more personal experience. It helps shoppers find the perfect gift, get it faster, and feel supported the entire way.
For retailers, it means fewer missed calls, faster checkouts, and stronger relationships with every new customer who texts your business this season.
Remember, every inquiry is a new channel of communication, and a new potential customer.
