We’re days away from the biggest shopping season of the year! With online merchants looking to make billions in sales from Black Friday through Cyber Monday.

According to Shopify, their merchants alone made more than $6 billion in sales from Black Friday through Cyber Monday last year!   In one of their recent Shopify Masters podcasts, four direct-to-consumer entrepreneurs shared how they plan for the Black Friday through Cyber Monday shopping window and into the rest of the holiday season. Here are some of their tips.

1. Simplify Gift Giving

One of the most effective ways to capitalize on your products’ appeal during the holiday season is by curating gift guides and bundling products. To do so, create an easy-to-navigate online marketplace with different bundles of products for different themes of gift giving. By creating bundles and clearly labeling them (ie: “Gifts for Him,” “Gifts for Her,” “Gifts for Teens,” “Hostess Gifts,” etc.) you can not only take the guesswork out of shopping but also increase your average order size.

2. Create a Plan

For many companies, the key to success for a high-volume selling period is preparation. Analyzing your sales data and customers’ purchase patterns can give you insights into creating an optimal holiday sales plan.

3. Offer Loyal Customers Extra Discounts and Exclusive Access to Products

Even for companies without subscribers, the Black Friday to Cyber Monday sales window can be a good time to target both new and existing customers and encourage them to buy during the shopping holiday. Consider extending one promotion to new customers and reward existing customers with deeper discounts or exclusive access to a set selection of products.

4. Deliver Optimal Customer Service

As shipping and fulfillment challenges abound, especially during the holidays, consider adopting an all-hands-on-deck approach to provide a better customer experience. As a late delivery could ruin a relationship with a new customer, or strain your relationship with an existing customer, try to manage expectations as best you can by staying in contact with your customers. Communicate any fulfillment issues or potential shipping delays and do your best to rectify any issues relating to orders.

5. Share Your Sales

The Black Friday through Cyber Monday shopping frenzy is not the time to be shy about sliding into customers’ email inboxes! And as Black Friday deals tend to last an entire week, from the Monday before Black Friday to the Sunday after, it’s important to stay in touch with both new and existing customer. Not only should you email your existing customers but also share sales on your social media and feature them on your website. Also consider reminding people that a sale or special is about to end, for example, ‘24 hours left’ or ‘Ends tonight.’”

To learn more about these tips and gain insider knowledge from some of the industry’s most successful e-commerce insiders, we encourage you to listen to the full Black Friday episode of Shopify Masters.

Happy holiday shopping!