How Merchants Can Win Big This 2025 Year-End Peak Season

Year-end brings with it a festive spirit filled with gift wrapping, sparkling lights, and joyful celebrations. But it also brings the busiest and most frenzied shopping season of the year. From the biggest double-day events (11.11 and 12.12) to Black Friday, Christmas, and New Year sales, this period is packed with opportunities.

The peak season is a massive chance for growth that can take your business to the next level. But there’s a flip side: the same opportunity is available to every other merchant too.

With competition at its height, how can businesses truly stand out? The answer lies in getting every aspect right, from promotion and operations to payments.

Here are Omise’s tips to help you win big in the 2025 peak season.

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1) How to get customers this peak season?‍

Even with new ways to encourage customer spending, such as affiliate programs or influencer marketing, promotion remains a core business strategy, as nothing else creates a sense of scarcity and urgency quite like it.

• Pick your moments: The final quarter is packed with shopping events. Rather than going all in on every occasion, map out your promotions across different events, balancing tactics like flash sales with longer-running campaigns. 
• Avoid promotion fatigue: Excessive promotions can backfire. Customers may start waiting for sales instead of buying at full price, putting your brand at risk of lower perceived value.
• Cross-border shoppers: Think beyond local markets, as a Meta survey found that 96% of cross-border shoppers are open to trying a new brand during the year-end season^[1]. Tailor your offers so they resonate across different regions.

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2) How to keep customers coming back?‍

Stock? Check. Couriers? Check. These are the basics every merchant must have before peak season. Now let’s talk about the moves that actually make your operations shine. Promotions may grab attention, but smooth execution keeps customers coming back.

• Seamless omnichannel: Shoppers jump between websites, marketplaces, and brick-and-mortar stores. Keeping inventory synced across all platforms and offering options like Buy-Online-Pickup-In-Store (BOPIS) can help capture more sales. While many customers read reviews and buy online, two out of five still prefer to try before they buy. ^[2]

• Mobile first: In 2024, an estimated 70% of online sales came from mobile devices.^[3] A fast, mobile-friendly site or app that allows customers to complete purchases in just a few taps is essential.
• Round-the-clock service: Make sure your team is well-versed in promotions, shipping cut-offs, and return/cancellation policies. During peak season, customers expect a response within 30 minutes^[4], so consider adding extra shifts or using smart chatbots to handle basic queries and order tracking 24/7.

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3) How to stop losing customers?‍

Where do merchants lose customers? Most of the time, it’s at checkout. From no guest checkout option to hidden costs or missing preferred payment methods, friction here kills conversions. That’s why a smooth payment experience can be the difference between closing a sale and losing one.

• Frictionless checkout under pressure: Complicated checkouts with redirects are a deal-breaker. In fact, 55% of shoppers abandon their carts if they have to re-enter payment or shipping details^[5]. A seamless, mobile-first checkout with one-click options keeps them moving, and this is where Omise can help. With our network tokenization technology, customers can securely save their details, making every purchase just a tap away.
• Peak-season resilience: Holiday campaigns can push transaction volumes to several times the daily average. Even a few minutes of downtime during a big promotion can be costly. Research indicates that 40% of consumers abandon their purchase after a failed payment, and 33% won't attempt to buy again.^[6] That's why a payment gateway with auto-scaling infrastructure and smart routing is critical.
• Offer multiple payment methods: A 2024 study found that 77% of customers will abandon a website if their preferred payment option isn’t available.^[7] With Omise, merchants can cover it all, from traditional methods like credit cards and bank transfers to alternative options such as e-wallets, QR payments, and Buy-Now-Pay-Later (BNPL).
• Instant insights and faster issue resolution: High volumes also mean more refunds, and disputes. Without the right tools, these pile up and slow teams down. Omise's real-time payment dashboard provides early issue detection and simplifies refund and dispute management. Merchants can even issue partial refunds, giving customers exactly what they need without reversing the full payment, keeping operations efficient and customers happy.

A successful year-end season isn’t just about running flashy promotions, it’s about making sure every part of the customer journey works seamlessly. From planning the right campaigns, to preparing your operations, to partnering with the right payment provider, each step matters. Merchants who plan ahead, stay agile, and put customer experience at the center will be the ones who finish the year strong.

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^Reference

^{Meta. (2022). Cross-Border Business Guide. UNESCWA Website. https://www.unescwa.org/sites/default/files/event/materials/CBB-Playbook-2022.pdf}

^{nShift. (2022, July 7). 40% of consumers want to “try before they buy.” nShift. https://nshift.com/press/40-of-consumers-want-to-try-before-they-buy}

^{Hirz, J. (2025, July 29). Mobile eCommerce Stats in 2025: What percentage of eCommerce sales are on mobile devices? OuterBox. https://www.outerboxdesign.com/articles/digital-marketing/mobile-ecommerce-statistics/}

^{Unbabel. (2025, August 6). Peak season: A hard day’s night for customer support - Unbabel. https://unbabel.com/sv/peak-season-a-hard-days-night-for-customer-support/}

^{Blankenship, W. (2023, December 13). 21 cart abandonment statistics to help build your 2024 strategy. Drip. https://www.drip.com/blog/cart-abandonment-statistics}

^{PYMNTS. (2024, September 20). 77% of shoppers say ‘No sale, bye’ if preferred payment option missing. PYMNTS.com. https://www.pymnts.com/news/payments-innovation/2024/77-percent-of-shoppers-say-no-sale-bye-if-preferred-payment-option-missing/}