Christmas ads for e-commerce run to your last delivery date, not to 25 December. Plan December backwards from that date, switch your message from discount to gifting, and keep budget on after Cyber Monday. Here is the plan.
Plan backwards from your last order date.
Your Christmas advertising has a hard stop: the last day a customer can order and still get the parcel in time. For most UK online shops, that date is set by the courier.
These are Royal Mail's recommended last posting dates for Christmas 2026:
| Service | Last posting date |
|---|---|
| 2nd Class | Friday 18 December |
| Tracked 48 | Saturday 19 December |
| 1st Class | Monday 21 December |
| Tracked 24 | Monday 21 December |
| Special Delivery Guaranteed | Wednesday 23 December |
Set your own last order date a day or two before your courier's, to allow for picking and packing. Then put that date everywhere: in the ads, on the site and in your product feed's shipping settings.
The December plan in four phases.
| Phase | Dates | What your ads do |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Gifting | 1 to 13 December | Gift guides, bundles, "for him", "under £50" |
| 2. Last orders | 14 December to your last order date | The delivery date leads every ad |
| 3. After the cut-off | Your last order date to 24 December | Gift cards, e-gifts, or pause |
| 4. After Christmas | 26 December onwards | Boxing Day and January sales, and new customers' second order |
Phase 1: switch from discount to gifting.
In December, many of your shoppers are buying for someone else. Your ads should help them choose.
- Group products by person and price. "For runners", "for him", "under £30". A carousel works well for this on Facebook and Instagram.
- Show it as a gift. Wrapping, packaging, a gift note option. Anything that makes it feel ready to give.
- Answer the worry. Will it arrive in time? Can they return it? Say so in the ad.
Phase 2: lead with the delivery date.
From mid-December, urgency does the selling. "Order by Friday 18 December for Christmas delivery" is the strongest line you have.
Update the ads as each date passes, and schedule the changes in advance. An ad promising Christmas delivery after your cut-off creates complaints, not sales.
On Google, set accurate delivery times in your product feed so Shopping ads can show them. Our guide to Google Shopping feed optimisation covers the feed in more detail.
Phase 3: what to advertise after the cut-off.
Once delivery in time is impossible, you have three options:
- Gift cards and e-gifts. Delivered instantly, so they sell right up to Christmas Eve.
- Express delivery, if your courier offers a later service and the margin covers it.
- Pause, and save the budget for Boxing Day.
What you should not do is leave product ads running as if nothing has changed.
Do not cut budget after Cyber Monday.
Many brands spend heavily in Black Friday week, then pull back. The data says that is too early.
In Billy Grace's 2025 data, orders stayed well above their autumn level through December and peaked each Sunday. On the strongest days, returns held close to Black Friday week levels. Orders tapered off towards the Christmas Eve shipping cut-off.
So keep budget on through December, lean into Sundays, and taper as your last order date approaches.
What this looks like in practice.
Smokin' Brothers, an Italian smoked salmon brand, asked us to boost sales in the run-up to Christmas. We ran five Google conversion campaigns with Meta alongside, from 12 November to 19 December 2022, built around the festive peak and the last delivery dates.
That window returned 8.7×: about £19K in revenue from about £2.2K of ad spend, across 282 sales. Premium food is a natural gift, and the campaigns put it in front of people already searching for one.
After Christmas: Boxing Day and the second order.
The customers you won in November and December are worth more than one order. About two thirds of Black Friday and Cyber Monday orders came from first-time customers, according to Billy Grace.
- Boxing Day and January sales clear stock and catch people spending gift money.
- A second-order offer to new customers turns a Christmas buyer into a repeat one.
Your Christmas ads checklist.
- Last order date set, a day or two before your courier's
- Delivery dates in ads, on the site and in the product feed
- Gift guide and bundle ads ready for 1 December
- Ad changes scheduled for each delivery cut-off
- Gift card or e-gift ads ready for after the cut-off
- Budget kept on through December, with Sundays covered
- Boxing Day and January sale ads ready
- Second-order offer ready for new customers
Your Black Friday ads plan and our guide to Cyber Monday ads cover the weeks before.
Common questions.
When should Christmas ads start? Gifting ads can start on 1 December, the day after Cyber Monday. Test the creative in November so you know what works.
When should I stop Christmas ads? Stop product ads on your last order date for Christmas delivery. Gift card and e-gift ads can run until Christmas Eve.
What is the last posting date for Christmas 2026? Royal Mail recommends Friday 18 December for 2nd Class and Monday 21 December for 1st Class and Tracked 24.
Should I run Christmas Facebook ads or Google Ads? Both. Facebook and Instagram help people find a gift idea. Google catches them when they search for it.