To keep customers informed during the holidays, decide your holiday hours, promotions, events and order deadlines early, then post the same details everywhere customers look: your Google Business Profile, website, in-store signs, phone greeting, social media, email and mail. The goal is simple. A customer should get the same answer whether they search, call, scroll or walk in.
The stakes are high this year. The National Retail Federation expects November and December retail sales to grow 4.2% to $1.013 trillion (NRF). Shoppers also decide fast. In BrightLocal’s 2026 research, 75% of consumers chose a local business in under 30 minutes, and 28% decided in under five (BrightLocal). If your holiday hours are wrong or missing in that window, the sale goes to someone else.
Step 1: Decide what customers need to know
Start planning before the rush. Settle these four things first, because every channel below will repeat them.
Holiday hours and closures. List every date your hours change, including early closes and extended evenings. If you close, say when you reopen. A short reason helps too: “Closed Dec. 25 so our team can be with family” reads warmer than a bare “Closed.”
Promotions. Note what you are offering, when it starts and when it ends. Your message should shift as the season moves. November is about getting ready for the holidays. December is about last-minute gifts, gift cards and order cutoffs.
Order and service deadlines. If you take custom orders, catering, holiday meal packages or service appointments, publish the last day to book. Customers plan around those dates, and they get frustrated when they learn them too late.
Events. An open house, a toy drive or a food drive builds goodwill without discounting. The point is to make customers feel appreciated and to tie the warmth of the season to your business.
Step 2: Update your Google Business Profile and listings first
This is the step most businesses miss, and it matters more each year. In BrightLocal’s 2026 survey, 52% of consumers started their latest local search on Google, and 45% have used ChatGPT or other AI tools to get local recommendations (BrightLocal). AI tools and map apps pull your hours from your listings. If those are wrong, every answer built on them is wrong too.
Use the Special hours setting in your Google Business Profile for each holiday. Google advises confirming your hours for official holidays even when they don’t change, so customers know the listing is current (Google Business Profile Help). Then match those hours on Apple Maps, Bing, Yelp, Facebook and any delivery or booking apps you use.
Step 3: Put it on your website, built for phones
Most holiday searches happen on a phone. BrightLocal found 73% of local searches start on a mobile device (BrightLocal). Add a holiday banner or a short “Holiday hours and deadlines” section to your homepage, with dates in plain text rather than inside an image. Plain text is easier to read on a small screen, and search engines and AI tools can read it too.
Step 4: Post signs in the store
Put signs up two to three weeks before your first schedule change. Place them at the entrance, at the register and on the door, where people look when they find you closed. Use them for event dates, holiday hours, closures and promotions, and match the look to the rest of your holiday marketing.
Step 5: Update your phone greeting
Customers still call to ask, “Are you open tomorrow?” Record a short, friendly greeting with your holiday hours and reopening date, and keep the key details in the first few seconds. Set a reminder to change it after each holiday and again in January. An old holiday message in February tells callers no one is paying attention.
Step 6: Share it on social media
Facebook and YouTube are still the most widely used platforms in the U.S. Pew Research Center found 71% of adults use Facebook and 84% use YouTube, and about half visit each daily (Pew Research Center). Post your hours as a graphic, pin it to the top of your page, and create an event page for anything customers can RSVP to.
Step 7: Send email and texts with clear subject lines
Inboxes are crowded in November and December. Segment your list, write plain subject lines (“Holiday hours + last day to order”), and keep the message short. Text messages work well for one-line reminders, such as an order cutoff, for customers who have opted in.
Step 8: Reach the neighborhood by mail
Digital channels reach the customers you already have. Direct mail reaches households near you who haven’t found you yet, and it stays on the counter or fridge through the season. A Valpak envelope coupon or a postcard can carry your holiday offer, hours and order deadlines in one piece. A QR code that links to your holiday menu or booking page lets readers act right away. To see which responses came from the mailer, read How to Track Direct Mail Response.
Your holiday communication checklist
Plan
- List every date your hours change, including closures and reopening dates
- Set promotion start and end dates
- Set order, booking and gift card deadlines
- Pick events and community drives
- Review last year: what confused customers, and which channels worked
Publish
- Add Special hours to your Google Business Profile for every holiday
- Match hours on Apple Maps, Bing, Yelp, Facebook and delivery apps
- Add a holiday hours and deadlines section to your website
- Book holiday mail so it lands before your first promotion
Remind
- Post in-store signs two to three weeks before the first change
- Record a holiday phone greeting
- Pin holiday hours on social media
- Send email and text reminders before each deadline
Reset
- Restore regular hours on every listing
- Take down signs and change the phone greeting back
- Note what worked for next year
Start planning today
Whether a customer searches, calls or walks in, they expect to find your holiday plans. If they don’t, they assume it’s business as usual and may show up to a locked door. Decide your plans early, post them everywhere and keep every channel saying the same thing.
FAQ
How do I tell customers about holiday hours? Post the same holiday hours everywhere customers look: your Google Business Profile and other listings, your website, in-store signs, your phone greeting, social media and email. Update your listings first, since search results, map apps and AI assistants pull hours from them.
How do I update holiday hours on Google? In your Google Business Profile, open the Hours tab and add Special hours for each holiday date. Google recommends confirming hours for official holidays even when they don’t change, so customers can see the listing is current.
When should a business announce holiday hours? Set your holiday hours by early November and post them two to three weeks before the first change. Earlier notice gives customers time to plan, especially for closures and order deadlines.
What should a holiday closure notice include? Include the dates you are closed, the date and time you reopen, and how customers can reach you or order in the meantime. A short reason, such as giving staff time with family, makes the notice feel personal.
What should I communicate to customers during the holidays? Share your holiday hours and closures, promotion dates, order and booking deadlines, and any events. Shift the message as the season moves, from planning ahead in November to last-minute gifts and cutoffs in December.
What is the best way to reach new local customers during the holidays? Combine accurate online listings with direct mail. Listings help people who are already searching for you, while mail such as Valpak’s Blue Envelope reaches nearby households who haven’t found you yet.
