You’ve seen it. Streets are glowing with Christmas lights, matching pajamas are on the shelves again, festive decorations are popping up everywhere, and most work-related activities are already carrying the air of 2025 — someone should please tell my Manager this. December, the most wonderful season of the year, is here. As we enjoy this festive season, businesses are ramping up activities to boost sales and meet customer demands. Unfortunately, this increase in sales efforts also means heightened risks of fraud. 

Here’s a not-so-fun fact: when compared to the rest of the year, fraud attacks increase by up to 30% during the holiday. On December 4th, we held the 2024 final edition of the Flutterwave Product Workshop, moderated by Opeyemi Temenu from Flutterwave. The two-in-one session discussed boosting sales and enhancing security during the holiday. 
Okoye Chioma O., Founder of SkinIt Beauty Shop, Omolabake Raji, Founder of Qui Cakes and Treats, Seun Akomolafe, Global Head of Compliance at Chipper Cash, and our own, Wisdom Joshua, Senior Product Manager were the panelists. Below are six of the best practices shared:

First, Let’s Talk About Ramping up Your Sales

1. Differentiate Your Offerings 

Ever seen a “Purple Cow?” Of course, no one has. However, it is an essential marketing concept, which emphasizes making your product and/or service remarkable to stand out like a purple cow. For holiday sales, this all starts with understanding your customers. 

Omolabake Raji commented, “When you understand why customers choose you, whether it’s your exceptional customer experience or the trust they place in your products, you can double down on it.” With that, you would know and offer what moves the needle for your customers such as limited-edition or holiday-themed flavors, or packaging, to increase your orders.

2. Provide A Personalised Experience

Personalizing your customer engagement is important. This may be through a simple check-in or thank-you note, and follow-up emails or WhatsApp messages (knowing which works best for your customers is the hallmark of going above and beyond for them). 

Chioma Okoye commented that “This [personalisation] not only enhances their experience but also boosts conversions, helping your brand stand out in a season filled with promotions. When customers feel seen and understood, they’re more likely to stay loyal and even share valuable feedback that builds your social proof for the future”.

3. Balance Promotions and Profitability

Whether immediate or not, all sales, discounts, promotions, and advertisements are for one goal: to make a profit. While discounts might be the order of the day during the holiday, Chioma prefers “value-based pricing” which accounts for the dynamics of your industry and the prevalent economic reality in your market. 

If you must offer discounts, everyone loves it, do so with data. Analyze your sales data, using your Flutterwave Dashboard, to identify which of your products perform best and know who your top customers are. This will guide you to offer discounts on top sellers, selling and making more money. In addition, prepare for increased demands during your holiday sales by covering all major areas including hiring temporary staff when necessary. Most importantly, as Omolabake recommends, “secure a dependable logistics partner to handle your delivery.”

Now, You’ve Made the Sales, How Do You Safeguard Your Business? 

4. Don’t Lower Your Guard

As an enterprise business, you are probably not new to the fraud triangle: opportunity/incentive, pressure, and rationalization. But, being aware of it is not enough. We must understand that these elements, due to the festive distractions and its fast-paced nature, are all amplified during the holiday.  

“As a business owner, your appetite for fraud must be high—not to engage in fraud, Seun Akomolafe shared, “but to anticipate how it could happen and build measures such as robust internal controls and regular audits, to mitigate holiday fraud risks.”  In other words, don’t lower your guard, cover all the bases, and when you have to engage emergency or short-term staff during the holiday, limit their controls and access. 

5. Balance Security and Customer Experience

What makes the holiday season more prone to fraud? Surge in customer demands. Businesses work hard to meet these heightened demands sometimes with less manpower. This can lead to lapses in attention to security protocols, creating more vulnerabilities. 

While adding extra security is ideal, customers want their transactions to be quick, stress-free, and smooth. Balancing these needs lies in establishing robust security that works in the background while minimizing friction, this is the core of Flutterwave’s payment security system. It is a necessity for continued customer patronage and advocacy because customer loyalty, as Opeyemi Temenu noted, is the best sales and marketing. 

6. Empower Your Employees

“Employees are the first line of defense against security threats” is a common saying in the payment industry. What you don’t hear often is that they can also be the weakest line if untrained. Wisdom Joshua aptly described this saying: “You’re only as strong as the weakest link in your establishment. It doesn’t matter if you’re an enterprise or a small business.” 

Investing in regular training sessions on cybersecurity best practices is essential. Such training, Wisdom explained, doesn’t have to be complex– it could be short video tutorials or a quick-read newsletter. And will go a long way to equip employees with the knowledge to recognize threats, act appropriately, and avoid making costly mistakes.

In Conclusion, 

It’s been quite a read. If you’ve read through to the end, kudos to you. But hey, if you skipped straight here or skimmed through, don’t worry — you’re covered too. Check out our detailed video on YouTube. It further breaks down these practices and offers even more insights. Cheers to ending the year on a high note!