We know unexpected shipping costs can hurt your conversion rates, but “how much will it cost?” isn't the only pressing question your customers have about shipping during the holiday season. Equally important is “will my order get here in time?”

Don't be afraid to over-communicate when you're answering both questions, since the answers are critical to anyone considering buying from you.

• Add a banner promoting shipping prices, options and timelines to your store. Too much to fit in a banner? Link to a blog post or dedicated shipping information page in your store.

• If you've got a shipping deadline coming up, add a popup to make sure shoppers are aware (popups are only annoying if they're useless, and making sure orders get there by the holidays is hands-down useful to your customers during the holidays).

• Add a homepage image or section that clearly communicates all of your shipping information.

• Share your shipping information on social media. Even if you don't have free shipping, cutoff dates are a great thing to promote using branded images on Instagram and Facebook.

• Send a reminder email to everyone on your list—and everyone who has abandoned their cart—on the last day they can expect a purchase to arrive before the holidays. You might opt for more email reminders, but this one is a non-negotiable. You'll catch a lot of procrastinators who intended to buy, but needed one final nudge (which is a sizeable group, let's be honest).

• Update your FAQ page. If you don't have one, now's the time to write one addressing the most common shipping questions. People will naturally go to this page to find the answers they need about shipping if it's not obvious elsewhere, so you'll save yourself a ton of customer support by getting it set up early.