Use last posting dates to inspire a sense of urgency. Remind customers to shop now if they want their gifts in time for Christmas.

Tip: create cut-off campaigns

Delivery cut-off dates are a great way to build a sense of urgency around holiday shopping. Use your last date for delivery by Christmas Eve to plan an email campaign and tell customers when they have to order for different levels of shipping.

Case study: Harley Davidson

Harley Davidson sent an email targeting customers who had waited until the last minute to do their Christmas shopping. They avoided customer frustration by being very clear about shipping expectations – and encouraged purchases by creating a sense of urgency.

Tip: last-minute promotions

Once delivery cut-off dates have passed, use non-physical purchases to tempt last-minute shoppers. Be clear about the benefits when promoting e-vouchers or subscriptions – like the fact that nobody will know it’s last-minute.

Create compelling content

How to craft great holiday emails

Make your subject line count

As ever, your subject line determines whether your customers read your emails. Their inboxes will be flooded with phrases like ‘Christmas shopping’ and ‘free delivery’, so you need to craft something that’s going to stand out.

Keyword checker

You can use our keyword checker to test any words you like. Here are some to start you off:

• Wrapping - +56.4%
• Presents - +25.1%
• Christmas - +16.8%
• Santa - +15.5%
• Gifts - +8.1%

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But don’t stop there…

Don’t simply go by the checker. Always test your ideas to see what works with your customer base, including your subject lines, graphics and promotional offers.

Holiday content: six dos and don’ts…

1. Do create a sense of urgency

Emphasize the need for customers to act now, whether it’s their last chance for delivery by Christmas or the product they left in their basket is about to sell out.

1. Do create a sense of urgency

#

2. Don’t just do the hard sell

You wouldn’t call your customers and just shout: “Buy things!” down the telephone, so don’t do the same by email. Brand engagement is as important as ever, so offer them ideas for gifts, table settings for the family dinner, DIY for Christmas tree, crafts with kids, etc. Just make sure it suits your brand personality and what they expect to receive from you.

3. Do keep it simple

People’s attention spans are short and so is the time they have, so keep things simple. If they spend 15-20 seconds on average reading an email, this time is likely to go down as the volume of email in their inbox increases. So make it count! Get to the point quickly and make your call-to-action obvious and clear.

4. Don’t forget the details

Include click-through links to relevant, active pages on your website and provide accurate, up-to-date information about delivery times and stock levels. Again, you could use real-time content to update details like stock levels, which creates a sense of urgency. Nothing convinces someone to buy like the thought that the perfect present for their loved one is low in stock.

Tip: offer free wrapping

People generally hate wrapping presents, so why not try offering a free wrapping service? Run a test to see if this works with your customer base; especially worth considering if you have a high end brand positioning.

5. Do use clear calls-to-action

Tell customers exactly what they should do as a result of getting your email. Make use of both copy and call-to-action buttons – and be inventive with your copy.

Case study: Starbucks

This email from Starbucks used festive language to encourage customers to try a new seasonal flavour. Instead of a boring suggestion to ‘try our new drink’, they enticed customers to ‘drink up the season’.

6. Don’t overdo the festive feel

Holiday emails should feel relevant and exciting. They shouldn’t make people cringe, or blast their offices with auto-play music.

Case study: Monsoon

If you use an overload of reindeer and snowflakes then subscribers will miss the message. This email from Monsoon took a much more subtle approach while still creating a festive feel, using an animated GIF to add a touch of sparkle on the dress. It works because it’s tasteful rather than tacky.

Revamp your landing page

Your website should keep things consistent for customers who click through from seasonal emails. Keep it tasteful and remember that not everyone celebrates Christmas.

Make it personal...

Target your customers effectively by using dynamic content to send tailored, relevant emails. Use their names and promote products and deals based on their interests and buying habits. Webscraping can be a powerful way to pull in information.

Case study: Costa Coffee

Costa ran a competition asking members of the public to submit festive photos – which would be included in a national campaign. It then notified the winners by email, using the exact photographs they had submitted along with their names.

…and make it responsive

50% of emails are opened on mobile on an average day, so your emails need to be mobilefriendly and responsive. In fact, Dobbies Garden Centres chose to adopt a mobile responsive template and saw a whopping 400% increase in click-to-open rate.

Tip: try a countdown clock

Countdown clocks are an effective and dynamic way to create a sense of urgency and inspire impulse shoppers to make a purchase. You can replace the clock with different text and offers when the time runs out. You could even do a different offer every hour and use realtime technology to update the email content at the time of opening.

Case study: RadioShack

RadioShack used a dynamic countdown to promote its Cyber Monday deals. Customers could see exactly how long they had to wait until the next deal began, with click-through links promoting them to explore the site and snap up current promotions.

Tip: encourage interaction

Surprise your subscribers with creative content. Why not try running an advent campaign with click-through links to unlock daily discounts or competitions? This will keep them coming back and engaging with your content.

Triggered emails: turn browsers into buyers

With customers browsing multiple emails to compare products and prices, it’s important to use triggered emails to retarget basket and browse abandonment.

Our research has shown that 67% of customers abandon baskets. Send an automated email and about 20% return to purchase. Use a creative subject line, like: ‘A present fell off Santa’s sleigh’.

Run mop-up campaigns

Try targeting people who abandon browsers and baskets with follow-up campaigns on the last pay day and delivery day before Christmas.

…and remember the big picture

Your Christmas emails should link into your overall strategy. Invite first-time buyers to subscribe to your newsletter and send seasonal discount offers in ‘welcome’ emails.We hope you’ve found this eGuide useful and informative. You should now understand how to approach your holiday email strategy, which dates to build campaigns around and what to consider when crafting your emails.