It’s almost that time again! Black Friday and Cyber Monday are right around the corner. Last year, we found in our data that email campaigns drove 54% of revenue during November and December, making it the top marketing channel for our eCommerce stores. If you haven’t completely finalized your marketing strategies in preparation for the holiday shopping season, it’s time to get a move on.
Effective email marketing campaigns are the result of solid strategies and adequate planning. Here are some tips for making sure yours makes the grade and sends your bottom line soaring through the roof.
1. Segment your subscriber list.
Grouping your subscribers into demographic and behavioral segments allows you to deliver more targeted and relevant messages that convert. Aside from basic segmentation like male vs. female, age groups, and location, you can use things like purchase behavior and customer lifetime value to build your segments. These segments may include shoppers who purchased from your store last year on Black Friday or Cyber Monday, those who have purchased from you the most frequently, and those who have the highest order value.
2. Use personalized email to re-engage last year’s shoppers.
Don’t assume shoppers you haven’t seen since last year’s holiday season wouldn’t be interested in buying from you again this year. It’s possible that they will check out your Black Friday and Cyber Monday sales again this year since they’re likely buying gifts for the same or similar people this year.
In the days leading up to Black Friday and Cyber Monday, get in touch with these shoppers by mailing them personalized recommendations based on what you know about them. Relevant information to consider would include what they purchased last year and what their browsing behavior was like when visiting your site previously.
3. Reward loyal shoppers with additional rewards.
It only stands to reason that you treat your best customers with kid gloves all year round, but there’s no time like the holidays to treat them even better. Not only will you help them plan their holiday shopping strategy accordingly, but your bottom line will benefit as well.
Consider offering your best customers early access to your Black Friday and Cyber Monday sales. You’ll make them feel extra special. You’ll also encourage them to spend more of their budget with you instead of the competition.
When recommending products, keep in mind that a frequent buyer either already owns or is well aware of your most popular items and best sellers. Instead, introduce them to the newest additions to your inventory, as well as include ultra-personalized items based on their previous spending/browsing habits.
4. Touch base with subscribers that haven’t purchased yet.
Every subscriber list is going to have a few people on it that haven’t made a purchase yet for whatever reason. What better time to reach out and remind them that you’re out there than right before the holiday shopping season?
With non-purchasing subscribers, you naturally won’t have data on previous purchases to draw from when choosing your product recommendations. For that reason, you’ll probably have more luck recommending bestsellers and popular items based on their demographics.
5. Start prepping your recipients early.
The closer you get to Black Friday, Cyber Monday, and the holiday shopping season, the fuller the average person’s inbox is likely to become. Your own open rates are likely to decrease as a result.
Generate excitement and anticipation for your promotions by offering subscribers sneak peeks of upcoming deals. This is a good way to make customers aware of need-to-know information like inventory quantity and shipping times as well.
6. Plan abandoned cart correspondence.
According to our data, abandoned cart revenue is 5x higher on Cyber Monday than on other days of the year. People are shopping around to make sure they’re getting the best possible deals – but that doesn’t mean they aren’t interested in your products.
Plan ahead by drafting a series of emails designed specifically for abandoned cart customers. During days like Black Friday and Cyber Monday, we recommend sending your first abandoned cart triggered email right after the cart is abandoned, and then sending a follow up email a few hours later to shoppers who didn’t make a purchase.
