The festive season is nearly upon us. And while it’s quite possibly the jolliest time of the year, the run up to Christmas is notoriously hectic. In the bid to find perfect presents for our loved ones, we shoppers enter into a festive frenzy, traipsing through shopping malls and trawling through eCommerce stores until we’ve secured those all important gifts.
So to stand out from the crowd and capture shoppers’ attention during the holiday season, retailers and brands should ensure their marketing emails are timely, engaging and helpful (not to mention full of festive cheer). Well thought out Christmas email campaigns have the potential to drive sales and boost loyalty, so email marketers – it’s time to shine.
Read on for some of our favorite Christmas email marketing ideas, along with inspiring examples that landed in our inbox.
Tip: click on the images to see the full email examples.
1. Dynamic hero banner
Fill your shoppers with holiday cheer as soon as they open your email with a Christmas-themed hero banner, and delight them further by adding personalization.
Animed used a dynamic hero banner for their Christmas campaign, pulling in the name of the customer’s pet to make the email extra memorable and attention grabbing.
Source: Animed Direct email
2. Dynamic pricing
Holiday sales and discounts mean prices are often more fluid than normal during the Christmas season. So it’s important to deliver the most up-to-date pricing to your shoppers to avoid frustration and lost sales.
FFX uses dynamic pricing in their Christmas email marketing, serving customers live pricing at the time of opening the email.
Source: FFX email
3. Countdown timers
Countdown timers are a great way to create urgency and build excitement around holiday sales, and they’re proven to increase voucher redemption by up to 15%.
Buyagift includes a countdown timer in their Christmas email campaigns to highlight their one day Christmas sale.
Source: Buyagift email
Take your engagement to the next level by adding an animated countdown timer as a GIF generated at the point of open. That way, customers can see the seconds, minutes and hours pass by and have an accurate idea of how much time is left to do their holiday shopping.
4. Product recommendations
When it comes to Christmas shopping, the choice paralysis is real. With so many options and so little time, shoppers can be left feeling unsure about their festive purchases and drained of Christmas spirit.
That’s where product recommendations come in. By including personalized recommendations and gift guides in your Christmas email marketing, you’ll save your shoppers time and help them pick out the perfect gifts to put under the tree.
Jigsaw took a creative approach to product recommendations in their Christmas email by suggesting items of clothing based on classic festive activities, such as a wintry walk and big Christmas lunch.
Source: Jigsaw email
Not all shoppers have the same spending power, and shoppers might be less inclined to click through to your website if they see products outside of their price range. By adding clear price ranges to their holiday email campaign, Karen Millen gives their shoppers options that suit their budget.
Source: Karen Millen email
This tactic is effective when used on your website too. For returning customers, use behavioral data to suggest products within the shopper’s most browsed and purchased price range. For new visitors, use a tool such as our Price Affinity Predictor to recommend products in the price level most likely to convert that individual shopper.
5. Popularity messaging
Popularity messaging is when retailers use real-time purchase and browse data to display how many other shoppers have recently viewed, carted or purchased a particular product. This tactic simultaneously increases urgency and makes products seem more desirable, making it a perfect tactic for your Christmas marketing. It’s an effective way to help shoppers narrow down their options and highlight products that have resonated with other people.
Source: The Entertainer email
6. Ratings and reviews
Customer reviews ease purchase anxiety and boost conversions. In fact, 1 in 2 consumers will extensively research and compare options before whipping out their credit cards and over half of consumers look for star ratings when making a purchase. So make your products stand out amidst a sea of Christmas campaigns by including ratings and reviews in your marketing emails.
Source: Hobbycraft email
7. Use real people
In marketing, authenticity goes a long way. Using real people in your campaigns builds trust, resonates with shoppers and reduces return rates.
Killstar adds user generated content to their Christmas marketing emails, utilizing their loyal customers to show shoppers what their products look like in real life to show shoppers what their products look like in real life. One in three shoppers prefer to see a product as it is worn or used by real people as opposed to professional product images, so it pays to use this social proof tactic.
Source: Killstar email
8. Social call to action
When Christmas Day comes around, customers aren’t necessarily in the mood for shopping. So why not provide alternative ways to interact with your business?
Email is a powerful tool to provide inspiration and turn customers into brand advocates.
This message from Karen Millen invites customers to share their festive snaps of the brand’s clothing. This not only helps generate social proof content, but also encourages shoppers to follow the company on Instagram.
Source: Karen Millen email
9. Helpful content
When it comes to buying an extra special Christmas gift such as jewelry, the pressure is real. Shoppers want to make sure their gift is going to delight the lucky recipient, especially if they’re parting with a sum of money at the higher end of their budget. That’s why sharing gift buying guides can be a helpful and welcome gesture that could make the difference between a customer purchasing their present from you or a competitor.
Source: The Diamond Store email
10. Fulfilment options
When asked about their festive shopping top priorities, 41% of consumers said free shipping was the most important factor for them, while 35% said fast delivery and 24% said clear and simple returns policies. So if you have attractive fulfilment options that will help your customers have a merry Christmas, make sure you shout them from the rooftop in your marketing emails.
Shoe Zone dedicates a whole email to highlighting their free next day delivery option.
Source: Shoe Zone email
Homebase makes their click and collect options clear in their marketing emails, so their customers know exactly how to take advantage of this alternative to home delivery.
Source: Homebase email
Marketers can take the idea a step further by using geotargeting to insert the customer’s nearest click and collect location into the email. This contextual information makes life easier for shoppers and might be the helpful nudge they need to make a purchase.
Keep email and web content fresh all year round
Looking for more marketing inspiration beyond the holiday season? Look no further than The Ultimate eCommerce Marketing Calendar.
Structured around 80 different days and events, the calendar contains 250+ marketing examples from top brands. You’ll also find a monthly spotlight on important days and best practices. Plus, a variety of practical web, email and social ideas to increase eCommerce revenue all year round.
