Black Friday evolution

Initially Black Friday was only a holiday in the USA, marking the day after Thanksgiving. Research now shows that globally, 95% of consumers are aware of Black Friday, with the USA still leading at 97%.

Remember when Black Friday was the big day for in-store sales and Cyber Monday was the day for online stores? Now, Black Friday is the big event across the board and Cyber Monday feels like more of a last chance saloon offering the same or weaker promotions – with the added element of dwindling stock, of course.

On the Dotdigital platform, Cyber Monday email send volumes were down by 17.8% compared to Black Friday – proving that Black Friday itself is where marketers and consumers are focusing.

BFCM is a big deal here at Dotdigital, we know how important this time is for our customers so it means all hands on deck to ensure everything runs smoothly. This means our Customer Service team need to be alert and ready to help, and our servers need to be ready to handle the uplift – and there was quite the uplift.

An upward trend

We always expect a busier time over the BFCM weekend and throughout the entire month of November. To add some context, this year the number of emails sent in November was 13.6% higher than total emails sent in October.

Despite the term ‘Black Friday fatigue’ being thrown around over the years, it doesn’t appear to be slowing down – at least for marketers. On Black Friday alone, our platform sent out over 365 million emails.

Black Friday saw the highest number of emails sent and beat last year’s record with emails sent on Black Friday itself up 7.7% YoY.

Total email sends over the BFCM weekend were up 15% on 2023, and SMS sends were up a huge 22% – we’ve been saying SMS is a channel on the up.

How AI is assisting marketers during BFCM

To speed up our response time to busy (and likely stressed out) customers in need of support, we employed AI to answer direct queries where suitable on our live chat function. Doing this cuts down on waiting time for our customers and frees up our team to answer more complex queries.

We’re pleased to report this was a success and over the BFCM weekend, 204 queries were immediately answered by our live chat AI. We know AI isn’t for everyone or every situation, so for anyone wanting or needing to speak to a human, they only needed to wait 84 seconds before being connected to a member of our friendly Support Team.

As well as our live chat AI, the Dotdigital platform has inbuilt generative AI in the form of WinstonAI to offer support to marketers from within the campaign builder.

Interestingly, when looking at the four days that comprise the BFCM weekend, Cyber Monday saw the highest use of our generative AI tools. This included use of WinstonAI’s subject line assistant, grammar check, and copy rephrase. It’s safe to say that by Cyber Monday, marketers were tired and out of witty copy ideas – we totally feel you.

The most important number

All of these numbers are encouraging from a marketer’s point of view. It demonstrates that the holiday many businesses rely on for sales is showing no signs of slowing. Every one million emails sent produces the equivalent emissions to charging your smart phone over 14,000 times. That’s for one million, and our platform alone sent 823 million over the BFCM weekend.

That’s a lot of emissions – thank goodness we’re carbon neutral. You can read more about our sustainability pledge, including our commitment to become net-zero by 2030 here. We value marketing, but not at the cost of the planet – we’re proud to recognize the bigger picture, always.

Caring about and actively working to mitigate the ongoing climate crisis is something that matters to today’s consumers. By using green suppliers such as Dotdigital, you can prove to your customers that you align with their values. If you’re a Dotdigital customer, be sure to shout about the fact your emails are carbon neutral – just chat to your Customer Success Manager for help adding this information to your email footers.

Partnering with Dotdigital makes achieving sustainability goals easier and one less thing to worry about, whilst doing right for the planet.

Until next year.

Methodology

Figures for this Black Friday debrief came from data pulled from the Dotdigital platform from 00:00 on Friday, November 29 to 23:59 on Monday, December 2. This data includes insights from over 40 industries to provide a comprehensive representation of the BFCM weekend around the globe.

Waitrose: Sweet Suspicion – A Waitrose Mystery

This year’s Waitrose Christmas ad is far from boring; the brand created a whodunnit scenario that kept the nation guessing.

The ad begins with a bustling family gathering, eager to enjoy their Christmas dinner, when suddenly, the star of the feast—the No. 1 Red Velvet Bauble Dessert—disappears. Enter Detective David, played by the talented Matthew Macfadyen, tasked with unraveling the mystery.

The suspense builds in part one as the family’s innocence is called into question (even Fig the cat is suspect). Fans were left on the edge of their seats, eagerly anticipating the resolution. 

In part two, the mystery unfolds in a satisfyingly comedic fashion: it was Steve, the seemingly innocent cook, who cleverly stashed the dessert away in the gingerbread house. But there’s no escaping a detective like David, and Steve gets caught red-handed (or should we say red-velvet-handed?) enjoying his ill-gotten gains in the shed.

In the end, the family gathers around the table, the mystery solved, and dessert devoured. It’s a lighthearted, funny ad that reminds us that Christmas is all about family, fun, and of course, delicious food (even if you have to sleuth it out first).

Barbour: Shaun the Sheep x Baa-bour

Deck the halls with boughs of holly… and scarves? Barbour’s 2024 Christmas ad, “Shaun the Sheep x Baa-bour,” is a heartwarming and humorous collaboration that captures the spirit of the season.

The ad features our favorite flock, led by Shaun the Sheep, attempting some Christmas carols. But as the winter chill sets in, their enthusiastic baaing turns into chattering teeth.

Bitzer, the local sheepdog, comes to the rescue with a brilliant solution to give the sheep Barbour hats and scarves to warm up. He returns a little while later with several Barbour bags, surprising the sheep with their new accessories.

The ad perfectly captures the cozy charm of Barbour’s winter wear, while also showcasing Shaun’s signature brand of humor and mischief.

The stop-motion animation brings the characters to life with incredible detail and warmth. The ad is a perfect blend of nostalgia and modern humor, making it a great choice for families to enjoy together.

Whether you’re a long-time fan of Shaun the Sheep or simply looking for a heartwarming Christmas ad is sure to bring a smile to your face.

Shelter: World Of Our Own

This Christmas, Shelter’s ad, “World of Our Own,” is a stark reminder of the harsh reality faced by thousands of children in England. Over 150,000 children are currently homeless and living in temporary accommodation, a shocking figure that’s only getting worse.

The ad follows a dad trying to create a magical world for his daughter, a heartbreaking portrayal of the struggles faced by families in need of a permanent home.

While it’s a sad reality, it’s great that charities use Christmas ads to raise awareness for important causes. Shelter’s ad is a powerful example of how a well-made ad can make a real difference.

John Lewis: The Gifting Hour

John Lewis’s Christmas ad, “The Gifting Hour,” totally tugged at my heartstrings. As someone with two sisters, I could totally relate to the struggle of finding the perfect gift. 

The magical time-traveling element added a whimsical touch, transporting us back to childhood memories. It was a clever way to highlight the significance of a thoughtful gift.

It’s those little details, like the nostalgic childhood moments and the sisterly bond, that make the ad so special. It’s the kind of ad that sticks with you, reminding you of the true meaning of Christmas.

Tesco: Helping Feed Your Christmas Spirit

Tesco’s 2024 Christmas ad, “Helping Feed Your Christmas Spirit,” is a real tear-jerker. It follows a guy who’s missing his nan during the holidays. It’s a bittersweet story that really hits home, especially if you’ve lost someone close.

The ad shows how hard it can be to feel festive when you’re grieving. But it also highlights the power of family and tradition. The way they come together to bake a gingerbread house is so heartwarming. It’s a reminder that even in tough times, Christmas can still bring comfort and joy.

Overall, Tesco’s ad is a beautiful tribute to loved ones who are no longer with us. It’s a reminder that it’s okay to feel sad, but it’s also important to find ways to celebrate and cherish the memories we have.

Boots: Make Magic

Boots Christmas ad, “Make Magic,” takes a bold approach by focusing entirely on the women who keep the holidays together. While some may view it as exclusionary, particularly since 80% of their customers are female, this ad celebrates their core audience.

The ad features a humorous glimpse into Mrs. Claus’s secret workshop, portrayed by the incredible Adjoa Andoh from Bridgerton. She leads a team of “elf-fluencers” as they prepare last-minute gifts. It turns out that Santa isn’t the only one responsible for the holiday magic; his wife is the real powerhouse behind it.

By tapping into Bridgerton’s popularity with a female demographic, Boots sends a clear message: they understand their customers and want to empower them to create their own kind of Christmas magic.

Whether you love it or hate it, Boots’ ad showcases strategic genius. The brand confidently caters to its target audience, knowing exactly who they are trying to reach.

Sainsbury: Big Christmas

Sainsbury’s brings the magic this Christmas with its heartwarming ad, “Big Christmas.” This year, they’ve teamed up with everyone’s favorite friendly giant, the BFG, from Roald Dahl’s classic tale.

The ad follows the BFG on a whirlwind adventure. Landing in a Sainsbury’s car park, he meets Sophie, a kind-hearted employee who goes above and beyond to help him. Together, they embark on a whistle-stop tour of the UK, sourcing the most delectable ingredients for a truly unforgettable Christmas feast.

With a sprinkle of BFG magic, the ingredients transform into a mouthwatering Christmas spread. But the BFG and Sophie don’t keep the joy to themselves. They share their spectacular feast with another family, spreading Christmas cheer and reminding us all of the true spirit of the season: giving and sharing.

Sainsbury’s ad is a delightful treat for the whole family. It’s a nostalgic trip down memory lane, filled with a familiar character and a healthy dose of his whimsical charm. It’s a perfect blend of tradition and magic, making it a must-watch for families this Christmas.

Etsy: Waldo Anthem

Where’s Wally, or who is Wally? Etsy’s Christmas ad, “Waldo Anthem,” is a heartwarming and wholesome celebration of personalized gifts. The ad follows the iconic character, Waldo, as he unwraps a thoughtful gift – a compass engraved with the words “I’m glad I found you, Wenda.”

This simple yet powerful message perfectly captures Etsy’s brand identity: unique, personalized gifts that truly speak from the heart. The ad emphasizes the joy of giving and receiving gifts that show you care.

With its nostalgic charm and heartwarming message, Etsy’s advert is a delightful addition to the holiday landscape, inspiring people to find unique ways to express their love and appreciation for one another.

Bonus Christmas ads

Feeling nostalgic? Let’s take a trip down memory lane and revisit some of the most iconic Christmas ads of all time.

• John Lewis: The Bear and the Hare (2013)
• Coca-Cola: Holidays Are Coming (1995)
• IRN-BRU: The Snowman (2011)
• Asda: Make this Christmas Incredibublé (2023)
• Sainsbury’s: The Big Night (2018)

And that’s a wrap

While the full holiday season is just beginning, we’ve already seen some fantastic Christmas ads from our favorite brands. As we progress into the season, we can look forward to even more heartwarming, humorous, and imaginative campaigns. Happy holidays and happy viewing.

1. Captivating visuals and graphics

Halloween is the perfect time to unleash your creativity and design email campaigns that are both visually stunning and terrifyingly delightful.

Here’s how to cast a visual spell:

• Embrace the season: Use a festive color palette of orange, black, purple, and green. Incorporate themed illustrations like ghosts, bats, pumpkins, and witches’ cauldrons. Don’t forget spooky fonts and subtle animations for a truly immersive experience.
• Showcase your products: Like Freshly Picked’s adorable Halloween baby shoes, highlight your products in a way that complements the theme. The orange background and Halloween-themed illustrations draw attention to the shoes and reinforce the festive spirit.
• Keep it on-brand: While embracing Halloween fun, ensure your visuals align with your overall brand identity. This creates a cohesive look and reinforces brand recognition.  
• Mix it up: Use a combination of high-quality images, GIFs, or even short videos to keep your subscribers engaged.
• Mobile-friendly first: Optimize all visuals for seamless viewing on both desktop and mobile devices.

Consider Freshly Picked’s Halloween email marketing campaign. The brand effectively combines eye-catching visuals with product promotion. The campaign showcases Halloween-themed baby shoes against a vibrant orange background, immediately capturing attention. 

It also incorporates illustrated bats to emphasize the Halloween theme while keeping the product images as the focal point. Using orange as the primary color creates a festive atmosphere without overshadowing the product images. 

Furthermore, the clean and uncluttered layout ensures that the viewer’s focus remains on the products. By utilizing these visual strategies, you can elevate your email marketing campaign to create an engaging and festive experience that resonates with subscribers and prompts action.

2. Exclusive Halloween promotions and discounts

No enchanting Halloween email marketing campaign is complete without exclusive promotions and discounts that entice your subscribers. Offering flash sales, limited-time offers, and playful buy-one-get-one-free deals on select products not only delights your audience but also boosts engagement and drives sales during this festive season.

Here are some strategies for effective Halloween promotions:

• Flash sales: Create a sense of urgency with time-sensitive offers that encourage immediate action. Use bold, eye-catching text and subject lines to highlight these promotions.
• Limited-time offers: Phrases like “today only” or “ends soon” make subscribers act quickly, ensuring they don’t miss out on exclusive deals.
• Engaging deals: Consider fun promotions like buy-one-get-one-free or tiered discounts that reward larger purchases, making the shopping experience more enticing.
• Themed messaging: Tailor your promotional language to fit the Halloween theme, using playful puns or spooky references to enhance the festive atmosphere.

Lifted Research Group’s promotional email offers 40% off its products. The campaign features a spooky setting with an eerie graveyard backdrop, creepy tree branches, and a chilling full moon to create an atmosphere synonymous with Halloween. To further entice subscribers, Lifted Research Group emphasizes that the sale is for one day only.

By incorporating exclusive promotions within a striking, themed design, this email marketing campaign captures the Halloween spirit and effectively drives sales. You can use these strategies to create captivating Halloween offers that resonate with your audience.

3. Showcase valuable content

Halloween is the perfect time to go beyond the promotional and offer your audience something truly valuable. By crafting compelling and helpful information, you not only capture their curiosity but also strengthen the trust they place in your brand. This approach proves that Halloween emails can be effective without relying on heavy-handed promotions, fostering long-term customer relationships that last beyond the spooky season.

Here’s how you can create valuable content: 

• Seasonal tips and tricks: Offer practical advice related to Halloween, such as costume ideas, decoration tips, or safety guidelines for trick-or-treating.
• DIY tutorials: Provide step-by-step guides for Halloween-themed crafts, makeup looks, or home decor projects.
• Themed recipes: Share festive recipes that align with your brand and appeal to your audience’s interests.
• Curated gift guides: Create themed gift guides that help your subscribers find perfect Halloween presents for friends and family.
• Behind-the-scenes content: Give subscribers a peek into how your company prepares for Halloween, humanizing your brand.

Betty Crocker’s Halloween cookies email campaign is a sweet example of how valuable content can drive engagement. The email features appetizing images of Halloween-themed cookies that instantly capture attention.

By providing festive cookie recipes, Betty Crocker offers practical and actionable content that subscribers can use to celebrate the season. The engaging headlines and clear calls to action encourage readers to explore the recipes further on the brand’s website.

This campaign perfectly aligns with Betty Crocker’s brand identity as a trusted baking resource. By focusing on value and helpful information, the email subtly promotes the brand’s products without being overly sales-driven. This approach builds trust and encourages long-term customer relationships.

4. Spooky contests and ghostly giveaways

Embrace the Halloween spirit by hosting chilling contests and ghostly giveaways to thrill your subscribers. Running exclusive events on your email and social media channels can drive audience engagement, strengthen customer loyalty, generate user-generated content (UGC), and expand your brand’s reach. 

Some spine-tingling ideas include:

• Costume contests: Invite your subscribers to submit photos of their creative Halloween costumes, and reward the best entries with exclusive prizes or discounts. Encourage participants to share their submissions and your contest details on social media to gain more exposure for your brand.
• Spooky trivia: Engage your audience’s intellect with Halloween-themed trivia. Send out a series of questions related to the history or traditions of Halloween and invite your subscribers to answer them. Offer exclusive discounts or freebies to the first few correct answers to create a sense of urgency and promote quick engagement.
• Scavenger hunts: Use gamification to create a virtual scavenger hunt inside your emails by hiding special codes, clues, or images. Instruct your subscribers to find these hidden treasures and redeem them at checkout or on your social media platforms for special offers, discounts, or points.
• Product giveaways: Run a Halloween-themed giveaway featuring your best-selling or seasonal products. Encourage subscribers to participate by submitting their email addresses, sharing the giveaway with their friends, and completing other actions that increase engagement and your brand’s visibility.

Mixbook’s gamified Halloween email campaign is a spooky treat for subscribers. The email features eerie Halloween-themed images and a mysterious call to action: “Trick or Treat? Reveal your mystery discount now.” This interactive approach encourages subscribers to engage with the brand and discover their personalized rewards.

By leveraging gamification, Mixbook creates a fun and immersive experience that keeps subscribers coming back for more. This type of engagement can boost brand loyalty and awareness.

5. Customized Halloween shopping

Enhancing your customers’ shopping experience through customization can significantly elevate engagement and foster brand loyalty during the Halloween season. By allowing them to add a unique, spooky touch to your products, you not only make their purchases more memorable but also strengthen their connection to your brand.

Here are some customization ideas:

• Customizable costumes and accessories: Enable customers to personalize their Halloween outfits by selecting colors, graphics, and text, allowing them to express their creativity and individuality.
• Engraved pet accessories: Offer spooky engravings on collars and tags for pets, ensuring that furry friends can join in on the Halloween fun with personalized flair.
• DIY decorating kits: Provide kits filled with various elements that allow customers to design their own haunted houses or spooky centerpieces, turning decorating into a fun, interactive experience.
• Personalized party favors: Create custom labels or etchings for party favors like candy bags or treat boxes, adding a personal touch that makes celebrations even more special.

Vans’ Halloween email campaign is an example of excellent customization. By empowering customers to design their shoes with spooky patterns and graphics, Vans taps into the festive spirit and creates a truly unique experience.

The email’s eye-catching images of customized shoes instantly grab attention and showcase the possibilities. Combined with prominent calls-to-action urging customers to start designing, the campaign creates a sense of urgency and exclusivity. This limited-time offer motivates customers to engage with the brand and create their own one-of-a-kind Halloween footwear.

Hauntingly clever Halloween subject line ideas

Your email’s subject line is the first step to captivating your subscribers. It should be intriguing and mysterious to draw them in. Crafting an eye-catching subject line is crucial for the success of your Halloween email campaign, as it determines whether recipients will open your email or simply ignore it.

Here are some tips for creating effective subject lines:

• Use engaging language: Choose words that evoke emotion and curiosity.
• Try out WinstonAI: Dotdigital’s AI-powered generative tool WinstonAI can help you brainstorm new ideas, adjust the tone, or refine the length of your subject lines.
• Create urgency: Phrases like “limited time” or “ends soon” can prompt immediate action.
• Offer a mystery: Encourage intrigue with phrases that suggest surprises or secrets.
• Incorporate Questions: Engage readers by prompting them to think about their desires or fears.
• Keep it concise: Aim for 50 characters or less for optimal readability.
• Personalize when possible: Use subscriber names or past purchase data to make it more relevant.

Here are some Halloween subject lines you can use in your email marketing campaigns:

Get ready for a spooktacular surprise
Unlock your exclusive Halloween treats
Limited time only: hauntingly good discounts
Join our costume contest for a chance to win
Don’t miss out on our witching hour flash sale
Creepy goodies await: open if you dare
Trick or treat? Reveal your mystery discount now
Spooky savings just for you—limited time offer
Enter if you dare: our Halloween giveaway awaits
Get your ghoul on: exclusive Halloween recipes inside

Don’t forget to experiment and test your subject lines. By analyzing email metrics and engagement, you can determine the best words and themes for your Halloween email campaign. With this knowledge, you can create subject lines that not only capture attention but also increase the success of your campaign.

Summary

With these spellbinding email marketing ideas, your brand will be well-prepared to captivate and engage your audience this Halloween. By combining these creative elements, you’ll create fun campaigns your subscribers will love, and improve your marketing success. Enjoy the excitement of the season and let these tips guide your email strategy – your customers will be thrilled, engaged, and inspired to take action. 

Black Friday statistics for 2024

SMS sends grew 19% month-on-month

SMS is an action-packed channel. In 2023, we saw a significant increase in SMS sends over the Black Friday to Cyber Monday (BFCM) weekend, up 19% from the previous month. This growth indicates that early adopters are starting to recognize the power of SMS as a targeted and effective marketing channel.

Text message marketing is a strategy designed to cut through the noise. There’s no noisier time of year than the holiday season, and SMS offers a way to stand out. The surge in SMS sends throughout November demonstrates that marketers are leveraging this channel to reach customers directly and drive conversions.

Many brands offer discounts to new subscribers as an incentive to sign up for SMS. This is a smart tactic, as SMS messages are quick to create and perfect for communicating flash sales, exclusive offers, and other time-sensitive promotions. Offering discounts at sign-up can also be a powerful list-building strategy, encouraging shoppers to opt in and stay connected with their favorite brands.

Dotdigital delivered a staggering 9.7 millon messages over the BFCM weekend in 2023. With a delivery rate of 99.51%, SMS proved to be a highly effective channel for reaching customers during the peak shopping season.

Looking ahead to 2024, we anticipate even higher volumes of SMS sends. As shoppers prepare for the holidays, November and December consistently see a surge in SMS activity. This trend underscores the importance of incorporating SMS into your Black Friday strategy to maximize engagement and conversions.

To make your SMS campaigns stand out, use multimedia messaging services (MMS). MMS offers a richer, more engaging experience, allowing brands to share images, videos, and GIFs along with their messages. This can be particularly effective for showcasing products, creating a sense of urgency, and driving clicks.

32% of Black Friday shoppers start early

Black Friday shopping has evolved. In 2023, an impressive 32% of shoppers started their Black Friday shopping spree early, highlighting the trend of extended sales periods.

Retailers are increasingly launching Black Friday deals well in advance of the main event. Amazon is leading the charge with its second annual Prime Day event scheduled for early October. This early preview offers exclusive deals to Prime members, providing a glimpse of what’s to come on Black Friday.

Other retailers often follow suit, launching early Black Friday promotions throughout November. Many of these deals remain competitive throughout the entire sale period, emphasizing the importance of starting your marketing efforts early.

To maximize your impact, align your email marketing and social media campaigns with this pre-Black Friday shopping trend. By launching campaigns earlier, you can capture the attention of early adopters and drive sales throughout the extended shopping season.

If you’re a Dotdigital customer you’re able to utilize our easy-to-use campaign builder to create beautiful, responsive, and engaging campaign designs without needing to rely on a team of designers or coders. This is especially valuable during the busy holiday period where all teams are incredibly busy and you might have to create a last-minute email from scratch.

Black Friday appeals to 68% of Gen Z shoppers

When planning your Black Friday marketing strategy, don’t forget to consider the purchasing power of Gen Z. In 2023, a remarkable 68% of Gen Z shoppers intended to take advantage of Black Friday sales.

Moreover, 32% of Gen Z consumers believe that Black Friday sales offer good value. This tech-savvy and bargain-conscious generation holds remarkable potential for boosting your Black Friday sales performance. Ensure your marketing campaigns resonate with this younger audience by understanding their preferences, providing great value, and delivering an exceptional shopping experience tailored to their unique tastes.

Abandoned cart emails increase revenue by 28%

Abandoned cart emails are a powerful tool for recovering lost sales and driving revenue. As Black Friday approaches, implementing or optimizing an abandoned cart email program should be a top priority for ecommerce businesses.

Personalized abandoned cart campaigns can significantly boost your bottom line. Studies have shown that these campaigns can increase sales by up to 31% and improve the average order value by 16%. This highlights the effectiveness of this strategy in driving conversions and revenue.

Dotdigital saw a 47% increase in abandoned cart email sends during Black Friday 2023 compared to the previous year. This growth can be attributed to increased awareness among merchants about the benefits of abandoned cart automation and advancements in marketing automation platforms that make it easier to deploy personalized campaigns in real time.

The impact of abandoned cart emails was particularly significant in the US market. The increased use of these campaigns led to a 28% boost in revenue, demonstrating their cost-effectiveness and effectiveness.

By leveraging abandoned cart strategies, you can recover lost sales and improve your overall business performance. Implementing a well-crafted abandoned cart email program can help you maximize your Black Friday revenue and drive long-term success.

Unique email open rates are up by 11%

In 2023, there was an 11% increase in unique email open rates, indicating that customers actively sought the best Black Friday deals by engaging with their inboxes. Dotdigital sent out a total of 716 million emails during this important shopping weekend, highlighting the important role of email marketing during the holiday season.

As customers become more selective, the challenge lies in creating emails that capture their attention amid a flood of promotional offers. A captivating subject line can be the deciding factor in whether subscribers engage with your message or move on to the next. With email inboxes overflowing during peak shopping periods, standing out with an attention-grabbing subject line becomes crucial.

AI-powered generative tools such as WinstonAI can greatly enhance this process. WinstonAI can generate subject line ideas, match the tone with your brand, and optimize the length of your subject lines for maximum impact. By harnessing the power of AI, you can create exceptional subject lines that grab your audience’s attention and improve your campaign’s success during the busiest shopping season.

Get ready for Black Friday

The holiday shopping season, particularly Black Friday and Cyber Monday, is an exciting time for both shoppers and marketers. This year, focus on utilizing multi-channel strategies, offering early promotions, and creating engaging content to capture shopper attention. By embracing these trends and refining your marketing tactics, you can maximize your impact during this busy sales period. 

Will we see a similar pattern this Black Friday? Only time will tell, but in the meantime we’re here to help you make it your most lucrative one yet with our Black Friday marketing ideas.

Keep reading to discover 6 essential ecommerce tactics for your Black Friday marketing to help you stand out from your competitors and offer your shoppers a smooth, personalized customer experience.

You’ll learn more about Black Friday marketing tactics including:

• Triggered messaging
• Data capture
• Product recommendations
• Countdown timers
• Popularity messaging
• Geotargeting

Plus, we’ll also talk about the benefits of automatic optimization during Black Friday.

You’ll discover inspiring real-life examples for each tactic along the way. Tip: click on the images to see the examples in full.

Let’s get started.

1. Triggered messaging

Triggered messaging helps businesses deliver personalized, real-time content to shoppers at the moment they are most likely to convert.

These types of messages are usually triggered by an individual’s activity, not sent as part of a scheduled send – so a large part of their content is likely to be very topical and timely. Since they are automated, they also save marketers time and remove the pressure of manually building lots of individual emails.

Here are a few unmissable types of triggered messaging to include in your Black Friday marketing.

Price drop messaging

Price drop emails are a type of triggered messaging that lets everyone who has shown interest in a product know that it just got cheaper and that they can save money buying the item now. When it comes to Black Friday marketing, price drop emails are a no-brainer as they automate the process of letting customers know about deals on products they are interested in, saving you precious time.

Wex Photo Video includes a prominent image of the browsed product to remind shoppers of the product they were looking at, along with big header text to let the customer know exactly what the email is about at a glance.

Cart and browse abandonment recovery

Although shoppers are in serious buying mode during Black Friday, the buying frenzy that surrounds this event means shoppers are also distracted, often hopping between multiple websites and devices to bag the best deals.

While you can’t recapture the attention of every browser who navigates away from your website, many visitors can be won back with simple shopping recovery tactics. In fact, on average, Fresh Relevance clients saw a 47.9% increase in conversion rates from cart abandonment emails on Black Friday 2022 compared to the rest of the year.

You probably offer cart and browse abandonment emails all year round, but it’s worth introducing a holiday-specific campaign to win back Black Friday shoppers. Zee & Co uses their abandonment emails to remind shoppers of their Black Friday Black Tag event.

When it comes to busy Black Friday bargain hunters this holiday shopping season, speed is crucial. Consider shortening your delay time so that when a shopper abandons your site after browsing or adding an item to their cart, a cart or browse abandonment message triggers within at least 30 minutes before they move on to a competitor.

And don’t just stop at one email. Multi-stage cart and browse abandonment programs keep your products front-of-mind and increase your chances of the shopper completing their purchase. Be sure to time your emails depending on how quickly your deals expire.

Learn more:

The complete guide to browse abandonment
The complete guide to cart abandonment

SMS

With a whopping 98% read rate, SMS is one of the most effective channels for urgency messaging and call-to-actions.

Along with email, SMS is a powerful channel for maximizing customer engagement. Marketers can achieve faster results and higher order completion rates by sending a mix of email and SMS messages to recover lost revenue, help shoppers stock up on their favorite product and more.

Consider making use of SMS alongside email in your Black Friday marketing campaigns to stand out from your competitors and increase your chances of reaching customers. For example, try adding SMS messages to your cart abandonment cadence.

2. Data capture

Your best Black Friday deals present a golden opportunity to gain new customers. The quest for deals and discounts can bring many shoppers to your website for the first time, so make sure you leverage this behavior and get an email acquisition program to grow your email list.

To nail your data capture strategy, consider targeting popovers based on shoppers’ behavior. Here are a couple of ways to increase email sign ups with popovers.

Offer a discount

When a new visitor comes to your website, you can present a popover offering a discount on their first order when they sign up. This serves two purposes: the visitor identifies themselves with their email address and is tempted to make a purchase.

Iconic Lights offered their new shoppers a 10% discount in exchange for signing up to their newsletter during Black Friday, resulting in a 75% increase in new customer sign-ups over the two months the popover was displayed.

Remember to be mindful of timing. Give shoppers enough time to view your website so they know what you have to offer.

3. Product recommendations

Product recommendations can generate sales uplifts of up to 11%, making them a crucial Black Friday marketing tactic. But with skewed shopping habits due to gift purchasing and bargain hunting, it’s a good idea to implement a specific Black Friday product recommendation strategy.

New visitors

New shoppers to your site can benefit from seeing best sellers and trending suggestions to help them feel confident in making a purchase. Victorian Plumbing combines high-converting social proof and product recommendation tactics to inspire website visitors to check out their popular items.

Returning visitors

Returning visitors should try basing product suggestions on their most recent browsing behavior since many of them will be hunting for gifts or straying from their normal preferences in order to snag the best deals.

After the holiday, product recommendations can revert to customers’ longer-term purchase and browsing behavior, ensuring suggestions aren’t based on items they bought impulsively or gifts they purchased. This is a really important step, since 26% of consumers want retailers to notice when they buy something for someone else so they don’t send promotions or product recommendations for irrelevant items.

Stock-based rule

It’s a good idea to add a stock-based rule to your product recommendations during Black Friday so you don’t recommend out of stock products or products that are below a certain stock threshold (e.g. if you’ve only got 50 of a product in stock). This helps to avoid wasting valuable marketing real-estate that can be saved for products that are in stock and need promoting more than others that are selling out quicker.

4. Countdown timers

In the lead-up to Black Friday, countdown timers can build excitement and remind customers to keep coming back to your store. And on the actual day(s) of your Black Friday sale, countdown timers are a great way to hammer home the message that if shoppers don’t make their purchases today, they’re not getting it at this price tomorrow.

To make your countdown timers even more effective, merge them with customer data – for example, to address a customer by their first name. Surfdome uses a countdown timer to add urgency to their bulk emails.

A note on the iOS Apple Mail privacy updates:

Live email content – content that populates at time of open rather than time of send – will be affected by the Apple Mail privacy updates.

The upcoming changes mean that most email content will no longer be loaded at open-time within Apple Mail, which will have implications for the use of live content in emails to recipients using Apple Mail who have opted-in to the privacy updates. As such, countdown timers may no longer be accurate.

With Fresh Relevance, you can use a marketing rule to replace your countdown timers with a static banner that displays the sale deadline if the email is opened by the Apple Mail Proxy.

Learn more: Apple Mail privacy updates –  Implications for online businesses and Fresh Relevance’s approach

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 Black Friday marketing. And it’s proven to boost conversions – Buyagift has seen a 13% increase in sales since implementing popularity messaging into their automated discount emails.

We recommend using popularity messaging throughout your website and email marketing, from your product listing page to help them narrow down their options and highlight products that have resonated with other shoppers with popularity messaging, to your cart page to ramp up the urgency and give shoppers the extra boost of confidence they need to complete their purchase.

During Black Friday, consider making the thresholds for displaying popularity messaging higher, otherwise the messaging will appear next to too many products due to the higher rate of purchasing over this sale period and will therefore lose its impact.

6. Geotargeting

On Black Friday 2022, there was a 9.3% increase in UK shoppers at retail parks, shopping centers, and on the high streets compared to the previous year. And with pandemic-induced restrictions becoming an even more distant memory for many consumers, perhaps we will see a greater trend towards in-person shopping this Black Friday.

With this in mind, it’s worth incorporating geotargeting into your marketing mix for this year’s peak season. Using geotargeting, you can join the dots between your online and physical stores and tailor the customer experience to each individual based on where they’re located, ensuring they see the most relevant content to their current context.

Here are a few geotargeting tactics to try in the run up to Black Friday:

Nearest store

More than 1 in 4 consumers (29%) are more likely to shop with a retailer that shows them in-store availability at their nearest store for products they are browsing on online channels.

Incorporating nearest store information on your website, mobile app, email, and wherever else consumers can shop with your brand online is an effective way to drive footfall to physical locations, as well as providing a more convenient customer experience.

Location-based dynamic content

Dynamic content allows you to automatically generate compelling creative that is unique, relevant and up-to-date the instant a shopper interacts with your marketing. When combined with geotargeting, it enables you to tailor your content to each individual based on their location.

For ecommerce businesses, an example of this could be matching a product’s location with a shopper’s location and behavior to recommend products in the shopper’s most browsed category that are available in their nearest store.

Currency and delivery information

Displaying the relevant currency and delivery information to each shopper based on where they’re located is a simple but highly effective use of geotargeting.

Shoppers will be more likely to make a purchase if they see products priced in their currency and they know what to expect from their local delivery process.

Cooksongold identifies whether visitors to their website are based in the UK or EU and displays the relevant customer service phone numbers and links to international delivery, Brexit information and a free catalogue for EU visitors vs free delivery and click and collect information for UK visitors. This ensures that each website visitor sees practical information that’s most relevant and useful to them, helping to create a more convenient customer experience.

Automatic optimization

Fresh Relevance’s Automatic Optimization tool uses machine learning algorithms to automatically deploy the best-performing content, triggers or experiences toward the goals you set, such as increasing conversion rate or time on site. Since Automatic Optimization produces fast results, it’s an effective method to use during short-lived campaigns, such as during peak season promotions.

One way to benefit from Automatic Optimization during Black Friday is by testing your discounting strategy. With the tool, you can test two different discount levels and if the smaller discount converts just as well in the first hour of the sale, you can automatically implement that one for the rest of Black Friday and make more money.

Direct365 used Automatic Optimization to test the difference between offering a £5 and £10 discount in their cart abandonment emails, and saw an 18.6% increase in cart recovery rate with the £10 discount.

You can also test and optimize entire cross-channel experiences and/or individual pieces of content to uncover and automatically implement the best converting version.

Final thoughts

Black Friday is fast approaching and while you can’t control the external factors that will dictate this year’s trends, you can control which ecommerce tactics you use in your Black Friday marketing strategy. Maximize your business’ Black Friday marketing performance by implementing the tactics discussed above.

Here’s a recap of the Black Friday marketing ideas we’ve covered.

• Use triggered messaging, such as price drop and cart abandonment messaging to deliver personalized, real-time content to shoppers at the moment they are most likely to convert. And add SMS to the mix to increase your chances of reaching customers.
• Use data capture popovers to capitalize on the increase in web traffic and help grow your email list.
• Implement a specific Black Friday product recommendation strategy to account for skewed shopping habits.
• Add countdown timers to your marketing to build excitement and urgency before and during Black Friday weekend.
• Display popularity messaging to boost trust and urgency and make products seem more desirable.
• Make use of geotargeting to join the dots between your online and physical stores and benefit from a potential increase in in-person shopping.

What are they buying? It goes beyond just pencils and notebooks. College students are stocking up on clothing (43%) and electronics (33%), while K-12 shoppers are also interested in these items (62% and 20%, respectively).

This is a golden opportunity for your email marketing campaigns. Although many have started shopping, a large majority haven’t finished yet. Why?

• 45% are waiting for the best deals.
• 45% are unsure what they need.

It’s clear that if you’re not running a back-to-school campaign, you’re missing out on a lot of potential revenue. Whether your audience includes the back-to-school or back-to-college target demographics, it’s a good idea to begin thinking about how you can begin incorporating it into your email marketing strategy.  

When to kick off your back-to-school campaign

Do you remember back when you were at school, and before you’d even broken up for the summer, the shops were full of back-to-school signs? It was heartbreaking as a kid, but today, it’s the perfect opportunity to get your hands on some new goodies.  

In terms of customers’ shopping behaviors, the most popular times for bagging some back-to-school bargains are the last two weeks in July and the first two weeks in August.  

This nicely marks the halfway point of the year. Your Christmas and January sales are long behind you, new financial years have started and new targets have been set. It’s the perfect time to launch a fresh campaign. Let’s look at some of the top back-to-school campaigns out there.  

10 Back-to-school email marketing campaigns

Looking for fresh ideas to boost your back-to-school email marketing? Check out these 10 standout campaigns that have captured the attention of shoppers and drove sales.

1. Apple

Back in 2005, Apple changed the mobile phone industry for good. There’s no going back. It changed the way we use technology and the way we regard and consume content from the industry. Its marketing strategy is one we as marketers envy and strive to emulate.  

And, at its core, is its understanding of customer loyalty. It’s created a brand where people queue overnight to get their hands on the latest model. Its fanboy and fangirls have helped raise the brand to cult status.  

Saying all this, you’d assume the tech giant doesn’t need to utilize the back-to-school sales period, wouldn’t you?  

The simple fact is that Apple knows loyal customers are an essential part of its growth. Targeting the back-to-college market is just the first step in a long strategy of driving customer retention. 

Taking a page from the banking industry’s playbook, Apple employs a tactic similar to the Student Bank Accounts strategy. The tech giant is well aware that these student shoppers are likely to use its products for years to come, making additional purchases and growing more loyal as time goes on.

In Apple’s back-to-school offer, the company provides a gift card worth up to $150 and a 20% discount on AppleCare, but only at the Apple Store. This incentive encourages shoppers to visit the store for an immersive in-store experience.

2. Office Depot and Office Max

Any back-to-school email marketing campaign should simplify the shopping process and help customers find everything they need in one place. Office Depot and Office Max’s campaign checks all these boxes by showcasing a wide variety of school supplies at unbeatable prices.

The email highlights great deals on items such as notebooks, pens, and backpacks with the subject line “school savings -100s of school supplies under $3”. Such offers pique the interest of parents and students who are eager to tick off the items on their back-to-school shopping lists.

The vibrant, well-organized layout of the email captures the viewer’s attention, ensuring that each promotional offering is easily visible. Additionally, the “shop now” button, is strategically placed under each product advertisement. This makes it convenient for users to access the deals on Office Depot and Office Max’s website.

By showcasing a wide range of products on sale, Office Depot and Office Max’s email marketing campaign effectively capitalize on the back-to-school shopping craze.

3. Gap

Back-to-school season is an opportunity for you to add a touch of creativity and emotion to your campaigns. Gap does just that by designing a yearbook-style email that highlights stylish clothing options while evoking nostalgia and anticipation for the school year.

Featuring images of students wearing Gap’s fashionable attire, the email evokes nostalgia and gives parents a glimpse into how their children might look in similar outfits.

The email effectively encourages customers to explore “School looks they’ll love” with a bold, call-to-action button, which directs them to Gap’s website. Encouraging parents to find the perfect school attire for their children, Gap’s email marketing campaign transforms the back-to-school shopping experience into a delightful trip down memory lane.

4. Asda

When shopping for back-to-school essentials, customers want an easy and convenient experience that saves them both time and money. Asda’s back-to-school email campaign showcases a comprehensive selection of products, from uniforms to shoes, highlighting the brand’s affordability and quality.

The email focuses on Asda’s exclusive George brand, which is backed by Netmums. A poll of 40 members would recommend the George Schoolwear range to a friend, reinforcing the credibility of the brand.

The campaign emphasizes the affordability and value for money associated with its uniforms, highlighting scuff-resistant shoes for only £10. Additionally, Asda presents options for back-to-school clothing essentials, making it clear that they are a one-stop shop for students.

The campaign also ties in a reference to the Olympic and Paralympic games, inviting customers to explore the Gruffalo x Team GB collection. This collaboration adds a unique touch to its marketing approach, appealing to children who are excited about the sporting events, and their parents who may be fans as well.

The combination of quality, affordability, endorsements, and diverse product offerings makes Asda’s back-to-school email marketing campaign an effective choice for families as they prepare for the new school term.

5. American Eagle Outfitters

You should generate a sense of urgency and excitement for your back-to-school campaigns. American Eagle Outfitters accomplishes this with its limited-time offers, encouraging customers to shop before it’s too late.

The brand’s email marketing campaign highlights a limited-time offer of “25-40% off everything” that “ends today.” The subject line brilliantly categorizes the sale into “shop women” and “shop men,” clearly letting customers know the discount applies to both categories, including jeans—a popular item for back-to-school shoppers.

The email showcases stylish young adults wearing American Eagle Outfitters clothing outdoors, conveying a sense of excitement and appreciation for the season. The top banner colorfully displays the discount range and percentage, emphasizing the great value and attracting the attention of potential buyers.

To make it even more convenient for customers to benefit from the sale, the email has separate “shop women” and “shop men” call-to-action buttons, guiding users seamlessly to its desired online shopping section.

By creating a sense of urgency and focusing on significant discounts across all categories, American Eagle Outfitters’ back-to-school email marketing campaign successfully appeals to shoppers looking for stylish and affordable clothing to start the new school year in style.

6.  Nike

For the back-to-school season, you should concentrate on generating enthusiasm and anticipation for the upcoming academic year. You can do this with catchy subject lines, energetic imagery, and promoting convenient shopping experiences.

The Nike back-to-school email campaign does just this. The campaign emphasizes the playful spirit of heading back to school with the subject line “playground is calling.” 

The email features a captivating image of energetic children wearing Nike’s latest recess-ready sneakers, fleece, and other essentials. The tagline “everywhere’s their playground” reflects the brand’s commitment to active kids.

The campaign focuses on convenience by offering parents and caregivers the option to “shop by category,” ensuring a smooth, hassle-free shopping experience. Nike’s back-to-school email marketing campaign aims to simplify the shopping process for parents and caregivers while fostering excitement for the upcoming school year.

7. Vistaprint

During the back-to-school season, brands need to highlight key aspects of its offerings that resonate with both parents and students to stand out from the competition.

Vistaprint effectively demonstrates this strategy by showcasing personalized products tailored for the back-to-school season. The brands campaign encourages customers to start the school year off right by presenting products that directly address back-to-school needs while emphasizing the benefits of personalized school supplies.

Vistaprint aims to help children express their individuality by offering custom-made kids’ labels with a 25% discount. These labels are designed to add a personal touch and are also microwave, dishwasher, and laundry-safe, ensuring nothing gets lost and giving parents peace of mind.

Additionally, customers can find a 20% discount on custom-designed kids’ water bottles, making it easier for children to keep track of their belongings.

With enticing discounts and a strong focus on personalized, high-quality products, Vistaprint’s back-to-school email marketing campaign appeals to parents and children. This ensures a unique and stylish start to the new school year.

8. Hy-Vee

When creating back-to-school email marketing campaigns, it’s essential to remember the importance of inspiring customers. Parents and caregivers are often overwhelmed by the numerous tasks and responsibilities at this time of year. Creating content that is genuinely useful, relatable, and engaging can make a brand stand out in a competitive market and foster customer loyalty.

Hy-Vee’s back-to-school email campaign does just that. The campaign focuses on stress-free breakfasts, delicious and nutritious meals, and easy bento box meals for busy families. By offering inspiration through free, innovative recipes that cater to various aspects of meal planning, they provide solutions for time-strapped parents and caregivers who need to create enjoyable meals for their children quickly and easily.

Stress-free breakfast ideas ensure that kids start their day with energy and parents can have peace of mind, while nutritious recipes for lunch and dinner keep children fueled throughout the school day. Additionally, Hy-Vee’s creative bento box meal ideas make the school lunch experience enjoyable and visually appealing, encouraging healthy eating habits.

By simplifying daily routines, the email marketing campaign demonstrates Hy-Vee’s deep understanding of its customers’ needs. This approach strengthens the connection between the brand and its audience, fostering a lasting relationship that keeps customers engaged and loyal to the brand during the back-to-school season and beyond.

9. Ahava

During the back-to-school season, you should incorporate creative elements in your promotional campaigns to capture customer attention and drive engagement. One effective tactic is using countdown timers, which can create a sense of urgency and encourage customers to take advantage of time-sensitive offers.

Ahava’s back-to-school email marketing campaign effectively utilizes a countdown timer to promote its limited-time sale on premium skincare products.

The email’s subject line, “two days left of back-to-school sale” and the integrated countdown timer emphasize the limited timeframe of the promotion. By incorporating the countdown timer and offering a 40% discount on full-priced items, Ahava encourages customers to act quickly and take advantage of the attractive pricing.

With free samples and shipping on all orders, Ahava provides added value and convenience to the shopping experience. The use of a countdown timer in its email marketing campaign helps Ahava drive engagement, increase conversion rates, and foster a sense of excitement around its back-to-school promotion.

10. Once Upon a Farm

During the back-to-school season, you should develop unique strategies to engage customers and create brand loyalty. One effective approach is to hold contests or giveaways that appeal to both parents and students.

Once Upon a Farm embraces this strategy in its back-to-school email marketing campaign, as demonstrated by the subject line “enter to win $1,900+ in prizes – back-to-school giveaway” This approach instantly piques interest, encourages customer participation, and generates excitement for the company’s products.

By holding a back-to-school giveaway with over $1,900 in prizes, Once Upon a Farm creates an opportunity for customers to try its high-quality, organic food products. This helps parents seeking easy and nutritious meal options for their children’s packed lunches or after-school snacks. The giveaway effectively engages customers, drives traffic to the brand’s website, and promotes product awareness.

Once Upon a Farm’s back-to-school email marketing campaign demonstrates the effectiveness of using giveaways to generate excitement, engage customers, and ultimately foster brand loyalty.

Back-to-school email subject lines

When creating back-to-school email campaigns, don’t forget about subject lines. Engage your subscribers and remain top-of-mind with this carefully curated selection of eye-catching subject lines designed to enhance your email marketing strategy.

General

1. Kick off the school year with fantastic deals
2. Get set for success: your back to school headquarters
3. Welcome back to school: find everything you need
4. Gear up for an A+ year with our back to school essentials
5. Make the grade with unbeatable back to school offers

Sales and discounts

1. Exclusive 40% Off in our back to school sale
2. Last chance: back to school sale ending soon
3. 20% off back to school must-haves
4. Score up to 30% off + bonus in our back to school event
5. Save up to 50% on Footwear in our back to school sale

Getting ready

1. Are you in the back to school spirit?
2. Time for back to school: are you ready?
3. School is around the corner. prepare now
4. Ready for back to school? check out our deals
5. Going back to school? we have what you need

Fashion

1. Favorite back to school looks are here
2. Your #1 destination for back to school styles
3. Top 10 back to school outfits you’ll love
4. His and her’s back to school styles
5. New style to rule the school this year

Supplies and gadgets

1. Short on school supplies? we’ve got you covered
2. back to school checklist: backpacks, supplies and more
3. Must-have back to school essentials
4. Get the coolest tools for back to school
5. Earn up to 2X points on back-to-school tech

Savings and gifts

1. A special back to school gift for you
2. Big back-to-school savings just for you
3. Saved by the bell: huge back-to-school deals today
4. Limited time only – back to school savings
5. Free shipping + 20% off back-to-school must-haves

While the ideas provided can be a starting point, it’s important to customize them to match your distinct brand voice. Feel free to try out emojis, playful language, or a sense of urgency to capture attention.

For an added creative spark, you can also use AI-powered generative tools like WinstonAI to brainstorm new ideas, adjust the tone, or refine the length of your subject lines.

Class is dismissed. It’s time to ace your back-to-school email campaign

The back-to-school shopping season is underway, presenting a profitable opportunity for brands. Many shoppers are still unsure about their purchases and are on the lookout for the best deals.

A well-planned email marketing campaign can greatly enhance your sales by displaying a wide range of products, offering enticing promotions, and creating a sense of urgency. This will help you grab the attention of your target audience and drive more sales.

Remember to monitor and analyze your campaign’s performance to gauge its effectiveness and make data-driven adjustments. By following these tips, you’ll be well on your way to a successful back-to-school season.

1. Build a strong brand identity

One of the most important aspects of any successful email marketing campaign is ensuring that your message represents your brand’s unique identity. Doing so helps create a strong connection with your customers, giving them a reason to engage with your content and ultimately make a purchase.

Design By Humans, a company that offers creative and artistic apparel designs skillfully captures its quirky and fun brand identity in its Labor Day marketing email. The featured design showcases a cat enjoying a work-from-home day, perfectly complementing its overall brand vibe.

To successfully capture your brand in your email marketing campaigns, consider the following tips:

1. Stay true to your brand’s visual identity: Maintain consistency in the use of your brand’s colors, typography, and design elements in your email design. This helps create a cohesive and memorable experience for your customers each time they interact with your content.
2. Show off your brand’s personality: Your brand’s personality is its distinctive voice, tone, and values. You can directly communicate with your audience by adapting the tone as required with WinstonAI. Whether friendly, assertive, playful, or professional, WinstonAI can assist in crafting email copy that strikes the perfect note to engage, entice, and delight recipients.
3. Feature products or services that represent your brand: Showcase items or offers that align with your brand’s core values and message. Use this seasonal event as an opportunity to highlight relevant products or services that resonate with your audience.

By capturing your brand effectively in your email marketing campaigns, you’ll create a lasting impression on your customers, encouraging them to engage with your content and return for more. As Labor Day approaches, there’s no better time to put these tips into action and create a memorable and impactful email campaign that makes the most of this long weekend shopping spree.

2. Capture the Labor Day spirit

Creating an effective email marketing campaign for Labor Day goes beyond simply offering discounts. To genuinely connect with your customers, it’s crucial to embody the essence of the holiday and align with their expectations. Doing so will ultimately boost brand loyalty and strengthen your relationship with your audience.

Winc, a modern wine subscription club, brilliantly accomplishes this in its Labor Day marketing email. The brand’s subject line, “Your Labor Day savings are inside,” immediately grabs the reader’s attention and sets the tone for the email. Furthermore, the creative and playful phrase, “Sip back, relax, and unwined this Labor Day with $26 off today,” perfectly encompasses the laid-back spirit of the holiday, encouraging customers to seize the offer.

To capture the true spirit of Labor Day in your email marketing campaign, follow these guidelines for creating engaging copy:

1. Understand the significance of the holiday: Labor Day is a time to celebrate the hard work and accomplishments of workers across the country. Align your email copy and design with this theme, and consider highlighting products or services that will help your customers relax and enjoy their time off.
2. Use holiday-specific language and wordplay: Leverage relevant phrases or puns – like Winc’s “Sip back, relax, and unwined” – to evoke the mood of the holiday and create a more engaging experience for your customers.
3. Emphasize relatable, enjoyable activities: Focus on aspects of the holiday that your customers might look forward to, such as weekend getaways, barbecues, or spending time with loved ones. Incorporate these ideas into your email content to make it more relevant and appealing.

As Labor Day approaches, there’s no better time to put these tips into action and make a lasting impression with creative, holiday-inspired copy.

3. Create irresistible offers

As Labor Day approaches, many people are looking forward to some well-earned time off or spending the day with friends and family. But let’s not forget about all the fantastic deals that you can find during this long weekend. Discount reminders are a fantastic way for your brand to connect with customers and encourage them to take advantage of great offers before they’re gone.

To effectively implement discount reminder emails in your own email marketing campaign, you should:

1. Personalize your email content: Leverage Dotdigital’s AI product recommendations to tailor your email content based on each customer’s unique browsing and purchase history. This level of personalization creates highly relevant and engaging emails, boosting open rates and driving conversions.
2. Create a sense of urgency: Use dynamic personalization features like countdown timers or infuse your emails with time-sensitive language like “limited time offer” or “sale ends soon.” This creates a compelling sense of urgency, motivating customers to act immediately.
3. Make it clear and actionable: Include a prominent call-to-action (CTA) button or link, like “shop now” or “save now,” that directs the customer straight to the discounted items. This will streamline the shopping process and increase the chances of them completing the purchase.

So, as you prepare your email marketing campaign for this Labor Day, don’t forget to consider incorporating discount reminders as part of your strategy. By delivering personalized, timely, and actionable content to your customer’s inbox, you’ll not only help to boost sales but also strengthen your relationship with customers and keep them coming back for more.

4. Show employee appreciation

Labor Day is not only an excellent opportunity to boost sales but also a time to show appreciation and gratitude towards your hardworking employees. Acknowledging the dedication and efforts of your team can help strengthen your brand image and create an emotional connection with your customers, reminding them that behind every product or service lies the passion of your staff.

Aurate New York, a fine jewelry brand, beautifully demonstrates this in its Labor Day email. By expressing gratitude to its employees and thanking them for their work, Aurate emphasizes its brand values and showcases its company culture to its customers.

To give thanks to your employees in your Labor Day email marketing campaign, consider the following tips:

1. Showcase individual employee stories: Highlight the unique contributions and achievements of your team members, illustrating the vital role each person plays in your brand’s success.
2. Visualize your gratitude: Consider incorporating photos or videos of your employees in action, displaying the faces behind your brand, and giving your customers a more personal connection to your company.
3. Share your company values and culture: By expressing gratitude towards your employees, demonstrate how your company values hard work and commitment, reinforcing the human aspect of your brand.

By establishing an emotional connection with your audience, you’re more likely to create loyal customers who will continue to support your brand in the future. So, as you plan your Labor Day email marketing strategy, don’t forget to include a heartfelt thank you to those who help make your brand successful.

5. Generate pre-sale excitement

Running a pre-sale campaign can be an effective way to create a buzz around your products or services before the actual sale period starts. This generates anticipation and excitement amongst potential customers, prompting them to keep an eye on your brand for upcoming deals. Plus, it’s an opportunity to nurture and engage your audience, building a strong relationship that eventually leads to conversions during the sale.

A great example of a Labor Day presale campaign comes from Hello Fresh. The brand sparked interest among its target audience by offering six free meals and a discount code in its pre-sale email campaign.

To create a successful pre-sale campaign, consider the following tips:

1. Give your audience a glimpse of what you’re offering: Generate excitement and anticipation by including expiring coupon codes in your Labor Day emails. Offer exclusive deals, discounts, or incentives to entice customers, and use attention-grabbing subject lines like Hello Fresh’s “6 free meals” to maximize impact.
2. Personalize the message: When you do this you’ll make your recipients feel special and valued. 
3. Use engaging visuals and compelling CTAs: With engaging CTA you can make your pre-sale campaign stand out in the inbox, encouraging higher open and click-through rates.
4. Promote your campaign cross-channel: Promote your pre-sale campaign across all your channels. You can also use popovers, website banners, and even offline channels like in-store signage. This creates a consistent message and maximizes your reach.

By implementing an effective pre-sale campaign, you can harness the power of anticipation and curiosity to drive more traffic and sales during your promotional periods. So, make sure to give it a try next time you plan for any seasonal sales or special events.

6. Reward your loyal customers

In addition to thanking your employees and offering discounts, giving back to your customers is another way to make your Labor Day email marketing campaign more meaningful. Demonstrating appreciation towards your customers helps foster loyalty and enhances your brand image, showcasing your commitment to making a positive impact on their lives.

Vrai & Oro, a fine jewelry brand, effectively integrates this concept into their Labor Day email campaign by offering a gift to their customers. By presenting a unique offer, customers who spend $450 will enjoy free Line Threaders, allowing them to choose their preferred gold color as well.

To give back to your customers in your Labor Day email marketing campaign, consider the following tips:

1. Offer exclusive, personalized incentives: Utilize eRFM or predictive analytics to identify high-value customers most likely to convert. Delight these customers with exclusive Labor Day gifts, promotions, or personalized product recommendations to enhance their overall brand experience and drive conversions.
2. Create a loyalty program: Recognizing and rewarding your regular customers by offering points or rewards for their purchases can solidify their relationship with your brand and foster long-term loyalty.
3. Host a customer appreciation event or sale: Organize an online or in-store event exclusively for your customers to celebrate Labor Day. This could include special discounts, giveaways, or even entertainment for a more memorable experience.
4. Feature customer stories: Share social proof like personal experiences, testimonials, or success stories from your customers to emphasize the impact your brand has had on their lives.

Incorporating strategies to give back to your customers in your Labor Day email marketing campaign not only strengthens your brand image but also creates lasting connections with your audience. By showing appreciation to both your employees and customers, you’ll create a well-rounded, impactful campaign that exemplifies the true spirit of Labor Day and drives the success of your business.

7. Combine Labor Day with back-to-school

Labor Day often coincides with the back-to-school season, making it a prime opportunity to incorporate elements of this theme into your email marketing campaign. By adding a back-to-school touch, you can not only capture the attention of parents and students but also showcase products relevant to this time of year.

For instance, Kidpik, a clothing subscription box for kids, integrates the back-to-school theme in its Labor Day email campaign by featuring essential outfits for the new school year. This not only appeals to parents shopping for school essentials but also cleverly combines both occasions in a single, effective campaign.

To add a back-to-school touch to your Labor Day email marketing campaign, consider the following tips:

1. Showcase back-to-school essentials: Utilize product recommendations to highlight items perfect for students and parents gearing up for the new school year. Feature products like stationery, electronics, clothing, or organization tools to meet the specific needs of your target audience.
2. Offer Limited-time deals: Capitalize on the back-to-school shopping rush by providing limited-time offers and discounts on related products. This creates a sense of urgency for your audience, encouraging them to act quickly and make a purchase.
3. Share helpful tips and resources: Provide value to your customers by including useful advice, checklists, or resources related to the back-to-school season in your email content. This enhances the overall customer experience and demonstrates that your brand cares about their well-being.
4. Use compelling visuals: Utilize relevant images and graphics that depict the excitement and challenges of the back-to-school period. This helps capture the attention of your audience and adds an extra layer of relatability to your email content.

Adding a back-to-school touch to your Labor Day email marketing campaign can help you resonate with the wants and needs of your audience during this busy time of year. By offering relevant products and engaging content, you create a more memorable and impactful campaign that captures the essence of both occasions and drives sales.

Create engaging Labor Day campaigns

As you prepare for the upcoming Labor Day weekend, keep these email marketing ideas in mind. Remember that a successful Labor Day email campaign goes beyond just offering discounts. It’s about understanding your audience, celebrating the holiday’s spirit, and providing value beyond the sale. Use effective communication to deepen your connection with your customers, drive sales, and create lasting impressions for your brand. Happy Labor Day. 

AI-powered personalization for the holidays

Sometimes, the holiday season can be overwhelming with all the shopping and searching. But what if there was a way to make the experience smoother and more personalized for both you and your customers? That’s where artificial intelligence (AI) comes in. AI will play a significant role in personalizing the shopping experience and boosting sales this holiday season.

Recommending the perfect gift (every time)

Imagine a virtual shopping assistant that suggests gift ideas to your customers. Our AI-powered product recommendations analyze your customer’s browsing history and past purchases to suggest relevant items they’re likely to love. This not only simplifies the gift-buying process but also drives significant sales growth through increased average order values, cross-selling, and upselling opportunities.

Chatbots: your 24/7 holiday helpers

No time to staff a customer service line around the clock? No problem. Chatbots powered by AI can answer frequently asked questions, provide product information, and even guide customers through the buying process. These tireless virtual assistants can ensure your customers get the support they need, whenever they need it.

Pricing that’s as smart as Santa

Staying competitive with pricing in online ecommerce is important. AI can help you develop dynamic pricing strategies that adjust based on real-time demand and customer behavior. This ensures you’re offering the best possible prices while still maximizing your profits.

Meeting customers on mobile

The smartphone has become an extension of ourselves, and holiday shopping is no exception. With mobile shopping on the rise, it’s no longer a trend, it’s a necessity. To stay ahead of the curve, ensure your brand offers a mobile experience that’s nothing short of magical.

Speed is key

Nobody likes waiting for a website to load, especially on a small screen. Make sure your website and online store are optimized for mobile users. This includes ensuring fast loading times, clear and concise product information, and easy navigation. Keep in mind that impatient shoppers are abandoning their carts at an alarming rate – don’t let a slow website ruin your holiday sales.

One-click to checkout bliss

One-click ordering options and mobile wallets like Apple Pay and Google Pay can make the difference between a completed purchase and an abandoned cart. But that’s not all. Consider offering a variety of popular payment methods to cater to your customers’ preferences. Integrate options like PayPal and Klarna alongside traditional credit card processing. The easier and faster it is to buy, the more likely you are to convert those browsing shoppers into happy customers.

Mobile-first mentality

Don’t just shrink your desktop website down to fit a mobile screen. Design your mobile experience from the ground up with progressive web apps (PWAs). This means ensuring product pages are finger-friendly, with clear calls to action and high-quality product images that showcase your offerings beautifully – even on a small screen.

Take advantage of our Dotdigital PWA for a desktop experience that mirrors the convenience of mobile. This desktop version offers a smoother workflow by providing direct access to Dotdigital without the need for browser tabs. While the look may differ slightly, you’ll find the same robust features and functionality you’ve come to expect.

Social savvy commerce

The way we shop is changing, with social media playing a central role in this evolution. Gone are the days of passively scrolling through envy-inducing vacation photos. Today, social media platforms have transformed into bustling online marketplaces, offering a seamless social commerce experience for smart shoppers.

Shoppable posts

No need to fuss with navigating websites anymore. Platforms like Instagram and TikTok now allow in-app purchases, enabling you to discover and buy products directly within the social media app. This simplifies the shopping process, allowing you to smoothly transition from browsing engaging content to purchasing the perfect item in just a few clicks.

Live shopping events

Imagine joining a virtual holiday market hosted by your favorite brand on TikTok Shop. Live shopping events make use of real-time interaction, allowing you to see products in action, receive expert advice, and even grab exclusive deals. This interactive format turns passive scrolling into an engaging experience that builds a sense of community and excitement around holiday shopping.

Engaging content

Achieving success in social commerce isn’t just about offering products. It’s also about capturing your audience’s attention with engaging content that educates, entertains, and ultimately motivates them to click the “buy now” button. Think of creative product tutorials, festive gift guides, or entertaining holiday-themed stories – all designed to display your brand’s personality and connect with your target audience on a deeper level.

Influencer marketing boom

In 2024, brands are likely to increase influencer marketing budgets by 60%. This underlines the strategy’s increasing importance for a successful holiday season. However, with numerous influencers, it’s essential to ensure that your brand stands out. Here are some key tips to leverage this booming trend:

Embrace micro-influencers

Consider partnering with micro-influencers this holiday season instead of focusing on follower counts. These individuals have smaller but highly engaged followings, often centered around specific niches. By teaming up with a micro-influencer who aligns perfectly with your target audience, you can tap into a community genuinely interested in what you have to offer.

Authenticity partnerships

Customers today value authenticity. Instead of solely pursuing the biggest names, focus on fostering genuine relationships with influencers who share your brand values. Seek out creators who would organically recommend your products or services to their audience, nurturing trust and connection with potential customers.

Measure your results

Tracking and analyzing your campaign’s results will help you refine your strategy by identifying what’s working and what’s not. By utilizing data and insights, you can ensure your influencer marketing efforts contribute to a successful holiday season.

Unexpected partnerships driving engagement

The holiday season is a time for togetherness, and that spirit of collaboration is extending to the marketing world. This holiday season, expect to see brands break free from tradition and forge unexpected partnerships to reach new audiences and create a bigger impact. Here are some creative ways to leverage this trend:

The power of two

Instead of going it alone, partner with complementary brands that share a similar target audience but offer different products. For example, imagine a cozy coffee company teaming up with a local bakery to create a limited-edition holiday gift basket. This cross-promotion strategy exposes both brands to new customers and creates a more enticing holiday offering for existing ones.

Think local, win big

While big-name collaborations grab headlines, sometimes the most powerful partnerships are found closer to home. Consider teaming up with local businesses to offer unique holiday packages or experiences. 

For instance, a sporting goods store could partner with a local ski resort to offer a bundled ski package complete with equipment rentals and lift tickets. This strategy not only strengthens ties within the community but also creates a memorable and desirable holiday offering.

Spreading holiday cheer, one cause at a time

The holidays are a time for giving back, and customers are increasingly drawn to brands that align with their values. Partner with a non-profit organization and donate a portion of your sales to a worthy cause. This demonstrates your brand’s commitment to social responsibility and resonates with purpose-driven shoppers.

Embrace these holiday marketing trends for 2024

By incorporating these holiday marketing trends of 2024, you can create a dynamic marketing strategy that not only captivates your audience but also ensures a successful and memorable festive season for your brand. 

Embracing these trends will allow you to stay ahead of the competition, strengthen your brand presence, and connect with your audience in more meaningful ways. By being proactive and innovative in your approach, you can position your brand as a go-to choice for consumers during the holidays and beyond.

Whether you’re selling Easter-themed products or utilizing the festive atmosphere to showcase your latest collection, the key to a successful promotion is having an egg-ceptional strategy in place.

In this blog, we’ll explore a variety of Easter marketing campaign ideas, including email, SMS, and attention-grabbing subject lines. These ideas will help you breathe new life into your brand and captivate your customers for the best possible results.

Why should you send an Easter marketing campaign?

Here are some reasons why you should launch an Easter marketing campaign:

1. Increased customer spending: Holidays like Easter often inspire consumers to shop more for gifts, decor, food, and other celebratory items. You can take advantage of this surge in spending by offering exclusive discounts, promotions, and product bundles through your marketing campaign.
2. Seasonal themes: Easter-themed emails provide a chance to refresh your email copy and design, using lighthearted visuals, puns, and images that resonate with your audience. This seasonal creativity can attract your subscribers’ attention and delight them, leading to higher open rates and engagement.
3. Strengthen customer relationships: Use your Easter marketing campaign to send personalized greetings and messages of appreciation to your customers. This strategy helps build a more personal connection, strengthens customer loyalty, and nurtures long-lasting relationships.
4. Drive traffic to your website: Easter-themed emails and SMS messages with exciting offers, compelling calls-to-action, and exclusive content can drive more traffic to your website. This gives your customers a reason to explore your products and services further.
5. Showcase new products or offerings: Use your Easter marketing campaign to introduce seasonal products or exclusive promotions that may interest your audience. This tactic helps generate interest and excitement for your brand while potentially spurring more purchases.
6. Boost social media engagement: An Easter marketing campaign can also encourage subscribers to engage with your brand on social media. Leverage this opportunity by promoting Easter-themed contests or sharing content that encourages user-generated content using specific hashtags.
7. Stand out from competitors: Use the festive season to differentiate your brand from competitors with unique SMS offers, creative email designs, and standout subject lines. Easter marketing campaigns that offer genuine value and capture your audience’s attention can set your brand apart and create lasting impressions.

Engaging and creative Easter subject line ideas

Easter is a great opportunity to make your email subject lines more creative and engaging. You can use witty puns, personalized greetings, and time-sensitive offers to grab your audience’s attention and increase your email open rates. Check out these fantastic Easter subject line ideas for inspiration:

1. Spring into savings: Major discounts are hatching this Easter
2. Your Easter basket just got better: Save 30% sitewide
3. Hop to it. Unwrap these egg-sclusive Easter deals
4. Celebrate Easter in style: Fresh deals just for you
5. Indulge yourself. Our mouth-watering Easter treats await
6. Easter basket bonanza: Curated collections for the perfect gift
7. Crack open your Easter savings. Limited time only
8. Last chance: Peep our irresistible deals before they’re gone
9. Add a touch of magic to Easter with our special offers
10. Ready, set, hunt. Reveal your mystery Easter discount inside
11. Bloom into savings with our exclusive Easter discounts
12. Sweet deals to satisfy your Easter cravings: Shop now

If you’re struggling to come up with Easter email subject lines for your marketing campaign, you can use WinstonAI’s generative AI capability when building your email on Dotdigital. This feature can suggest new subject lines, adjust the tone, shorten or expand text, rephrase, and even include emojis to make your email more engaging.

7 Innovative Easter campaign ideas

Creating captivating campaigns that catch your customer’s attention and spark their imagination is important. That’s why we’re here to help you achieve precisely that. We’ve put together seven innovative Easter marketing campaign ideas that will make your brand stand out and set you apart from the competition. So let’s get cracking.

1. Create a cracking Easter sale

As the seasons change, it’s always a good idea to freshen up your marketing strategies and create new incentives for your customers to make purchases. When seasons change, it’s a great opportunity to promote your latest products and offer discounts and sales to attract more customers.

A great example of an effective Easter marketing campaign is the one created by the personalized children’s book brand, I See Me. The brand has come up with a cracking Easter sale that is sure to catch the attention of potential customers. The brand offers a sitewide discount of 30%, which is a great incentive for shoppers to make a purchase.

What’s more, the email also showcases a curated selection of personalized Easter-themed books, which are perfect for inclusion in any Easter basket. This boosts relevancy and ensures its emails appeal to customers who are looking for unique gift ideas for their loved ones. 

By highlighting its spring savings and offering personalized Easter-themed products, I See Me has created a compelling Easter sale that is sure to drive more traffic to its website and boost sales during this holiday season. Take inspiration from this strategy and come up with your own creative Easter sale that resonates with your audience and drives revenue.

2. Show off your Easter collection with MMS

Easter is a great opportunity to display your new seasonal product collections to your customers. One of the most effective ways of doing this is through Multimedia Messaging Service (MMS) messages. MMS uses rich media, such as images and videos, to create engaging and informative shopping experiences for your audience.

A prime example of a brand that executes this strategy successfully is a children’s clothing store, SugarBabies Boutique. By sending a visually appealing MMS message, SugarBabies Boutique highlights its Easter product offerings and makes it easy for customers to visualize the potential of creating a delightful Easter basket for their loved ones. The message not only showcases the brand’s cute and curated product lineup but also employs creative Easter language for a festive touch.

In addition, SugarBabies Boutique entices customers further with the offer of a ‘SAVE10’ discount code to use on purchases, adding an incentive for recipients to act swiftly and make a purchase.

3. Throw a virtual Easter egg hunt

Easter egg hunts are a classic and beloved activity to celebrate the season. But have you considered taking this traditional event online to engage your customers?

Reese Witherspoon’s clothing line, Draper James smartly incorporates a virtual Easter egg hunt into its email marketing campaign. The email features a simple and clear design, paired with concise copy that entices recipients to visit the brand’s website and start hunting for hidden Easter eggs. These eggs contain discount codes that shoppers can apply to their purchases, adding an incentive to engage with the website actively.

The email also includes an on-brand hero image, a specific call-to-action (CTA) button, and helpful hints as to where the eggs can be found. These elements create a seamless and enjoyable virtual egg-hunting experience for enthusiastic participants.

4. Leverage Easter FOMO with a countdown timer

Countdown timers are a popular tactic you can use to create a sense of urgency among your customers. By setting a deadline for a limited-time promotion, you can encourage your customers to act quickly before the offer expires. This marketing strategy plays on the fear of missing out (FOMO) and inspires subscribers to shop promptly to benefit from the promotion. Simply add a countdown timer to your website and see the powerful impact of FOMO in action.

One brand that executed this strategy incredibly well is the sustainable denim company Frank and Oak. Its Easter marketing campaign included a countdown timer at the top of the email, emphasizing the limited-time offer. By placing the timer prominently, the brand grabs its recipients’ attention with a time-sensitive message, encouraging them to act quickly to take advantage of the promotion. The result was a successful marketing campaign that generated buzz and encouraged customers to shop promptly to avoid missing out on the deal.

5. Host an Easter-themed social media contest

Easter-themed social media contests are an excellent way to engage your audience while boosting your brand exposure and promoting your products or services. Hosting a creative contest can foster excitement, encourage user-generated content (UGC), and increase interaction with your brand during the holiday season.

For example, create an Instagram photo contest where followers share pictures of their decorated Easter eggs, Easter outfits, or homemade treats using a specific hashtag. Offer a tempting prize, such as a gift voucher or product bundle from your Easter collection, for the participants with the most creative or popular submissions. Make sure to carefully outline the contest rules, participation guidelines, and entry deadlines to ensure a seamless and enjoyable experience for your audience.

Announce the contest in your email or SMS campaigns and use attractive visuals and compelling copy to encourage your subscribers to participate. By holding an Easter-themed social media contest, you can captivate your audience, showcase your products, and foster a sense of community around your brand.

The online boutique, Little Party Dress effectively promotes its Easter social media contest on Instagram. This is done by encouraging participants to engage with the brand and offering a choice of prizes from its Easter collection. The post explains how to enter, where to find more information, and the closing date for entries. By providing clear instructions and appealing prizes, Little Party Dress ensures a successful contest that excites and connects with its audience.

6. Curate your Easter gift guides

Gift guides are an excellent way to showcase and curate your Easter product selection, making it easier for customers to find the perfect gift for their loved ones during the festive season.

The Luxury department store, Fortnum and Mason’s Easter gift guide showcases a stunning collection of Easter eggs that were expertly curated by the brand. The email campaign also mentioned that customers can visit their store to build their own Easter eggs, providing a unique and interactive experience. This is a great way for the brand to not only showcase their products but also to engage with their customers and offer them an unforgettable experience.

By curating and presenting a visually appealing Easter gift guide through your email marketing, you can effectively guide your customers to ideal gift options and entice them to explore your product offerings. This approach simplifies the decision-making process for your customers and helps boost your overall sales during the Easter season.

7. Use creative copywriting to enhance your Easter marketing

To make your Easter marketing messages more compelling and memorable, you can utilize creative copywriting techniques that capture the attention of your target audience. By using creative copywriting in your Easter marketing, you can stand out in the crowded marketing landscape and drive better results for your campaigns.

LUSH Cosmetics is an excellent example of a brand that understands the power of imaginative copywriting. The brand uses vibrant language and storytelling techniques to create a sense of wonder and excitement around its Easter-themed products.

Its email campaign, for instance, invites readers to “Spring into a world of pure imagination,” which blends the festive Easter ambiance with the brand’s colorful, nature-inspired offerings. LUSH’s copywriting is captivating, creating a mesmerizing connection with its audience that goes beyond the product itself.

Kickstart your Easter marketing strategy

Easter is a time of joy, renewal, and celebration. The season presents a great chance for you to connect with your audience and enhance your sales with innovative marketing campaigns. To make the most of this opportunity, it’s essential to develop a comprehensive Easter marketing strategy that fully embraces the festive essence and engages your customers through every touchpoint, including email, SMS, and social media. By doing so, you can increase your brand’s visibility and effectively capture the attention of your target audience during this festive season.

When is Mother’s Day?

Mother’s Day is celebrated on different dates across the world. In the United States, Canada, and Australia, Mother’s Day falls on Sunday, May 12, 2024. In the United Kingdom and Ireland, Mother’s Day, also known as Mothering Sunday, is celebrated on the fourth Sunday of Lent, which is March 10, 2024. It’s essential to be aware of these differences when planning your Mother’s Day email marketing campaigns to ensure you reach your audience at the most appropriate time.

Regardless of when it’s celebrated in your region, Mother’s Day is an occasion that honors all the love, care, and sacrifices mothers make for their children and families. Delivering the perfect email campaign that strikes the right emotional note and offers suitable products or services will help you connect with your audience, foster loyalty, and drive conversions. To start planning your Mother’s Day email marketing strategy, take a look at these five inspiring examples to spark your creativity.

1. Showcase personalized gift recommendations

Mother’s Day is a special occasion that calls for unique and thoughtful gifts. One way to make these gifts even more special is by allowing your customers to personalize them. It could be as simple as adding a monogram or engraving a special message. This personal touch shows that you have put careful thought and consideration into the gift, making it more meaningful and memorable. This is especially true for mothers who deserve to feel appreciated and loved on their special day.

Dior is a great example of a company that offers personalized gifting options. They offer bespoke engraving on any of its products for Mother’s Day, allowing customers to create a one-of-a-kind gift for their mothers. In addition, Dior also offers complimentary standard shipping, samples, and premium gift wrapping with every order. This attention to detail enhances the customer experience, ensuring a seamless and delightful process from start to finish.

2. Create an irresistible gift guide

Creating a well-crafted gift guide is an effective way to help your customers find the best present for their mothers. A carefully curated gift guide should feature a variety of products that cater to different interests, budgets, and preferences, meeting the unique needs of your diverse customer base.

To create an impactful gift guide, start by dividing your offerings into distinct categories. You can categorize your products based on specific interests, price points, or gift recipient personas. By arranging your products in such a manner, you make the selection process less overwhelming and more enjoyable for your customers.

In your Mother’s Day email marketing campaign, emphasize the gift guide as a helpful resource and provide direct links to the different categories. Use high-quality images and concise, informative product descriptions to enhance the browsing experience and pique the interest of potential buyers. Moreover, consider using a responsive, easy-to-navigate email design that performs well on both desktop and mobile devices to ensure a seamless experience for all subscribers.

An excellent example of this is FEEDprojects. In its Mother’s Day campaign, the brand highlighted various products from its range, catering to different preferences and budgets in its Mother’s Day shop. By showcasing these options, FEEDprojects provided customers with a thoughtfully curated selection to ease the decision-making process, resulting in a seamless shopping experience that ultimately benefits both customers and the brand.

3. Share inspiring stories

When creating a Mother’s Day email marketing campaign, it’s important to establish an emotional connection with your audience. You can achieve this by sharing heartwarming stories or testimonials that demonstrate how your brand and product have positively impacted the lives of mothers. This will strengthen your campaign and help build a bond with your subscribers. 

User-generated content (UGC) is an excellent way to enrich your campaign and make it more relatable. Encourage your audience to participate by inviting them to share their own experiences and stories. You can also enhance the appeal of your stories by including captivating photos or videos featuring real people, as this adds authenticity and engages your audience on a more personal level.

An excellent example of this approach is Cure’s ‘Moms Love Cure’ testimonials featured in its email campaign. These testimonials showcase how Cure’s products have helped mothers in different stages of their lives. The email also encourages recipients to share their own stories and photos via email, fostering a sense of community and allowing others to relate to and learn from shared experiences.

4. Amplify your non-profit’s mission

Mother’s Day is a great opportunity for non-profit organizations to spread awareness about their cause and engage their audience in a meaningful way. By leveraging this special day, non-profits can create Mother’s Day email marketing campaigns that highlight their mission, showcase their impact, and strengthen their connection with supporters.

One example of a non-profit that uses Mother’s Day effectively in its email campaigns is the St. Baldrick’s Foundation. The foundation encourages recipients to send e-cards to children who are bravely fighting cancer on this special day. This simple gesture not only conveys sympathy and support to the children and their families but also draws attention to the foundation’s important mission.

5. Drive sales with interactive offers and engaging giveaways

Introducing engaging and exciting elements into your Mother’s Day email marketing campaigns can boost customer interaction and increase the likelihood of subscribers making a purchase. One effective way to achieve this is by incorporating gamification into your campaigns, like interactive contests or giveaways. These activities can encourage subscribers to participate in exchange for a chance to win appealing prizes or obtain exclusive discounts.

A prime example of this is Scentbird’s ‘Mother’s Day mystery sale’ campaign. It featured an interactive spinning wheel for subscribers to engage with and uncover a surprise gift for their mothers. Scentbird further enhanced the experience by including instant gifts in its promotional email, adding an extra layer of intrigue. This creative approach prompts impulsive purchases with enticing, time-sensitive offers, resulting in a more captivating and effective campaign.

Craft your successful Mother’s Day email marketing campaign

These five powerful ideas for Mother’s Day email marketing will help you create campaigns that resonate with your audience and boost sales. By crafting personalized messages, curating exclusive offers, sharing heartwarming stories, and hosting engaging giveaways, you can provide a memorable experience that truly honors this special occasion. Embrace these ideas to show genuine appreciation to all the mothers and become a part of their joyful celebrations with a campaign that stands out in their inboxes.