The most magical time of the year has taken over our minds and to-do lists.
That means it’s time to start planning if you want to run a successful eCommerce Christmas promotion.
Personally I can’t even start thinking about Christmas shopping until the last birthday of the year is over on November 25th. (I’ll never forget having an exactly 1-month old bub 14 Christmases ago!)
Many small businesses selling online, including my own clients, are just starting to think about their Black Friday and Christmas promotions.
10 Tips for a Successful Ecommerce Christmas Promotion
My #1 tip for success is to keep it simple!
But if you’re looking for some ideas or guidance on how to make the most of your email marketing to keep those sales rolling in over the next two months, here are my top 10 tips that will help make your Christmas campaign stand out and yield outstanding results!
Remember, Christmas is the time of year when you can afford more effort than usual… much more, in fact. Through the use of fairytale-like designs, your emails can delivery customers to a wonderland of choice.
Playing Santa Claus means you get to give your customers that warm and fuzzy holiday feeling by letting them know how very special they are to you.
It’s also a very NOISY time of year! So to have a successful eCommerce Christmas promotion, it’s important to put together a very targeted, highly desirable campaign that is focused exactly on what your customers want.
Otherwise you’ll get lost in the festive forest that is our inbox at this time of year….
#1: Review what you did last year.
Figure out what worked and what didn’t. How can you learn from and improve on last year’s efforts?
#2: Research what your competitors are doing.
As well as other businesses that are selling to the same customers as you are. What are they likely to do this year? What are their strengths and weaknesses? Take advantage of the latter and do better!
#3: The end of the year is the most lucrative sales period for seasonal purchases.
Research what your customers are spending their money on this Christmas and the average $ value of those purchases.
Consider also your customers’ purchase history at this time last year and tailor offers to perfectly suit your ideal customer.
#4: Proceed with wish lists and abandoned carts.
It’s no secret that many customers shopping online will leave wish lists unfulfilled and shopping carts abandoned. They’ve demonstrated that they want these products, so now you can target them with related offers.
#5: Run Advent calendar type campaigns.
This would have to be THE most lucrative Christmas email campaign strategy I’ve ever used in the past. Not everyone will engage with every new daily offer, but it gives you the chance to mix up your offers to suit different needs, interests and price-points.
Refer back to point #3 above! Also, this type of campaign is HIGHLY engaging and encourages a lot of interaction with your customers and potential customers, plus has the added benefit of giving you a really good excuse to email daily.
Here’s some more detailed advice on planning your successful eCommerce Christmas promotion.
#6: Segment before you send.
You can send emails more frequently at this time of year, but don’t treat all contacts on your list equally. Send more frequently to the more engaged contacts, once or twice a week perhaps, and less frequently to the less engaged or lapsed customers.
#7: Focus on your subject line.
Remember, emails are opened and seen by only a fraction of your recipients. The majority only see your subject line, so making sure it’s extremely clickable gives you the best chances of getting people to open up and read (and then spend!).
Here’s some more detailed advice on how to succeed with email marketing.
#8: Create a sense of urgency.
When you’re selling online, you need to be very clear on when you can ship orders and still make delivery before Christmas.
Make last call-outs for free express shipping to motivate those last minute orders, and after the shipping cut-off date you can still push gift voucher sales to those of us who are perhaps a bit less organised about our gift shopping than others!
#9: Make it fun!
Include videos and other design aspects, like animated gifs, creative email template designs and social media interaction – you can have more fun with a Christmas campaign than you might dare to during the rest of the year!
#10: Christmas is not all about selling.
It can also be a great time to think about gathering customer feedback, sending eCards or video greetings, and being generous and giving back.
Here are some key holiday season dates to keep in mind.
When planning your successful eCommerce Christmas promotion, craft your offers and schedule your social media posts and emails in advance to take full advantage of each significant date.
Your holiday campaign calendar
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November 27
Black Friday
Black Friday is gaining popularity in Australia. Encourage your shoppers to avoid the crowds and shop online with special promotions and shipping deals. |
November 30
Cyber Monday
The final day in the 4 day “Black Friday / Cyber Monday” sale event. Emphasise scarcity to close as many sales as you can! |
December 1
12 Days of Christmas
There are 24 days in the traditional Advent Calendar, which is a bit long, so why not go for a “12 Days of Christmas” promo instead. The idea is to reveal a new special offer each day.
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December 12
Stamp & Ship Day
Remind your customers of the last day to order Christmas gifts with standard shipping and consider offering free shipping – a large % of shoppers would choose your store over another.
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December 23
Gift Card Day
It’s not too late! Provide an easy way for customers to still delight their loved ones on Christmas.
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December 26
Coupon Code Day
The holiday shopping season doesn’t have to be over yet. Offer promotions to clear out extra holiday stock and capitalise on customers still in the gift-buying mood. |
Grab my free campaign planning guide!
When it comes to the ‘follow up and selling’ phase of your competition promotion, you might want a bit more help with how to plan and execute.
So I invite you to download my free promotional campaign planning guide and template to help you ensure that your next giveaway is a profitable sales success!
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