The Christmas season has arrived — but that doesn’t change the fact that most consumers are leaving their holiday shopping until the last minute. While we hope you’re not stressing over fulfilling your own list, all of this last-minute buying boasts a huge opportunity for eCommerce shops hosting Christmas sales.
With the right email marketing software and a strategy to win over the hearts (and wallets) of your contacts, you could be raking in some serious cash this holiday season.
How to Boost Your Christmas Sales
Before we officially head into the New Year, we mustn’t gloss over the last major shopping season of the year. Consumers are ready to buy and they’re looking for the best deals on the internet. So how do you get their attention?
1. Shout out your website with a sense of urgency.
With wishes of “Merry Christmas” from family and friends filling up the inbox, there’s even more competition for your subscribers’ attention. For a successful bout of buying from your store, you’ll want to adopt a strong sense of urgency.
With copy that captures the essence of time is running short (but also points to a solution), your target audience will get the picture — your site is the perfect place for fulfilling any last-minute shopping this year.
2. Problem? Solution!
You want to create copy that’s clear and to the point. Keeping your email brief means your contacts are more likely to read it in its entirety and act on a compelling call to action. For the best results, we return to the problem-solution strategy.
The end of the year sets the stage for a major bout of last-minute shopping. The problem is clear…your shoppers are running out of time! Give them quick gift ideas by showcasing your best sellers or outline a current sale with helpful links.
3. Show off your customer knowledge.
It’s time to break out the flattery. With Christmas sale competition eating up valuable inbox space, your email campaigns will need to stand out with a bit of personalization. There are a few ways to go about this.
- Personalize product recommendations that capture your target audience.
- Capture cart abandoners with the old “get it before it’s gone” technique.
- Better yet, encourage would-be customers with a discount on the things they nearly purchased.
Personalized messaging goes a long way in email campaigns as it makes it easy for a customer to feel confident about a buy. Feeling like a company truly understands them takes the guesswork out of finding the perfect product to purchase.
4. Make your campaign website mobile-friendly.
Now more than ever, it’s important that your email message is compatible with multiple devices.
In this day and age, it’s likely that a good portion of your contacts will be shuffling through their inboxes on the go. With visually enticing and clickable CTAs, you invite your clients to swiftly follow through with an effortless click of the thumb.
5. Free shipping = a shopping cart follow-through.
Have you ever wondered why shoppers abandon their carts so frequently? The greatest influence is unexpected shipping costs.
The best way to get customers to complete their purchase this holiday season is clear: offer free shipping.
6. E-gift cards are here to stay (and for good reason).
They’re super convenient and don’t require any shipping wait time! Contacts that are really cutting it close with their last-minute shopping will be hoping for a solution this simple.
Give them a shout-out in your subject line, to the tune of, “We’ve got your last-minute gift right here.” With a clickable link that goes straight to your e-gift card options, consider the sale complete.
7. Go a different email route…with a huge shopping success rate.
SMS campaigns typically host an ultra-high open rate, so if you’ve had the opportunity to collect your contacts’ phone numbers, launching SMS automation might be the thing you’ve been missing when it comes to closing that sale.
Sending an automated text won’t do much good without a clickable link attached, so be sure to include one — and maybe even a photo if your platform allows!
In conclusion, what’s the moral of the story? Christmas isn’t over yet! Your customers still have time to buy! Employ those snappy CTAs. Whip up some attention-grabbing copy. Create clear, concise messages to get your point across. When it comes down to the final hours before Christmas, your contacts will be glad they opened your email.
