When the summer and the back-to-school time passed, we were reminded that Christmas was just behind the corner. Whether you are the early bird, who has everything set up for the festivities long before December starts or you are waiting for the last few days to prepare for everything, we are here to help you. Christmas is one of the top times to send promotional emails, as Christmas is often a one-month-long shopping spree. Moreover, clients not only focus on items they want but also on getting someone a gift. That creates a new dimension of need that occurs yearly in the same timeframe for a large part of your audience (unlike birthdays etc.). So we will show you some tools to tap into this vast selling potential and tune into the perfect festive mood.
1. Why Focus on Christmas Emailing?
It is no news that people shop more during the Christmas/Holiday period than any other year (see data in point 2.). It is, therefore, an excellent opportunity to boost sales. Moreover, 2/3 of the customers are paying more attention to emailing. It is more important to make your emailing campaign for the Holiday season! And to put the cherry on top, people are way more likely to buy. They are ready to spend, and you might be precisely what they need. So with all this in mind, be there, be simple, curated, and clear, and guide and gain leads, convert them and get the desired outcome in the form of sales/ROI.
2. Emailing Early On
It is excellent to start your Xmas emailing early on. Not only are you more likely to be noticed and remembered, but you can also provide a stress-free shopping experience for the “early bird” customers. The more you are seen standing out of the crowd, the easier you can convert!
3. Let the Data Help You
- PEOPLE SHOP BIG: American holiday shoppers plan on spending about $1,455 this holiday season. (DELOITTE, 2022)
- START EARLY: 60% of US consumers start their Christmas shopping before December. (Statista, 2020)
- CELEBRATE IN EVERY SITUATION: No matter the pandemic, total US holiday retail sales in 2020 reached $789.4 billion. (National Retail Federation, 2020)
- SPENDING GROWTH: In 2020, US holiday retail sales grew by 8.3% compared to 2019. (CNBC, 2021)
- ONLINE BEATS OFFLINE: 60% of shoppers in the US prefer to shop online. (Deloitte, 2020)
- SPENDING PRIORITIES: Three expected main shopping categories in 2022 are clothing & accessories, gift cards, and toys & hobbies. (CRAFTPROFESSIONAL, 2022)
What may be new for upcoming seasons?
- MORE EARLY BIRDS: 38% plan to shop earlier this year. (DELOITTE, 2022)
- CELEBRATE MORE, SPEND MINDFULLY: Inflation, post-pandemic times, and other factors may influence behavior; people want to celebrate, spend time together and cut non-essential spending to purchase gifts and experiences. (DELOITTE, 2022)
- SUSTAINABLE PRODUCTS: Approximately 40% of people plan to buy sustainable gifts in 2022. (DELOITTE, 2022)
- RESALE PRODUCTS: 32% of people have plans to buy resale items for Holiday 2022. (DELOITTE, 2022)
Check out our Christmas email templates!
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4. Design Tips and Tricks for Best Christmas Email Templates
a. Use main design elements that are Christmas-specific and apply them in your approach:
- Themes: Christmas tree/ornaments, gifts, gingerbread, fireplace, Santa Clause, snow, stars, eggnog, pine, etc.
- Colors: green, red, gold, silver, brown, blue and white
- Fonts: Great opportunity to use handwritten, bubbly but also elegant serif fonts.
b. Find a happy middle-ground regarding the Christmas theme and your branding.
It is crucial to stick to your branding. Not only do you create an even more memorable connection with your audience. Branding can be considered as a “face” your audience is used to, but it also helps you stand above the crowd! If you want to learn more about branding, you can read other details, tips, and tricks HERE. Branding is everything you are, and the more you know and display who you are, the more personal and inviting you will be to your audience. So the best tip we can give you is to keep your emailing branded but spice it up with Holiday cheer. You can underline it by using one/or more of the themes, fonts, or colors that complement your brand.
c. It Is OK to Be a Bit Over the Top
Don’t hesitate to be extra cheery and themed if it fits you. You can be so holiday-cheer that it may be almost verging on tacky. It is OK to experiment, to be colorful and bold this Holiday season. It brings feelings of nostalgia to many, and you will most certainly be forgiven. Sometimes more may be more.
d. Be Streamlined
You can have all the fun you want with your designs during the Holiday season, but remember that you still have a clear purpose and need the audience to orient themselves in your emails. So it is always helpful to:
- - use arrows and other colourful markers to guide the reader fast and clear
- - use high contrast colours for CTA buttons
So even if you use the “more is more” approach, never forget about the primary goal of your email.
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5. Content Tips for Top Christmas Email Templates
1. Focus on the Subject Line
If you are reading our articles for a bit, you know that first impression is vital. And there is a clear winner of “good first impressions” when it comes to love at first sight, and that is a perfectly curated subject line! Because the email subject line is often what stands between your audience and your email, and the “will they, won’t they” when it comes to them opening your email is often in this one line alone!
You can use some of our catchy lines (with thematic symbols and emojis):
- ✓ 🎄We Wish You a Very Merry Shopmas!🎄
- ✓ 🎶🔔Jingle SALES, Jingle SALES, Jingle all the way!🔔🎶
- ✓ Season’s Greetings - 20% OFF Site-wide🎄
- ✓ ❄️First snow SALE! Come get it before it is gone!
- ✓ LAST CHANCE! Get your items by Christmas!
- ✓ Here’s a gift just for you 🎁
2. Make It Easier - Categorize
Shoppers are going to be really overwhelmed during this time of year. They need to do and spend a lot in a relatively short time. It is the best idea to help them get what they need quickly and easily. Use a quick, straightforward message and CTA buttons that take them where they need the fastest and, moreover, categorize. If you create valuable categories for your shoppers, you will make it easier for them to shop! The fact is that during Christmas, shoppers usually know they need to buy gifts but often may be unsure about what exactly to buy, so if you help them narrow their search or even help them come up with an idea for a gift, they will be delighted! So what can you do?
Create categories such as:
- primary groups: gifts for male, female, father, mother, friend, partner, etc.
- unique hobbies: gifts for a football lover, beer lover, culinary expert, TV Drama fan, sweet-tooth
- Special someone: couple experience, intimate toys, etc.
3) Convert and Sell
As mentioned earlier, Christmas is one of the best times to boost sales. Create converting streamlined emails, lead your audience quickly to desired Call-to-Action. Send them targeted content and show them you are part of the celebration.
Catchy Christmas CTAs:
6. Targeted Christmas Emailing: Right Audience, Right Content
The better you know who you are targeting with your emailing, the better. The best way is to approach your emailing campaign with as detailed and curated segmentation as possible. The more precisely you transfer the information you need to your targets, the better outcome for you and the better experience for them. More on segmentation in our BTS article HERE, but just so to sum up:
SEGMENTATION
Who is your audience: age, gender, location, context, etc.
Who is your buyer: browsers vs. buyers vs. discount shoppers, past purchases, frequency of purchases
SUMMARY
This article focuses on the best approach to Christmas emailing and why to do it. We have discussed the statistics that show us how important this time of the year is for our businesses and what may be the likely behaviors and shopping areas of the customers. We specified themes, colors, and fonts, that are most likely to be used and how to approach them thru the eyes of your branding. We have provided valuable design, content tips, tricks, and helpful building blocks in your Christmas emailing. To get even more ideas, check our new seasonal email templates and test them out in Dragit Email Builder!
