Christmas is a magical time. “Jingle Bells” streams from every known crevice. Streets are filled with gingerbread and it seems like gifts are suddenly pouring out from everyone we know under the most unpredictable circumstances. 

But gifts and treasures need to be purchased at some point, right? 

This guide will provide you with the hacks you need to get your products in the intricately wrapped presents that will rest under all the trees, on all the desks, and in everyone’s stockings this Christmas.

If you want to play your Christmas cards right, read these email marketing hacks to increase your sales this holiday season.

Segment your email lists and personalise your messages

If there’s one lesson you need to take away from this, it’s that you can never segment email lists too much. Especially during the holiday period. 

You may already have a lean, mean, automation machine, but there’s a big difference between sending a review request email one week after a purchase, and saying “thanks for purchasing our cinnamon-scented candle! People who bought this range also loved pumpkin spice, fig and pear and our limited edition Christmas scent.”

It may sound ridiculous, but when you can get as granular as this you’re very unlikely to be marked as spam, unsubscribed from and eternally hated by busy customers.

You know your own products better than anyone else, but just remember this:

• Effective email segmentation can increase open rates by 203%
• Segmented email campaigns can increase revenue by 760%

Check out a great example from ADIDAS below. You can see that the item the customer wanted was out of stock, but ADIDAS was able to offer solid alternatives based on similar products purchased:

Add value to your customers’ lives

An added bonus of creating granular email segments is that you’ll gain a deeper understanding of your customers’ needs and interests. This means you’ll be able to use the information you have to help them overcome their challenges. 

Demonstrating value to your customers isn’t hard if you love what you do. The first step is to create authentic, customer-centric content that makes their life easier. 

Sell kitchenware? Send customer product care tips that save time. 

Sell activewear? Send health and diet tips from your biggest Instagram influencers. You catch our drift…

Over 44% of email recipients made at least one purchase from a promotional email, but to get your customers to purchase from you, they need to get excited about your email content every time something lands in their inbox.

Build credibility with social proof

Let’s get real for a minute. Building good relationships with our customers means we need to demonstrate our credibility as a brand and show our potential buyers why they should trust our products. 

Want a quick and easy hack that builds credibility instantly? Add Instagram posts to your Christmas email campaigns.

There’s no stronger influencing force than social proof, and ALDO shoes have mastered the art of turning customer-generated Instagram posts into great credibility boost to help conversion.

Handle objections

Got a growing list of subscribers that aren’t converting? Shoppers may love your handmade, merino wool sneakers, but they may not be willing to spend more than $100 to own them.

If you know what the main objections are when shoppers fail to purchase, an email is a perfect tool to address any concerns. 

Price

If your products are too expensive, offer subscribers an introductory discount to try your products. Below, you’ll see how Good Eggs builds urgency with the image of a timer, and the large headline “Today Only!”:

Shipping

44% of shoppers abandon their cart because of poor shipping options. Get your lost customers back with a Christmas offer of free shipping to your subscribers. Check out how INDOCHINO promotes free shipping in their promotional email campaigns:

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Have fun with it

Lastly, use your Christmas email campaigns to have fun with your customers. Stand out from the rest of Christmas spam with memorable and high-quality imagery. 

Allbirds always slays their email campaigns, but their holiday campaign really stands out:

Although it’s not Christmas themed, Goby also understands the interplay of high-quality imagery and a tongue-in-cheek headline:

Another great example from Bellroy – back on the Christmas theme:

Just remember: Send joy, not spam

The holiday season is a frantic time. Customers are searching online for the perfect gift, and they’ll be inundated with email promotions and reminders from every store they’ve purchased at over the last few years. 

You can cut through the noise if you follow our easy tips:

• Segment your email lists so you’re sending personalised messages to the right people
• Add value to your customers by sending authentic and thoughtful email content
• Build credibility instantly by embedding top Instagram posts in your Christmas email campaigns
• Handle objections with special offers including discount codes and free shipping
• And lastly, have fun! No one likes stuffy Christmas email campaigns with no life.

Need a bit more help getting ready for the Christmas period? Check out our post on getting your shipping and fulfilment processes in peak-season condition here.