Holiday email campaigns are vital for boosting engagement and sales. Holidays provide a unique opportunity to connect with customers seeking gifts and promotions.
Well-crafted emails build brand loyalty and encourage repeat purchases. They help businesses shine in a crowded market, attracting attention and driving traffic. Embracing the holiday spirit allows companies to create lasting, meaningful interactions.
Let’s explore 10 effective holiday email marketing examples, along with top tips to add holiday magic to your campaigns.
Best holiday email campaigns
Looking for holiday email inspiration? Take a gander at these examples from brands that use the holidays to their advantage.
1. Google Store
Google Store nails building Black Friday excitement with its countdown email campaigns. Scarcity and limited-time offers incentivize shoppers. The email builds anticipation by listing Black Friday deal release dates. Customers may mark these dates in their calendars to avoid missing them.
Countdown or teaser emails get customers hyped up—and curiosity and fear of missing out (FOMO) are strong action drivers. Google plays on this by offering subscribers a sneak preview of upcoming discounts.
2. Bloomscape
Who said holiday email campaigns are only for major holidays? Home plant retailer Bloomscape capitalized on International Dog Day by showcasing pet-friendly plants.
Retailers can go beyond major holidays and leverage various observances, from International Coffee Day to World Sleep Day, as a touchpoint with subscribers. While these might not be traditional holidays, they provide unique marketing opportunities.
Bloomscape’s campaign is effective because it shows that the company understands its customers. It sells houseplants, and many homes have dogs. Using photos of adorable pooches and their plant picks adds a personal element. Easy-to-understand CTAs direct the reader to shop on the website. The email design is simple and on-brand.
3. Bonobos
Men’s apparel company Bonobos sent out a dynamic Cyber Monday sale email. An animated GIF in the email body revealed the 30 percent off site-wide offer. Whether you pronounce it “g-if” or “j-if,” there’s no escaping these snappy animations in effective campaigns.
The interactive design engages the user, and a mix of fonts and complementary colors keeps the email readable without cluttering. Against the black background, the “shop now” CTA stands out.
Breadnbeyond reported that 24.7 percent of marketers use animations in email campaigns. If used properly, GIFs can increase engagement and email click-through rate. However, they can also bulk up email sizes or turn off the customer.
When deciding whether to GIF or not to GIF, consider your audience and objectives.
4. Dollar Shave Club
You can rely on Dollar Shave Club for tongue-in-cheek marketing. Its holiday emails are no different. Strategic emojis in the subject line helped its email stand out in the festive clutter.
The subject line “Not that gift👆 or that one 👇” might seem odd if read alone. However, its genius reveals itself when surrounded by other holiday emails. Now, the emojis point to the emails above and below (which are likely gifting-related).
Used the right way, emojis can be a simple yet effective technique for standing out. This was only part of Dollar Shave Club’s strategy. The body of the email combined witty copy with images of curated gift sets. It encouraged the subscriber to click to shop. As a bonus, it included a $15 gift card to incentivize the sale.
Well played, Dollar Shave Club.
5. J. Crew Factory
Clothing retailer J. Crew Factory used a well-known festive song to its advantage. Instead of a partridge in a pear tree, its “12 days of deals” campaign offered customers a deal each day for 12 days.
The first deal offered 40 to 60 percent off everything in-store and online. Then, the company added an extra 15 percent off with free shipping. With such a strong starting deal, you can bet customers opened all 12 emails.
J. Crew Factory kept the email design and imagery minimal. The focus was on the deal without any clutter. Strong CTA buttons made it easy for readers to act.
This holiday email example shows the pulling power of a compelling offer.
6. Duolingo
The language app features its recognizable owl mascot in the “Give the gift of Super Duolingo” campaign. With other characters and bright colors, the email design grabs attention. The use of white space around the text puts focus on the message.
It’s no surprise that Duolingo would lean on language for witty email copy. It put a spin on the traditional festive “Ho Ho Ho” by translating it into different languages.
This eye-catching campaign relies on graphics and colors to capture attention. The bright pink CTA buttons stand out against a white background.
Key takeaways for marketers
What can marketers learn from these holiday email marketing examples? Here are some top takeaways:
- Compelling subject lines matter: Your email’s subject line plays a big role in why a reader clicks (or doesn’t). Keep it short, sweet, and persuasive.
- Lean into creativity: Get a little weird or unique with your emails if that fits your brand personality.
- Emotion drives traffic: Evoking emotions like curiosity, FOMO, or suspense can drive consumer action.
- Time is a powerful tool: Time-sensitive offers can encourage action. Examples include flash sales, limited-time promotions, or countdowns.
- Understand your audience: It’s crucial to know who you’re speaking to.
- Animation is effective (when used right): GIFs can make emails more dynamic. Do your research before including them in campaigns.
- Emojis can cut through clutter: Clever emoji use in subject lines can make your email stand out. They can convey meaning and increase engagement. Just avoid overusing them.
- Strong deals invite strong action: An irresistible offer can prompt customers to open your email faster than you can say “click-through rate.” Focus on creating promotions that drive traffic.
- Readers respond to useful information: Humans love to learn. Providing relevant tips or holiday-themed how-to guides can help elevate your brand.
- Clear CTAs encourage conversions: Ensure your CTAs are clear and easy to follow. Users want to know what will happen when they click the button. As a marketer, it’s your job to make sure they do.
- Solving problems increases sales: The holidays offer ample pain points that you can address. Identify what your customer needs and how you can provide it.
Tips for effective holiday marketing campaigns
We’ve powered through some of the best holiday retail emails. Now, let’s explore ways to add some holiday magic to your email campaigns:
1. Identify your brand’s holiday spirit
Is your brand more tinsel and baubles or trick-or-treating? Do you keep it nondenominational? Does your business align more with International Left Handers Day (because that exists)?
Before sending holiday emails, consider what aligns with your brand and customers.
2. Consider the best time to send holiday emails
Here’s where it gets tricky. There is no “best” time to send holiday marketing emails. Email timing can depend on time zones, audience habits, and industry trends.
However, there is some data to suggest preferred sending windows:
- Hubspot pulled data from over 20 million emails, showing Tuesday is the best day to send emails.
- In the same study, Hubspot suggests the highest number of email opens occurs at 11 AM EST.
Analyze past holiday campaign performance for insights. Evaluating open and click-through rates can determine the ideal time to send emails. Consider the following factors:
- Holiday type: Customers shop earlier for holidays that require gift-giving. Consider sending these weeks (or even months) in advance.
- Campaign objectives: Is the goal to build excitement, increase awareness, or encourage sales? For example, you can send countdown or teaser emailers earlier to hype up customers.
3. Use lesser-known holidays to your advantage
Customers’ inboxes overflow with emails on major holidays. Smaller holidays provide retailers with opportunities, as Bloomscape’s example highlighted earlier.
Set your business apart from the competition with campaigns for lesser-known days. Recognize Small Business Saturday to stand out from Black Friday emails. Check out a list of observances throughout the year to see if any align with your offering.
4. Design festive-inspired emails
Holidays provide the perfect opportunity to give your emails a makeover. Consider festive colors and themed graphics—just keep them on-brand.
A few ideas to ramp up the festivities include:
- Scatter subtle decorations through the email.
- Use an eye-catching layout optimized for mobile and desktop.
- Incorporate interactive elements like GIFs, animations, or countdown timers.
- Craft holiday-themed subject lines that grab attention. Feel free to throw in an emoji or two.
- A/B test different creatives and content to see what resonates with your audience.
5. Segment your audience
Segmentation divides your audience into smaller groups based on shared characteristics. The goal is to send relevant, personalized content to the right subscribers.
A McKinsey study found that impersonal interactions frustrated 76 percent of consumers. Segmentation results in higher opens and clicks than non-segmented campaigns. Targeted communication increases engagement and revenue.
6. Make automation your superpower
The holidays are a busy time for marketers. Juggling daily responsibilities with multiple campaigns across various channels can be overwhelming. Tools that can reduce manual tasks are a lifesaver. Enter email automation!
With email automation, you can set up time or action triggers to suit your audience. Here are a few examples of holiday email automation strategies:
- Abandoned cart emails: Retarget a subscriber who forgot something in their cart. You reengage with an interested person and encourage them to complete the purchase.
- Sale reminders: Nudge your customers to remind them of a sale that’s coming to an end. Along with countdown emails, this adds the element of time scarcity.
- Festive welcome emails: To make new customers feel at home, send them a welcome email. You can include an introductory discount on their first order.
7. Provide a holiday opt-out (or opt-down) option
Holidays bring joy to many people but can be painful for some. A Valentine’s email might not be well-received by someone going through a breakup. Part of understanding your audience is tuning into emotional needs.
Email opt-out functionality allows the recipient to unsubscribe from certain holiday emails. Customers feel valued and understood. You benefit from targeted communications with higher engagement. It’s a win-win!
8. Give the gift of email deliverability
Once you’ve crafted the perfect email campaign, you must get it into inboxes. Email deliverability ensures your campaign reaches the inbox instead of the spam folder.
Changing consumer preferences, new bulk sender requirements from mailbox providers, and privacy laws affect deliverability. In response, email marketers must use various tricks to ensure their campaigns land in inboxes.
Three methods of ensuring email deliverability are:
- Verifying contacts: Your email list may have outdated or invalid contacts. The first step in reaching the right people is spring-cleaning your subscriber list. Tools like Validity BriteVerify remove invalid or outdated contacts to keep your database actionable. You enjoy lower bounce rates and wider reach.
- Safeguarding sender reputation: Mailbox providers are picky about inbox content. Many legitimate emails get stuck in the dreaded spam folder. Gaining a reputation as a trusted sender means your emails get past mailbox provider gateways and have a higher chance of being seen. You could roll the dice with your campaigns, or you could use a solution like Sender Certification. Think of it as a VIP red carpet that gets you into the inbox. Sender Certification safeguards your email reputation and establishes you as a trusted sender.
Create holiday email magic all year around
Ensuring email deliverability is vital for successful holiday campaigns. Improve the chances of your emails landing in customers’ inboxes with Validity. Contact us to schedule a demo and boost the impact of holiday marketing efforts.
