According to a NRF (National Retail Federation) survey, over 80% of holiday shoppers begin shopping in November (40% of which start before Halloween). And you can bet that 100% of advertisers have taken note. With this being Thanksgiving week, brands have either already rolled out their holiday campaigns, or will do so before Thursday. The time has come!
Shoppers will be bombarded with emails and promotional messaging more often than ever. Don’t just pile it on. Be prepared to give your shopper a unique experience with these three last minute holiday checklist tips:
- Keep up with your competitors
- Shoppers are savvy. They are aware of all the dates on the holiday shopping calendar. Stay competitive by taking full advantage of consumers’ heightened awareness around this time.
- Extend that Cyber Monday offer until Tuesday with “sale extended” messaging on your paid ads and/or email campaigns.
- Message around your gift guide or create BOGO promotions.
- Offer free shipping. Almost half (about 47%) of consumers say free shipping offers will play a role in where they’ll choose to shop.
- Use email to drive engagement and retain shoppers’ attention before the sale
- Email templates and subject lines should mirror the season.
- Avoid irrelevant content. Shoppers will be inundated with emails during the holiday season. Make sure your “Seasons Greetings” emails include a clear call to action.
- Personalize your messaging. Use last year’s data to segment and customize emails in advance for shoppers.
- Give exclusives or sneak peeks. Including an exclusive preview discount will drive conversions during the sale by keeping your brand top of mind.
- Leverage social often
- Utilize these people who are engaged with your social pages by sharing your holiday cheer via company culture and charitable efforts posts.
- Create a sense of urgency. Post a countdown to your sale events on social media.
- Instagram and Pinterest double as product feeds. Make sure your sale and seasonal items are prominent and shoppable on both platforms.
- Leverage the authentic. Crowdsource your customer’s original and unique content.
The holidays are here! And though planning started early summer, it is always a good idea to double (or triple) check your campaigns. You already have all the tools you need in your holiday campaign arsenal, just make sure they are sharpened and ready to go!
