7 December E-newsletter Concepts (and Why They Work)

Advertising and marketing is usually about experimentation and iteration.

Strive providing free presents as an alternative of proportion reductions. Tinker along with your buyer segments. Write a topic line utilizing nothing however emojis. See what works greatest—and do extra of it.

However December undoubtedly isn’t the time for enjoying. With Christmas approaching quick, you’ll wish to lean again on tried-and-trusted methods to maximise income era at this essential time of yr.

Thankfully, audiences are notably receptive to our messaging in December, which sees the second-highest e mail open fee of any month, at 21.81 p.c. Solely November—which, let’s not neglect, consists of BFCM—has a better fee.

Hopefully, you have already got a transparent image of what your December e mail advertising campaigns will seem like. However in case you’re nonetheless trying to finalize your plans, don’t fear, as a result of I’ve taken one other deep-dive into the Drip swipe file to spherical up seven of one of the best December e-newsletter concepts…

As entrepreneurs, we’re typically determined for Black Friday and Cyber Monday to be over. Months of planning, adopted by essentially the most intense working week of the yr—and on a regular basis you’re continuously terrified that your web site will crash or your emails will by chance promote final yr’s supply.

It’s a marvel we preserve coming again for extra.

However proof suggests that buyers don’t suppose the identical. Take a fast peek at Google Developments and also you’ll see there’s nonetheless some search curiosity round Black Friday and Cyber Monday after the occasions have handed:

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So why not give them what they’re searching for by sending a BFCM followup e mail in early December? That’s exactly what The Physique Store did in my first December e-newsletter instance:

There are a pair benefits to this strategy. 

Firstly, there’s a far stronger likelihood prospects will really see your post-Cyber Weekend emails. In keeping with Marketing campaign Monitor, greater than 116 million emails are despatched on Black Friday—greater than some other single day. So there’s one thing to be mentioned for following up just a few days later to achieve individuals who missed your message on the day itself.

Secondly, there’s a great likelihood you’ll wish to run some type of low cost or promotion in early December anyway. Tying it to your BFCM providing means you’re technically selling the identical sale relatively than beginning a brand new one. 

That is good from a client psychology perspective, with analysis from Klarna revealing that 38 p.c of customers imagine fixed gross sales make manufacturers look retro and low cost.

Sadly, not all of these gross sales are going to stay. In keeping with the Nationwide Retail Federation, retailers anticipated greater than 13 p.c of all merchandise bought in the course of the 2020 vacation interval to be returned, at an estimated price of $101 billion. 

The overwhelming majority of these returns—simply over 80 p.c—occur in January:

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That’s a irritating, if inevitable, statistic. You’re employed arduous to hone your messaging all through the vacation season, solely to see about $1 of each $7.50 spent leading to a return.

Wouldn’t it’s good in case you might discover some technique to scale back your return fee?

Truly, you may, with analysis from Shinhyoung Lee and Youjae Yi revealing that customers are much less prone to return purchases together with a free present. 

In keeping with the researchers, it’s all in regards to the buyer’s perceived sense of loss. For no matter purpose, they’ve a higher feeling of loss when the merchandise they return is described as a “free present.”

Use this technique to your benefit by providing a free present as a part of your December advertising plans, like cosmetics model Origins did on this instance:

This strategy isn’t nearly lowering returns. By providing the present to prospects who spend over a certain quantity, you may as well enhance your common order worth—supplied prospects understand the present’s worth to be value the additional expense.

In a world the place 56 p.c of all cart abandonments could be traced again to shipping-related considerations, there’s by no means a dangerous time of yr to advertise free delivery.

However this tactic could be particularly useful throughout December, with analysis from Google revealing that 75 p.c of vacation customers plan to purchase from manufacturers that supply free delivery.

Sleepwear model Lunya is clearly nicely conscious of this pattern, utilizing free delivery as the primary “hook” for one among its December 2021 e mail campaigns:

There’s so much to love about this instance.

For one factor, Lunya saved issues easy by providing free floor delivery on all US orders, leaving no room for confusion. It additionally launched a component of shortage by working this promotion as a limited-time low cost, encouraging customers to purchase now.

Importantly, Lunya additionally took care so as to add additional info round supply timings:

That is essential throughout December, when prospects merely can’t afford for his or her purchases to reach later than anticipated.

If something, it seems we’re really changing into much less organized in relation to Christmas procuring. Google revealed that in 2021, searches for “final minute christmas presents for” elevated globally by greater than 700 p.c within the week working as much as December twenty fifth.

There are a pair methods for ecommerce entrepreneurs to capitalize on customers’ lack of preparation.

One strategy, favored by cosmetics model Charlotte Tilbury, is to warn prospects when the ultimate date for Christmas delivery arrives:

This isn’t simply an opportunity to drive gross sales; it’s virtually a public service. Your prospects will thanks for serving to them keep away from the embarrassment of telling their nearest and dearest: “Sorry, your present’s within the mail—I undoubtedly didn’t neglect to purchase it.”

Alternatively, in case you’re in a position to supply ultra-fast delivery—or maybe in-store pickup—nearer to Christmas Day, be at liberty to delay your messaging to the final attainable minute.

You’ll have a serious level of distinction versus all these different retailers that can’t ship as late as you, providing you with a implausible alternative to drive last-minute gross sales.

Within the UK, customers persistently splash out round £4 billion ($4.9 billion) on December twenty sixth, so it’s undoubtedly one other massive alternative to drive on-line gross sales.

Menswear model Chubbies is nicely conscious of this, utilizing Boxing Day 2021 to focus on its e mail advertising subscribers with a revenue-generating promotion. It began with the e-mail topic:

It is a implausible topic line. It’s humorous, but in addition simply actual sufficient to make you suppose: “Hmmm, possibly I ought to deal with myself.” I couldn’t assist however click on—and I’m certain loads of different recipients felt the identical.

Intelligently, Chubbies backed up its wonderful topic line with a stable gross sales promotion, providing a wholesome low cost on out-of-season inventory:

Once more, that is clever advertising. At the least within the northern hemisphere, few customers are actively planning to purchase swim trunks in late December. What’s the hurt in providing a considerable saving on merchandise that will in any other case be gathering mud in your warehouse?

Information from the US Census Bureau reveals that spending at retailers and eating places climbed by 3.8 p.c month-on-month in January 2022—virtually twice as excessive as economists had predicted.

In different phrases, January is (one more) key interval for driving gross sales. Begin the yr poorly and also you’ll be enjoying catchup for weeks or months to come back.

All of which implies that it is smart to begin pushing your January providing in late December, similar to Mattress Bathtub & Past did on this e mail instance:

Identical to my earlier instance from Chubbies, the emphasis right here could be very a lot on clearance offers.

This is smart. In keeping with Deloitte, the typical client is predicted to shell out virtually $1,500 all through the vacation season. 

In any case that spending, the very last thing on most individuals’s minds is to spendmuch more on a bunch of big-ticket purchases. So take a leaf from Mattress Bathtub & Past’s ebook by pointing potential customers within the path of your most closely discounted—and, due to this fact, most engaging—gives.

Spotify Wrapped has modified all that. The streaming platform’s customized annual roundup attracted 30 million viewers in 2017, rising to greater than 120 million in 2021. Final yr additionally noticed virtually 60 million shares of Wrapped tales and playing cards throughout social media.

So why not bounce on the bandwagon and share your individual “wrapped” of the earlier 12 months?

Clearly, you’re not Spotify, so you may’t inform your e mail subscribers how lengthy they spent listening to Taylor Swift. However you may undoubtedly spotlight key traits and occasions from the previous yr, resembling:

Model Republic jumped on the “yearly roundup” pattern in 2021 by showcasing numerous happenings from across the enterprise, together with its new retailer fit-outs and its sustainability efforts:

I’m a giant fan of this strategy—notably across the problems with company social duty and environmental, social, and company governance.

Reality is, customers wish to know that you simply’re making a (constructive) distinction to the planet.

Analysis from Google Cloud discovered that four-fifths of customers choose manufacturers’ values to align with their very own, whereas three-quarters have “cut up up” with retailers over values-related conflicts.

Nevertheless it’s not simply sufficient to easily make guarantees; you must comply with by way of with motion. Certainly, an Ipsos survey discovered that 34 p.c of customers have actively researched manufacturers to search out out whether or not they’re staying true to their phrases.

What higher time to exhibit your environmental credentials than proper on the finish of the yr?

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