5 email marketing campaigns to manage increased demand at Christmas

The Christmas period is undoubtedly the busiest time of year for most retailers, with the upsurge in demand stretching internal resources, requiring hugely increased stock levels and causing many a headache for everyone involved…

However, there is something that you can do to manage demand across the festive period and increase revenue. Automated email campaigns can be set up months in advance of the busiest time of year, to encourage customers to bring forward their purchases and relieve the pressure on you.

Here’s our top 5 email marketing campaigns to manage demand at Christmas:

1. Countdown to Christmas

This is a classic festive campaign that can work for any retailer, allowing you to send out regular emails to count down to Christmas day. A good way to set this up would be with a ’12 Days of Christmas’ campaign, providing customers with a different special offer for 12 days in the run up to Christmas. Alternatively, a longer term campaign could be set up to spread demand over a longer period, for example from September right through to 24th December.

TIP! Don’t forget to mention your last ordering dates before Christmas

2. Re-engagement

In the run up to Christmas, it’s a great time to energise your email list by focussing on those who have not purchased from you for a longer period of time. Nearly everyone has to buy gifts at Christmas, so why not capitalise on this and persuade them to buy theirs from you?! A re-engagement campaign can be tailored to highlight the benefits of purchasing from you, such as your delivery and returns policy.

TIP! If you know what your customers previously purchased, you can include relevant products in the email.

3. Weather Warning

December’s weather in the UK is unpredictable to say the least, so think about setting up a campaign to warn customers of adverse weather conditions that may affect their delivery in the run up to Christmas. This can be linked up to real-time long range weather forecasts, to be triggered in advance of adverse weather being forecast. This is also a great opportunity to promote weather dependant products, for example hats and scarves or blankets, and generate additional revenue!

4. Post Purchase Reminders

Although this type of campaign is typically used for products that are bought on a regular basis, they can still be useful in the run up to Christmas to encourage customers to place orders further in advance of the busy period. You may also want to encourage regular customers to place double orders for peace of mind, so that they won’t need to place another order until the festive season is over!

TIP: You can also set up emails to notify your customers of your January sale!

5. Special Offers

A special offer is a great way to create a buzz, generate orders and spread demand ahead of Christmas. Think about setting up time limited special offer campaigns such as ’24 hour sale’ or ‘10% off Weekend’ which will encourage customers to place their orders earlier to save money. Other email campaigns to spread demand include those which encourage customers to spend a specific amount per week in the run up to Christmas, to qualify for discount voucher in January.

We hope that you find these ideas useful in helping you to set up your automated email campaigns to spread demand at Christmas and generate additional revenue. Remember, they can apply to any period in which you see increased demand – not just Christmas!