When the holiday shopping rush kicks in, it seems like email marketing best practices take a backseat. Marketers often switch up their strategies, focusing heavily on promotions while overlooking key tactics like cart abandonment recovery.
According to a survey by Strongview and Selligent, nearly 300 email marketers revealed their holiday game plan. The majority are doubling down on promotional emails and basic marketing tactics, leaving essential programs, such as cart abandonment reminders, on the sidelines.
“Marketers are falling into the trap of shouting to their customers in an attempt to rise above the holiday noise,” said Andre Lejeune, CEO of Selligent. “Instead of using this time to strengthen customer relationships, they’re focusing solely on short-term gains. Those who align their holiday email campaigns with long-term goals will see the biggest returns.”
The Holiday Email Playbook: What's In and What's Out
Sales and Discounts Dominate – A whopping 63% of marketers rank sales promotions as their top holiday email strategy, and 80% include them in their top three priorities.
Cross-Selling Takes a Backseat – Product recommendations and cross-sell opportunities are largely overlooked, with fewer than 10% of marketers making them a primary focus.
Cart Abandonment is Underutilized – Only 23% of marketers prioritize cart abandonment emails, despite their proven effectiveness.
Post-Purchase Emails Are Overlooked – Just 26% consider follow-up emails after a purchase a key strategy.
A Shift Towards Targeting—But Not Personalization
While promotions take center stage, some marketers are still leveraging targeting techniques to make their campaigns more effective. About 39% rank segmentation and targeting as their top holiday tactic, while 56% include it in their top three strategies. However, more sophisticated approaches like open-time personalization (21%), offer testing (21%), and video in email (11%) aren’t widely adopted.
Email Marketing Budgets Hold Strong
Despite shifting priorities, email marketing remains a powerhouse during the holiday season. Half of marketers reported increasing their email marketing budgets for the 2016 holidays, while only 1.5% planned to cut back. The rest are sticking with their existing budgets.
The Bottom Line
While marketers are eager to maximize holiday sales, those who focus solely on promotions may miss valuable opportunities to engage customers. By balancing short-term sales with long-term relationship-building, brands can ensure they stay on the ‘nice list’—and in their customers' inboxes—long after the holiday season ends.
