2009 Best Last Minute Holiday Tactics - Part 1
Happy New Year! Typically this time of the year people hit the eject button on 2009 and enter a new, blank tape for a fresh start in 2010. For most marketers January means a time to slow down and catch your breath, but remember: the holidays don't end December 25. Now is the perfect time to outsmart the competition by not resting on your laurels and instead, find ways to bring subscribers back into your store and buying again. First, let's take a look back at the last two weeks:
The week pre-Christmas (12/20-12/24)
The week prior to Christmas is often a quiet one as online retailers hit against shipping deadlines. However, there were three trends that stood out during this last few minutes of scrambling to get any last pre-Christmas sales:
1. Gift cards promotion/Last minute gifts
The perfect present for those that are unsure what to get their recipients and for those that wait to shop until the last minute, or those that were surprised by an 11th hour addition to their shopping list. This also gives additional messaging opportunities leading up to Christmas instead of going quiet after shipping deadlines pass.
- 12/20: American Apparel dedicated their week of Christmas email to e-gift certificates (Subject line: "American Apparel: It's not too late for a Gift Certificate").
- 12/20: Burburry chose a simplistic design to promote their physical gift cards which could be shipped free to the recipient (Subject line: "Burberry Gift Card for the Holidays and Complimentary Shipping").
- 12/20: The Home Depot introduced both last minute gift ideas and the benefits of sending an e-gift card (Subject line: "Last Chance for Delivery by Christmas!").
- 12/21: Chefs presented their last minute gift ideas as the top-rated customer favorites to help those that are unsure what to get for their loved ones (Subject line: "Final Chance for Christmas Delivery! Plus Shop Top Rated Kitchen Gear for Last Minute Gift Ideas!").
- 12/23: Sephora's secondary message in an email two days before Christmas pushed last minute gift cards (Subject line: "You're invited: extra 20% off sale").
2. In-store shopping
A number of online retailers also have a brick and mortar presence, making in-store shopping and ship to store messaging very popular. This messaging can extend to reaching out to day before scramblers so your brand will be top of mind during their frantic shopping spree.
- 12/21: Apple publicized both in-store pick up and next day shipping for online orders (Subject line: "Last-minute gifts they'll love.").
- 12/23: Nordstrom explained how easy, and quick, ship to store is for online shoppers, with secondary messaging around gift cards (Subject line: "Buy Online, Pick Up in Store Today!").
- 12/24: Gap included an in-store shopping call to action at the top of their sale message (Subject line: "4 Days Only: Extra 20% Off Sale Items. Exclusively Online.").
3. Drop-dead Shipping deadlines
Early in the week marketers promoted their drop-dead shipping deadlines through a variety of methods. These types of emails are a great kick in the pants for those laggards.
- 12/20: Abercrombie & Fitch dedicated this email to their shipping deadlines (Subject line: "Get your A&F gift by Christmas!").
- 12/20: Cooking.com placed their shipping deadlines at the top of the email so they can't be missed (Subject line: "$9.99 Flat-Rate Expedited Shipping + Stocking Stuffers").
- 12/20: B&H Photo provided a complete holiday shipping schedule call to action in their preheader space (Subject line: "Get Your Gifts in Time! Free Rushed Shipping on Holiday Specials").
- 12/21: ThinkGeek created an eye-catching design to call attention to their shipping deadlines and includes urgency messaging (Subject line: "$10 off new goodies before time runs out!").
- 12/21: Cabelas promoted their shipping deadlines and includes an incentive to order today (Subject line: "Last Chance for Guaranteed Express Shipping").
Christmas Day (12/25)
Season's Greetings messaging ruled the day along with the start of clearance messaging. Non-promotional emails like these can create goodwill for your brand.
- 12/25: CostCo shows off team members and provided a warm and fuzzy Christmas greeting (Subject line: "Thank you and Happy Holidays from Costco.com!").
- 12/25: Lands' End sent their holiday wishes with a social networking contest tie-in (Subject line: "A very merry thank you: $1000s in Gift Cards for Lands' End fans").
- 12/25: Park Seed wished their subscribers well with a sincere thank you email (Subject line: "Best Wishes from Our Family to Yours!").
Last minute holiday standout:
REI covers gift cards, in-store shopping, seasons greetings, returns and hours in this email from 12/22 (Subject line: "Still Available: REI E-Gift Cards + 50% Off at REI-OUTLET").
Tomorrow I will cover post-holiday email promotion tips and examples. Stay tuned!
Kelly Lorenz
Email Marketing Strategist at Bronto
@KNLorenz
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About the Author
With a background in Account Management and Client Services at the top agencies in the Southeast, Kelly brings both hospitality and retail experience. In her role at Bronto, Kelly guides clients to strategically optimize their email marketing campaigns and drive ROI. Kelly’s specialty in the online retail space is evidenced in her work with clients listed on Internet Retailer’s Top 500 List. Kelly has been has been featured in Marketing Profs Get to the Point Email Marketing, Retail Email Blog, Email Marketing Reports and Internet Retailer. In her spare time, Kelly can be found training for her next marathon.
Nice roundup Kelly. On the
Nice roundup Kelly.
On the 22nd Dec, I noticed 4 retailers with the same, "There's still time!" subject line & creative:
There's still time! Great gifts ready to ship, but don't delay. (Norm Thompson)
There's Still Time: Overnight Shipping is just $5 (today only!) (Estee Lauder)
There's still time - order by noon tomorrow (Cole Haan)
There's still time! Get Christmas delivery or save in store. (Lands End)
Also I really like what Forzieri have done for the past 3+yrs. They send out a, "Blame it on us" email around the 23rd DEC. They include an apology card with the gift, citing high volume as the reason for late delivery. Check out the 09 email below:
http://www.forzieri.com/news/2009_12_23_us_onsite.html
Thanks for commenting, Anna!
Thanks for commenting, Anna!
I found similar nuances in my inbox around "Last chance!" and "Final days!". I think it's getting harder for retailers to find ways to stand out with parody messaging, so it'll be interesting to see any tweaks made holiday season 2010.
I LOVE that Forzieri email - how smart! Definitely helps the last minute shoppers who give the "it's in the mail" line on Christmas day...now they have the doctor's note to back them up.
Cheers,
Kelly
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