The Secret Sauce to Holiday Success

Part 1 in a 3 Part Series

Most retailers have already mapped out their holiday strategy from start to finish, and some are already fully engaged in their pre-holiday messaging. In our first installment of the "Secret Sauce to Holiday Success", I'm going to discuss taking advantage of what's working for you and capitalizing on it to gain untapped revenue.

Transactional Messages

According to MarketingSherpa, 75% of respondents said that they opened and read transactional messages ‘frequently’ or ‘very often/always’. If you haven't included these valuable messages in your holiday strategy, then it is time to get to work. There's not a better way to get in front of your most valuable subscriber and continue to cultivate your relationship while leveraging up-sell and cross-sell opportunities. I will outline two quick wins to incorporate into your holiday messaging strategy.

Holiday Themed Header and Navigation

Get your customer in the mindset that it's time to being thinking about holiday shopping by adding a holiday themed header or gift guide navigation. And they just aren't for your promotional messages, adding them to your transactional messages is an easy win. It gives a subtle nudge towards re-sell opportunities without damaging the original intent of the email. Holiday headers also give you the ability to be festive and have fun with your brand. It can take a "Order Confirmation" from drab to fab. Here are a few that I really liked from last year to get your creative juices flowing:

The Gift Guide

Old Navy added a gift guide during their holiday season, prominent in their header.

The Countdown

Pottery Barn added a count down in their header.

The Festive Feel

The Land of Nod went from their traditional blue to a vibrant red last holiday season.

BlueFly added festivity to their header during the holiday season

Consider Adding a Gift Services Footer

This is an important component to your email marketing mix, but can also be a nice addition to your transactional messages this holiday. A gift services footer can reinforce trust and allow transparency into your shopping process. In addition, it's a great way to create a conversation around their next purchase without being intrusive. Consider including the following:

• Local store information. Dynamically generating your subscriber's local store information is critical to giving them a last minute shopping option.
• Drop dead "order by" dates. Put urgency in front of your customer by adding "order by" dates to your services footer.
• Customer service information. Customer service information is critical in your transactional messaging. You can reinforce this essential information in a holiday themed gift services footer.
• Return policy. Return policies are important to include for your customers, even more important when your customer is buying for someone else.
• Gift services. Highlight the things that make your customers life a little easier like gift wrapping. This can be a compelling event to drive them towards their next purchase.

Here are a couple that I thought were executed well:

Kohl's added a service footer strategy to their holiday campaigns.

REI added a bold services footer to their holiday strategy.

These are just two small elements that are must have's for your transactional messages, where you aren't focused on promotions, but can still drive real revenue. The best part about it is that they are both components that you can add now, regardless of what your holiday campaign strategy may be. T

o learn more about how to optimize your transactional messages all year long, download our whitepaper Put the "Act" in Transact. If you have other suggestions for incorporating holiday revenue drivers in transactional messages, please comment below.