With less than two months to go, the chances are that the majority of businesses are busy preparing for Christmas. It can be an extremely hectic time for retailers with most preparing their Christmas output months in advance. At this time of year, it can be easy to get caught up in all the festive excitement, but there are a couple of very important days for retailers to consider before Christmas comes around: Black Friday and Cyber Monday.
What Are They?
In the US, Black Friday has long been one of the busiest shopping days of the year. It’s the day after Thanksgiving where most people have the day off work, so retailers run promotions to encourage people to start their Christmas shopping. In recent years, it has become a global phenomenon, with customers rushing to get great deals from big retailers. Cyber Monday was established in 2004 when it became apparent that the Monday after Thanksgiving was the biggest online shopping day of the year. Many retailers, both online and offline, save their best promotions and offers for the Black Friday/ Cyber Monday period. This year, Black Friday is 27th November and Cyber Monday is 30th November.
As they are such important shopping days, it’s vital that you let your customer know about what you’re doing for Black Friday and Cyber Monday. Email marketing is the perfect medium for this. Here are some tips to help get your Black Friday/ Cyber Monday emails noticed:
Build Anticipation
On Black Friday and Cyber Monday, it’s likely that your customers will receive a lot of similar emails, all shouting about the days in the subject line, and showcasing deals in the body of the email. While there’s nothing wrong with emails like this, the chances are that only a handful of them will be opened.
To help ensure that your emails are opened, don’t wait until Black Friday/ Cyber Monday to send out your campaign. Send some emails out a few days before letting your customers know when your sale will start, and give them a taste of some of the offers they can expect.
Take this example from Debenhams:
The subject line tells the customer everything that they need to know: their Black Friday sale starts at 5am. The body of the email expands on this, showing the customer what they can expect from the sale. The customer can now be ready to snap up the Black Friday deals as soon as they start.
Leave Them Wanting More
Many Black Friday/ Cyber Monday emails showcase some of the deals on offer, like in this one from Pepperberry:
However, a strategy like this can backfire. If the customer isn’t interested in any of the deals in the email, they won’t click through, even though you may have other deals on your website. Instead, it’s best to just give your customers a taste of the deals you’re offering. By leaving them wanting more, the are more likely to click through the email to find out more.
In this email from House of Fraser, images are used to give the reader an idea of what products are on offer, but they actually have to visit the website at the correct times to find out the exact details:
Let Them Know When It’s Ending
As their inboxes are so busy, your customers might miss your initial Black Friday/ Cyber Monday emails, but that doesn’t mean that they want to miss out on your deals. Send out an email towards the end of your Black Friday/ Cyber Monday campaign letting your customers know when your deals are ending and highlighting the fact that they have to move fast. That sense of urgency may encourage them to click though and, perhaps, make a purchase.
This example from Argos illustrates this perfectly:
The Black Friday/ Cyber Monday period can be extremely lucrative for retailers. With some clever use of email marketing, you can make the most of this important time in the run up to Christmas.
