8 Boxing Day email marketing essentials

Boxing Day is a time of celebration, relaxation, and most importantly, an opportunity for ecommerce businesses to capture the attention of eager shoppers and inspire them to take advantage of unbeatable offers. 

As the festive season approaches, it’s important to ensure your holiday email marketing strategy is both powerful and targeted. In this blog, we’ll dive into the 8 essential elements of crafting highly effective Boxing Day email marketing campaigns, carefully designed to grab attention, pique interest, ignite desire, and ultimately, drive action.

1. Set up your automation programs

To ensure success during the holiday season and beyond, it’s important to set up your marketing automation programs in advance. Many offices may be closed during this time, and even if they’re open, attention may be focused on next year’s strategy rather than sales emails. By automating tasks such as welcome emails, abandoned cart reminders, and post-purchase follow-ups, your email marketing strategy can become more efficient and effective. 

Additionally, automation ensures that messages are sent at the appropriate time and are tailored to each subscriber, which can lead to increased engagement and conversion rates. It’s also a good idea to incorporate AI-powered recommendations into your automation programs by offering products similar or related to previous purchases. This personal touch can encourage customers to make additional purchases and boost sales.

2. Jazz-up your existing programs

Give your existing programs a Christmassy feel by creating some unique templates to cover the holiday period. Boxing Day sales are a great way to acquire new customers. Make the right first impression with a personalized welcome program that wishes new subscribers a ‘Merry Christmas and Happy New Year’. Perhaps you can offer a limited time discount to anyone signing up during the period. This will encourage repeat purchases when the season is over.

3. Stand out in crowded inboxes with subject lines

As with every other busy sales period, inboxes are even more overcrowded than normal. You need to make an impact as soon as your email lands. To immediately grab attention, focus on crafting powerful subject lines. While often overlooked by marketers, a well-crafted subject line can be the most important part of your campaign.

To make a lasting impression, use customer data to personalize subject lines, incorporating recipients’ names or referencing past interactions with your brand. If you’re struggling with subject line ideas, AI-powered tools can be a game-changer. For instance, WinstonAI brilliantly analyzes up to 25 of your previous subject lines before providing tailored recommendations that effectively resonate with your target audience. This personalized approach piques the recipients’ interest and sets a strong foundation for your message.

4. Make it limited, make it irresistible

Boxing Day thrives on unbeatable deals that shoppers simply cannot overlook. To fully capitalize on the power of your email campaign, emphasize the exclusivity and time-sensitive nature of your offers, such as limited-time discounts, bundle deals, or gift-with-purchase incentives. By showcasing the potential savings, you make it challenging for your audience to resist.

One way to ramp up the excitement is through flash sales – strictly limited sales with a sense of scarcity and a tight deadline for making the purchase. Flash or short supply sales can generate an average uplift of 35% in transaction rates. At the extreme utilization of this trend, we have the infamous brand Supreme which is the pioneer of hype branding, some of their products resell as high as 1200% more than the retail price. 

Running a short supply sale is an opportunity to generate real major sales momentum, particularly when supported by social media integrated with your outbound marketing campaigns. Interestingly, campaigns deployed in the morning have a higher engagement rate but those sent in the evening hours perform better on conversion; if your goal is to generate brand and awareness vs immediate sales consider this a tactic.

5. Optimize for mobile devices

With an ever-increasing number of shoppers browsing and purchasing on their smartphones, it’s vital to optimize your Boxing Day emails for seamless mobile viewing. Use responsive design elements, concise copy, and easy-to-tap call-to-action buttons to cater to mobile users, ensuring a smooth user experience.

With an ever-increasing number of shoppers browsing and purchasing on their smartphones, it’s vital to optimize your Boxing Day emails for seamless mobile viewing.

Here are some key considerations for optimizing your emails for mobile devices:

• Responsive design: Implement a responsive email design that adjusts automatically to fit various screen sizes and resolutions. This ensures your email looks visually appealing, whether it’s viewed on a smartphone, tablet, or desktop device, providing a positive user experience across all platforms.
• Concise copy and clear legibility: Keep your email copy short and to the point, focusing on the essential information and key selling points. Mobile users often skim through content, making it crucial to communicate your message effectively in fewer words. Additionally, use clear fonts and an appropriate font size to ensure legibility on smaller screens.
• Easy-to-tap call-to-action (CTA) buttons: Make it easy for mobile users to take action by utilizing large, easily visible, and tapable CTA buttons. Additionally, ensure there’s enough space between buttons and other touch targets to minimize the chance of accidental clicks.
• Optimize images and videos: Optimize your visual content for faster loading times on mobile devices by compressing images and using the correct file formats. Be cautious about using heavy images or videos, as they may slow down load times and frustrate users. Opt for HTML5 animations or lightweight GIFs when possible.

6. Keep your message clear across all channels

To connect effectively with your customers, make sure your message is consistent across all communication methods, such as chat, SMS, push notifications, or direct mail. According to 2022 data, approximately 48% of holiday revenue came from smartphone purchases, emphasizing the need to reach customers on multiple platforms.

Use a simple and consistent communication approach for all channels, ensuring your audience gets the same message no matter how they’re contacted. Sharing your promotions through multiple touchpoints helps increase their reach and impact during busy sales times.

7. Test and monitor your campaigns

Never underestimate the importance of thorough testing in your email marketing efforts. To gauge the effectiveness of your Boxing Day email marketing campaigns, be sure to set up A/B tests before launching any emails. A/B testing various elements, such as subject lines, visuals, and promotional offers, will help you determine what resonates most with your target audience.

For optimal results, your campaigns must be continuously monitored, analyzed, and adjusted to ensure they make a strong impact. By tracking your email performance, you will gain valuable insights that can be used to optimize future campaigns and ultimately maximize your return on investment (ROI).

Here are some ways to streamline your testing and monitoring process:

• Consistent A/B testing: Conduct ongoing A/B tests to evaluate and refine your campaigns, constantly striving to achieve better results. This will help you deliver the most engaging and effective emails to your subscribers.
• Performance tracking: Keep a close eye on important email marketing metrics, such as open rates, click-through rates, and conversion rates. Monitoring these figures will provide essential information about campaign performance and customer preferences.
• Adapting and evolving: Use the insights gained from testing and monitoring to refine your campaigns continually. Adjust subject lines, visuals, content, and promotional offers based on the data you’ve collected to optimize their impact on your target audience.

8. Don’t forget post-Boxing Day campaigns

While the focus is understandably on Boxing Day itself, it’s essential not to neglect the days that follow. Continue your marketing efforts throughout the rest of the holiday season with follow-up emails highlighting any ongoing sales, special offers, or new inventory.

Additionally, use this opportunity to start building excitement for future events and sales campaigns, such as New Year’s promotions or upcoming seasonal sales. By maintaining momentum beyond Boxing Day, you’ll set the stage for continued success in the new year.

Get a head start on your Boxing Day email campaigns

Boxing Day offers an incredible opportunity for ecommerce brands to connect with their target audience and boost sales performance. Utilizing these eight essential tactics in your email marketing campaigns will assist in creating a powerful, persuasive, and effective holiday sales strategy. With automated campaigns, engaging personalization, mobile optimization, and consistent monitoring, you’ll maximize your Boxing Day ROI and set the foundation for success in the coming year.