Holiday Marketing Emails:
How We Increased Holiday Revenue By 770% For Our eCommerce Client
Holiday email marketing is a critical subject for eCommerce businesses. And 3 stats prove exactly why:
- Online holiday shopping in 2020 totaled over $188 billion – a 32% increase from 2019.
- Email is responsible for 20% of holiday website visits.
- Consumers who purchase products through email are likely to spend 138% more than people who don’t receive email offers.
Which is why holiday marketing emails were a critical part of the strategy we employed for our client Boie.
Working together with Boie’s team
We strategized, created,and deployed holiday email marketing campaigns that:
- Generated a 650% increase in holiday sales in 2019.
- Generated a 120% increase in holiday sales from 2019 to 2020.
- Grew their email list by 500% within 2.5 years (in conjunction with other email marketing strategies).
According to Manuel, Boie's CEO
“We’ve grown our newsletter from a few thousand subscribers to over 130K since we’ve been working with them!”
“I looked at a few agencies online who offered similar services. Once I spoke to Chris and his team, I was sure that they were the right fit for Boie.
They help design and implement weekly emails that go out to our customers and subscribers. The types of emails include transactional notifications, discounts and sales, brand initiatives, and more.
Weekly calls help set up strategy and their team is extremely familiar with our 3rd party email provider (Klaviyo). Their ability to scale their campaigns to match their client’s growth sets them apart. They knew exactly what we needed for our current size and goals.”
Background
Boie is a specialty eCommerce store that sells sustainable body scrubbers, face scrubbers, and toothbrushes.
They hired us in 2018 to help them grow their email list, implement an effective email marketing strategy, increase email-driven sales, and boost customer loyalty and retention.
When we started working with them, they had an email list with 2,000 – 3,000 subscribers and little to no email marketing strategy in place.
In order to get the results they wanted, we first had to grow their list size significantly. We did so by:
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Implementing popups and signup forms on their website.
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Offering a 10% off purchases for signing up for their email list.
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Utilizing other list growth strategies we've developed.
We eventually grew their list to over 100K subscribers, helped them scale their email marketing strategy as their list grew, and helped them transition from using Mailchimp to Klaviyo.
Once they’d developed a more significant email list, we could begin implementing a strategy to generate email-driven sales.
Because they sold a novelty product (eco-friendly grooming products), we theorized that holiday email marketing would be critical to our email strategy and responsible for the majority of their yearly sales.
So we implemented the following holiday email marketing strategies in 2019 and 2020 which would eventually prove us right.
Thanksgiving Email Campaigns
Thanksgiving eCommerce sales topped $5.1 billion in 2020, a 21% increase from 2019. That growth trend is expected to continue.
As with Halloween, you simply need to apply some marketing savvy to connect your product to the holiday, offer a discount, and watch the sales roll in.
2019 Boie Thanksgiving Emails
In 2019, we sent out two Thanksgiving emails.
The first was sent 6 days before Thanksgiving. It included some cute, Thanksgiving-themed copy about Boie’s products and a 15% Thanksgiving-themed discount code. The second email was sent on Thanksgiving Day.
Emails Sent: 2
Average CTOR:7.8%
Cyber Monday Email Campaigns
Cyber Monday is probably the most important Holiday for online retailers. With over $10.8 billion in sales, it beat out Thanksgiving and Black Friday.
You can succeed with Cyber Monday emails by applying the same rule of Black Friday emails:
1. Offer A Big Discount:
The average Cyber Monday discount is 36%. We went with 25% off. Try offering a discount in this range.
2. Offer Free Shipping (if possible):
Shoppers love free shipping and it can significantly influence purchasing decisions.
3. Extend Through The Next Day
Give shoppers an extra chance to take advantage of your awesome sale.
2019 Boie Cyber Monday Emails
In 2019, we sent out just two Cyber Monday emails.
The first went out on Cyber Monday. Then we extended the sale the following day and included a countdown timer for some extra pressure.
Emails Sent: 2
Average Open Rate: 8.32%
Average CTOR: 11.57%
2020 Boie Cyber Monday Emails
We sent out four Cyber Monday emails in 2020.
The first two went out on Cyber Monday – the first at 6:00am, and the second at 2:00pm.
Then we sent out two more the following day – one at 11:00am, and one at 6:00pm.
Key Takeaway: Like Black Friday, we were able to increase sales by sending out two daily promotional emails. Cyber Monday 2020 more than doubled the sales from the previous year.
Emails Sent: 4
Average CTOR: 4.61%
Christmas Email Campaigns
In 2020, every day during the month of December exceeded $1 billion in online sales. Shoppers turned to the internet for their holiday shopping amid the Covid19 Pandemic.
With everyone ordering gifts at the same time, shipping delays will inevitably occur. Which is why you must incorporate shipping reminders into your email marketing strategy.
Let subscribers know when they must place their orders in order to receive them by Christmas.
2019 Boie Christmas Emails
In 2019, we sent out just two Christmas emails.
The first was sent out on 12/12 and it advertised Boie’s products as “a great stocking
stuffer” and reminded shoppers to order by 12/13 to get their gifts by Christmas.
The second was a non-promotional email that was sent out on 12/26. It simply wished subscribers a happy holiday season.
Emails Sent:2
Average CTOR:4.27%
2020 Boie Christmas Emails
In 2020, we sent out three Christmas emails.
The first two informed shoppers when they should order in order to receive their gifts by Christmas
The second was a non-promotional email that wished subscribers a happy holiday season.
Emails Sent:3
Average CTOR: 0.71%
New Years Email Campaigns
New Years has come to be associated with life-changing decisions. Everyone is ready to become a new person, and they need just the right product to do it with.
You can usually generate some sales by sending out an email wishing subscribers a happy new year. If possible, incorporate a product mention that connects your product(s) to their New Year’s Resolutions.
2019 Boie New Years Emails
In 2019, we sent out a New Years email that prompted subscribers to make 2020 their
“smoothest, freshest, most sustainable year yet.”
Emails Sent:1
Average CTOR5.16%
New Years Email
Subject Line:Happy New Year from Boie USA!
CTOR5.16%
2020 Boie New Years Emails
In 2020, we sent out a New Years email that informed subscribers about Boie’s new
recycling program. It invited them to learn more about Boie’s commitment to creating
sustainable, environmentally-friendly products.
Emails Sent:1
Average CTOR3.76%
New Years Email
Subject Line:Sayonara 2020! Don’t let the door hit ya
CTOR3.76%
At InboxArmy, we strategize, design, and manage email automations that increase revenue for our clients. Talk with a member of our team to see how we can improve your email marketing results. Get in touch now.
