We have all done it -- waited til the last minute to pick up those few remaining gifts. According to the National Retail Federation, over 50 percent of holiday shoppers have not finished their shopping a week before Christmas. This makes the last few weeks before the holidays a whirlwind of last-minute shopping.
Make sure that you don’t miss out on these last minute shoppers. – instead, reach out to them in an effort to increase holiday sales. To take advantage of this last-minute, holiday frenzy, try some of these smart and simple emailing tactics:
- Increase correspondence If there is ever a time to increase email frequency, it is the last two to three weeks before Christmas. It's the one time of the year when too many is better than too few. Make sure you send reminders about last-minute deals, shipping deadlines, and other important events.
- Offer gift cards Gift cards are the ultimate "last minute gift". They make it easy for "late" or "lazy" shoppers to finish buying gifts. To make it even more simple, offer gift cards online so buyers don't even have to leave the comfort of their home to finish shopping.
- Communicate urgency During the holiday season, there is a lot of activity going on and it is easy to forget things. It's important to remind shoppers that time is running out to get their holiday shopping done. Remind them about important deadlines such as the last day for guaranteed delivery, final days for certain deals
- Promote speedy delivery If it is possible, offer faster delivery options as time runs out. Examples include: "Buy online, pick up in store", "Discounted or free overnight/expedited shipping". If their delivery will not arrive by December 25th, offer to send an e-gift announcement explaining that it will arrive sometime after Christmas.
- Suggest last-minute gift ideas Offering easy and affordable last-minute gift ideas is a great way to increase your sales as the Christmas season draws to a close. Give your subscribers suggestions about how to use your products as great holiday gifts. For example, make lists of products that are perfect for a husband, sister, child, etc. or point out specific products that can be combined to create the perfect present.
Since most of you are probably just as busy as your customers, increasing your email correspondence may sound overwhelming. However, you can prepare your emails beforehand and then set a date and time for your email newsletter to be sent out with Email Contact's scheduling feature.