The holiday season is a big time for online retailers for obvious reasons. During this time of year the floodgates open wide to release a tidal wave of special offerings in hopes of capitalizing on the spending frenzy going on.
Pictured: The average consumer during the holidays.
Of course, there’s a novel concept dawning this season: Maybe it isn’t only about making gobs of money and giving the most excellent of presents. For instance, instead of doing anything for Black Friday, REI closed up shop and told people go outside instead — which, funnily enough, caused a 26 percent spike in their online traffic.
Opt outside.
All snark aside, REI did a good deed and received a tangible benefit from it. So, naturally, the reasonable thing to do is to exploit everyone’s good will and warm holiday feelings to drive a little more revenue your way.
No?
Right, no. However, we are advocating that you send out a simple seasons greetings/happy holiday/happy New Year type message to your subscribers toward the end of the season. Something that isn’t about them buying stuff from you — they’ve probably received enough of those message types by now, anyway. Like, for example, check this email from Williams-Sonoma:
Nothing fancy, just festive, with CTAs every where — but the main one is just for a fun fudge recipe for people to try out. It’s nice. It’s simple. It’s sweet. Same thing with Kill Cliff:
Again, nothing super creative. It feels genuine and, despite the CTA, it isn’t asking anything of the reader. Just a simple message bearing good tidings. Oh, and hey: Having gratitude and showing it is totally healthy for you. So that’s a plus!
Yo, we realize this is a big time of the year to make a whole bunch of money and a lot of your focus should be to that end. But, you know, a little display of gratitude can go a long way — sometimes it’s just about making people smile.
Also check out Here’s To Keeping You Holiday Delivery Merry And Bright and How To Optimize Your Holiday Email Marketing.