8 Post-Holiday Email Marketing Strategies to Boost Sales

The holiday rush is over and your sales have pivoted. But then what?

Returning to “business-as-usual” after the holiday season is like letting hard-earned gains slip away. Instead, brands can capitalize on the sales momentum to boost their holiday revenue even more, and build stronger relationships with new, prospective, and existing customers.

The following 8 post-holiday email marketing strategies will help you keep the momentum going. You can also check out how other brands rode the post-holiday waves including expert email marketing tips to drive sales.

1. Extend your sales period

Who said that sales are only for the holiday season? According to recent stats, almost one in two people enjoy shopping right after Christmas, so why not give them that opportunity? This could also be the case for holidays, such as Black Friday and Cyber Monday, which usually revive consumers’ shopping lust.

If extending your sales is not a viable option, you can also share incentives, such as free shipping or returns to make your offers more appealing.

No matter what you opt for, inform your target audience about your sales extension straight from the subject line to increase open rates, especially from highly interested consumers.

Here are some email subject line suggestions to make your message clear:

• Holiday cheer continues: Extra days of discounts!
• Extended holiday sale for the naughty and nice 🎅
• Holiday deals extended 🎁

Add important information about your deals at the top so that recipients spot it fast. You can also create a sense of urgency using a countdown timer or “Buy now” CTA buttons.

Here’s a great post-Labor Day deal by Rael. When opening the email, the reader knows exactly what they should do to claim the deal.

Subject line: ⭐️ LABOR DAY SALE EXTENDED ⭐️

2. Set up abandonment cart workflows

If you don’t send cart abandonment emails to website visitors who have showed a clear intent to buy, it’s time to do so. These email types have been linked with high click-through rates and conversions for eCommerce stores. And in peak seasons, not setting them up would be waste of ROI potential.

To make your post-holiday email marketing strategy more effective, add social proof to earn recipients’ trust, or even share a limited-time incentive, like a coupon or discount code. This is even more special for first-time buyers, as you introduce them to your brand with more generosity.

Overall, adding a sense of urgency without sounding too salesy is key. Place high-quality product visuals and descriptions to move reluctant or last-minute buyers to the checkout.

Here’s a great-looking example by Nomad. They notified customers that their favorite item is selling quickly to yield more conversion rates.

Subject line: Nomad Gear is Selling Out Quick

Ready to automate your abandoned cart emails? Choose an email marketing platform like Moosend with user-friendly automation features to set them up fast. You can also pick a holiday-themed email template and customize it based on your needs.

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3. Run upsell/cross-sell campaigns

Think of how much valuable customer data you gained during the holiday shopping season. Capitalize on it to create post-holiday email marketing campaigns with personalized product recommendations. Tools like email list segmentation and analytics solutions will help send more targeted emails based on demographics and even more nuanced data.

Dive deeper into customer insights to unveil their purchase history or website behavior and design email campaigns accordingly. You can also send special offers for upselling post-holiday promotions to yield more sales.

Plus, with the right messaging you can take this post-holiday email marketing strategy to the next level, and start building stronger relationships with your customers. You’ll do that by providing customers with a better, more personalized experience and not just selling more to them.

Yes, but what’s the balance? How about a “Post-holiday gift ideas just for you” subject line? It would motivate many email subscribers who did not get the opportunity to treat themselves during the holidays to seal the deal. And remember, the more targeted your email content, the better.

Here’s a holiday email example you can easily mimic by Open Spaces. Customize your messaging based on your needs.

Subject line: Our holiday colors are selling out fast…✨❤️

4. Reward loyal customers with exclusive deals

New customers are precious but loyal ones are the backbone of your business. Show them extra love to strengthen those valuable relationships, especially for customers who’ve been generous with you during peak seasons.

While it’s important to acknowledge those buyers all year long, post-holiday emails may have a different impact on them. Share exclusive deals or extra loyalty points with VIP members to show them your gratitude and keep them warmed up.

You can also give early access to new products or similar incentives they’d love to claim. Take their preferences into consideration when sending those emails to gain more profits.

In this email campaign, McDonalds rewarded loyal members with free food. Use a similar format and enhance your email design with holiday elements if you see fit to boost engagement metrics. An emoji can be a terrific addition.

Subject line: You earned 650 points toward FREE food 🎉

5. Inform about restocked items

Did your bestsellers get out of stock during the holiday season? Notify your customers they’re back, especially those who did not manage to purchase in time. When crafting those promotional emails, add a sense of urgency to boost conversions.

This is even more crucial if you shared those items in your holiday gift guides. To make this email more attractive, offer incentives, such as free shipping and returns.

Mention the purpose of this campaign straight from the subject line so that recipients highly interested in those products rush to claim them.

Here’s a back-to-stock campaign example by SONOS that’s highly effective:

Subject line: Restock Alert: Your favorites are back

Wishing to power up your seasonal marketing efforts with a similar campaign? Pick a holiday email template from Moosend’s library and customize it based on your needs using the drag-and-drop editor.

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6. Send referral emails with incentives

Another great marketing idea that will help you capitalize on your holiday momentum is promoting your referral programs. Invite holiday shoppers to bring their loved ones on board by offering appealing incentives to both sides, such as gift cards and discounts.

To build a converting standalone referral email, stick to a single call-to-action that pops out from the rest of the text with a bright color. State what’s in it for customers who refer early on to increase your conversion rates. Plus, ensure that the referred customer has all the information needed through a heart-warming welcome email.

If you’re a small business owner on a tight budget, you can also opt for non-monetary rewards, such as free shipping to early birds or even resources they’ll find useful in the post-holiday era.

And now, you’ll probably be expecting another email example. We’ve got a great one by MeUndies. Alter the messaging to match the post-holiday vibes to get more points:

Subject line: Spread the Love (And Get PAID💰)

7. Share engaging content with non-buyers

Many passed by your website and looked at your products or services during holidays but did not purchase. Some people are not ready yet, and that’s fine. But if you want to keep them warmed up, run brand awareness initiatives to help them learn more about you, without selling directly to them.

It’s up to you to decide the most fitting content based on your brand identity and audience segments. For instance, you can share helpful resources from your blog, behind-the-scenes from your team doing a holiday team activity, or a landing page with social proof.

Remember, to send those email campaigns, it’s vital to get people’s opt-in first, otherwise you might cause confusion, or worse, complaints.

Check out this example by Goodfor Company with social proof. It engages the audience without sounding pushy:

Subject line: Our customers are thrilled.

8. Craft thank you emails for holiday shoppers

You don’t always need to go big with holiday buyers to win them over. A simple message can take you a long way, and make customers appreciate you even more. Share a thank you email with buyers who completed a purchase with special wishes that reflect the tone of each holiday.

So, if we’re talking about Christmas sales, send a heartwarming message to wish them the best for the New Year. Or if it’s Halloween, craft a wicked gratitude email full of spooks to get them in the right mood.

You can also craft a personalized message, like this one by Airbnb to increase conversions:

Subject line: Get a personalized highlight reel of your hosting success

Turn Post-Holiday Blues into Opportunities

There’s nothing than a well-built sales momentum to keep your brand growing. Target your audience through these post-holiday email marketing strategies to keep them hitched.

After all, every day can feel like a holiday when put in the right mood and served with the right opportunities and incentives. Segment your email lists accordingly and make email recipients feel excited for their belated holiday deals.