With Black Friday, Cyber Monday, Small Business Saturday and of course all of the other year-end holidays, marketers send more emails in November and December than any other time of the year. And though there is a natural and expected dip in email volume after the holiday season, you don’t want to lose all of that great momentum that you’ve built. In January and February, it’s important to continue to engage with your audience and present them with exciting, relevant messages and — most importantly — encourage them to make a purchase.

To beat that post-holiday slump and keep your email marketing program on track, these are the five emails that your retail business should be sending.

Win-back campaign

Start your year strong by re-engaging inactive subscribers. A win-back campaign is used to appeal to contacts who may have signed up for your list months ago but haven’t opened or clicked on any of your messages in a while. Studies show that 45 percent of people who receive a win-back email will read subsequent emails.

Review your contact list and holiday season metrics, and then reach out to that segment of subscribers who haven’t recently engaged with your shop’s messages. And make sure to offer a special not-to-be-missed discount. Threadless, an online T-shirt shop, sent a win-back email to subscribers who didn’t open the company’s Black Friday and Cyber Monday emails. The copy is playful and the 50 percent discount is a major incentive to click that CTA button.

Resolution helper

Encourage your customers to keep their resolutions by promoting products that will help them achieve their goals for the new year. Exercising more, learning a new skill, getting organized — these are common resolutions. And as a retailer, you likely sell a product that will enable your customers to make good on one of these promises.

Free People sent out a new year inspiration email, highlighting their athletic apparel which speaks to people who are focused on becoming healthier.

The following email from Petco points out two specific resolutions — “resolve to get your ZZZs” and “resolve to get active together” — and then offers discounts on products that will help animal lovers meet those goals.

Best sellers

We’ve said it here before: Your customers like knowing which of your products are popular. This is why “best sellers” is such a powerful marketing term. After the holidays, you’re likely already reviewing your store’s year-end performance, so use that data to create a best sellers email. You can offer a discount on these customer favorites or simply create a “best of the year” list, as Forever 21 has done.

Old Navy takes their campaign to the next level by incorporating actual customer testimonials into the email.

Trend report

While the best-seller email looks back at the previous year, a trend report showcases the must-haves of the upcoming season. Use this email to highlight your newest, most buzz-worthy products and to get your subscribers excited about your brand in the new year. This ASOS email references a current fashion trend (slogan tops and tees) and features two on-trend shirts that the shop sells.

Cold weather-themed promotions

Jack Frost doesn’t stop nipping at noses once the holidays are over. January and February bring some of the coldest temperatures for most cities in the United States. You can connect with the subscribers dealing with the winter chill by sending out weather-themed promotions. Jacket and boot sales are the obvious choice for clothing retailers who want to help their customers beat the cold. A health food store or grocer could offer discounts on specialty teas or hot chocolate, while a hardware store might highlight products that help customers weatherproof their homes.

Noco promotes their battery chargers by making sure their readers know how important it is to keep batteries juiced up during the last few months of winter.

If you’re a retailer experiencing the post-holiday email marketing blues, remember there are many creative ways to reconnect with your subscribers. Although the frequency of the messages you send may drop after December, the energy and immediacy you bring to your campaigns should remain constant. Use your post-holiday emails to dazzle your customers, re-engage them and make sure they understand why they should be visiting your business all year long.

© 2018, Amber Humphrey. All rights reserved.

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