Email marketing turns the tables on the traditional retail calendar
Why does Cyber Monday have to be *after* Black Friday? It doesn’t, according to Kodak’s email offer on a digital camera, sent four days before Black Friday. I love the way they encouraged customers to make a purchase online ahead of the traditional brick and mortar retail rush. No 3 a.m. alarm clock, no trip to the mall, no foot race, no throwing of elbows – it’s just a few clicks. Here’s the breakdown of the offer:
-> The email offer creates urgency in two ways – the supply is limited and the sale only lasts for two days.
-> The landing page keeps things interesting. The discount actually increased over the two days. It seemed like the discount grew every time I visited – 7%, 11%, 18%, 23% and finally 25%. The folks at Kodak summed it up well: “You can WAIT to save more – but you RISK losing out!”
And even though this campaign went out before Thanksgiving, it’s still a timely lesson two weeks before Christmas. With store crowds only getting thicker, consider using email marketing to make shopping convenient for your customers, but don’t forget to create a little urgency as well.
Have you seen (or used) other creative strategies to create urgency this holiday season? If so, chime in. We’d love to continue the conversation…
[tags]black friday, cyber monday, holiday retail, email marketing, myemma.com, kodak[/tags]
2 Responses to “Email marketing turns the tables on the traditional retail calendar”
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About the Author
Jim Hitch
Jim is a firm believer that peanut butter is the one and only true cure for the hiccups, and his dream for a better world includes a peanut butter formula that cures ailments of all kinds, not just the annoying stuff. He's also a part of Emma's efforts to serve and grow the Emma Community.
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Emma is a member of the Email Sender & Provider Coalition and the Messaging Anti-Abuse Working Group.
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Yea that is great and everything, but where is the design of the card? It has everything design teaches us not to do. a star burst?! Come on. I’m glad it works and everything, but the principal of the matter is it’s poorly designed, and we as e-mail marketing designers, where taught better.
Thanks for the comment, Keith. I focused on strategy in the post, but of course good design is an important part of effective email marketing. I’d love to hear about some of your favorites on the design side. Are there any standouts you always enjoy receiving?