Black Friday will be upon us soon, and every marketer in the UK and Europe is gearing up for it. Black Friday is the ideal time to send promotional emails (the proven marketing channel with the highest ROI) to customers. However, standing out with everyone blasting out multiple emails is tough.
A Google search will give you examples of all the Black Friday emails you want, but what underlying principles make these emails work? What gets an email the right kind of attention when it has to go up against all your competitors’ emails?
That’s what we discuss in this article. You’ll find here 15 email types that will get your customers’ attention, put you ahead, and drive sales around and during Black Friday.
First things first
Before we get into the email ideas for Black Friday, let’s discuss the importance of email list hygiene. Regularly maintaining your email list will help guarantee that you’re only sending messages to individuals who genuinely desire your content. This practice also aids in preventing your emails from being categorised as spam.
Maintaining email hygiene involves eliminating defunct and non-responsive email addresses from your customer list so that the emails you send only go to active customers.
Maintaining email hygiene is a detailed topic in itself; we have listed the primary action items below:
– Cleanse your list. Have a sunset policy: delete all inactive subscribers who have not engaged with your emails in the last quarter (even after re-engagement efforts).
– Delete bounced and invalid email IDs. Bounces denote emails that don’t get delivered because the email address is invalid.
– Eliminate role-based accounts. Role-based accounts comprise email addresses that act as representatives for a group/alias, such as “@support” or “@info.” These do not pertain to specific individuals.
– Verify email subscriptions. We recommend implementing a double opt-in method since it’s the most effective way to ascertain that a subscriber genuinely desires to receive your emails.
Let’s study what emails attract maximum customer attention on Black Friday.
Offer never-before convenience
Sometimes, you don’t just move ahead with tactics. Sometimes, you need technology to give you a significant edge.
Try disruptive email tech to drive sales and engagement this Black Friday. Look at Inbox Commerce, a software innovation that allows emails to provide a website and app-like experience right within email.
So, users can do everything they would on your website or app but within the email you sent. They can search for items, compare and select them, add to cart, enter payment details, and finish a purchase – all within the inbox. They can use calculators, fill up forms, play games (for prizes), tag favourite products, book appointments, and do much more.
By making it easy for customers to buy what they want on Black Friday, you’ll introduce them to a kind of convenience and ease they’ve never seen before. Inbox Commerce makes the buying process seamless, lowers bounce rates drastically, and drives more sales.
Obsess over each subject line
When we say ‘obsess’, we mean it. It’s the first thing email recipients see, and the subject line is what gets someone to open an email (or ignore it).
The ideal subject line is short, concise, catchy, and piques curiosity without giving away the goods. It avoids spammy words like ‘Double your money’ or ‘100% FREE’. You can find extensive lists of such words online. Ensure that you avoid ALL CAPS in the subject line.
In the mobile dominant world, the optimum subject line length with the highest open rates is 30-35 characters with spaces. Lines beyond 36 characters get automatically truncated and abruptly break the description (source: Email Benchmark Report 2022 – A Study of 100 billion Emails).
Attract through anticipation
You’ve seen the pre-Black Sales teaser emails, right? They use an alluring combination of images and deals to whet your appetite for those incredible prices.
You can take this up a notch by using innovative technology like Inbox Commerce. You can send high-res image carousels and animated GIFs to showcase products and create curiosity. Users can also mark their calendars for the date and timing of the sale– from within the email.
Remember to highlight the deals. People expect to get the best products at the best prices on Black Friday, and your price points will be the start of the game.
Get them in early
A brand-new Xbox at 30% off, limited-time offer? You know folks will want in on that deal!
They’ll also be worried about someone else getting there first and losing their only chance at saving a ton of money. So, they’ll be very interested in getting ahead of the line.
Offer early access deals. Invite users to sign up and get the first crack at their favourite items. When they are signing up, ask them for their product preferences so that you can show them what they will actually want to buy. Obtaining such zero-party data will also help with future segmentation and hyper-personalization.
Pamper with giveaways and gifts
Who doesn’t like a gift AND a great deal? When customers make a purchase, offer them something free. Highlight the gift with images and GIFs so people are tempted by that ‘extra something.’
You don’t have to make the gift too complicated. A solid coupon code is excellent for individuals looking to maximize savings. If someone gets a laptop at 40% off and automatically gets the coupon code for 20% off an iPhone, they would also sway towards getting the iPhone.
Change up your moves; swerve left
Everyone has a sale on Black Friday. But how many of your competitors will pledge, say, 50% of their Black Friday profits to charity?
Naturally, people love brands that take a stand with their wallets. Not only does it contribute to a very positive brand image, but it also makes customers feel good about their purchases. When people know their money will help someone, they are willing to buy more.
Be authentic when announcing this via email. Don’t brag about the fact that your brand is giving to charity. Instead, talk about charity and its much-needed work in the world. Highlight the cause and even share links to additional material customers can browse on the excellent work being done. Ensure that your project has an attitude of putting the good cause before the brand.
Make your loyalists feel exclusive
Your best customers deserve the royal treatment, especially on Black Friday. Give something better than everyone else.
If someone has been a consistent customer, give them 10% extra off on every purchase. Something available at 40% off should be 60% off for the top 2% of customers.
Black Friday is an excellent time to remind your customers that you really value their patronage and are willing to show it in action.
Hype those savings
Look, everyone knows that every brand offers big deals on Black Friday. The real point is, how good are those deals?
On Black Friday, you win by helping your customers save money AND get everything they want. So, highlight those numbers and show off your best deals.
But don’t just use the general ‘80% off’ copy in your email. Pick out the best-performing items and reveal how much someone can save on buying them on Black Friday. Better yet, show them items based on their browsing behavior, stated preferences, wish lists, etc.
Say something like, “Up to €300 off your dream TV today!” When you show folks they can get something they’ve always wanted with great savings, they will likely buy it.
You can also use Inbox Commerce to enable in-email payments so customers can purchase without visiting your site or app. They can pick what they want, add to the cart, enter financial details, and click ‘Buy.’
Don’t forget the FOMO
Nothing generates FOMO quite like Black Friday because the sales last for a few days at most. Build on this by spicing things up.
For example, you can introduce a contest of sorts – users can play a game with every purchase to win a free or heavily discounted gift. So, every time someone buys something, they get a shot at winning something awesome.
Don’t forget to display the gift up front and centre. Let people know what they can win and what they might lose out on if they don’t play the game.
Refine the personalization
Talk directly to people. Send them product recommendations and deals that they, individually, would be most likely to care about. We’ve mentioned before how zero-party data from customers helps sharpen recommendations. Combine that data with information on customers’ past purchases, wish lists, browsing behavior, etc.
And of course, last but not least, remember to address your customers by name.
A little fun never hurt on Black Friday
Black Friday shopping is serious business; your customers can use a smile or two. Bring a little fun into the mix by adding some in-email gamification. This is made entirely possible by technologies such as Inbox Commerce.
Send across a quick game or two via email. It could be something like spin the bottle, turn the wheel, what’s behind the door? etc. Each game should have a little prize as a reward for playing – it can be a simple discount or a gift.
When people are rewarded for an action, they become more willing to take the next step, i.e., buying. This is why in-email gamification is one of the most effective ways to engage and convert customers.
Become a personal shopper (and don’t forget to cross-sell)
Your customers might not always have had time to create their shopping lists. Life gets busy, doesn’t it?
Once again, if you have analytics and demographic data on your customers, you can fill a gap here. Give your potential customers a few ideas for what to get for themselves (or someone they love) this Black Friday.
Do they like video games? Then, recommend the top 5 gaming consoles. Cooking enthusiasts can expect options for cookware, cutlery, recipe books – you get the idea.
Roll out some content around ‘Get your Christmas gifts really early this Black Friday’ or ‘Top 5 romantic gift ideas to grab on Black Friday’. Not everyone’s a great gift-giver by nature, so they’ll appreciate the assistance.
Don’t forget that the holidays are coming up. So, you can even create lists around holiday planning – ‘Top 5 camping trips you should take this Christmas’ or ‘Family destinations you cannot miss if you want to get away for New Year.’ Don’t forget to link relevant products with these plans – camping gear for the first, vacation essentials for the second, and so on.
You can easily send long-form content within emails using tech like Inbox Commerce. Structure the text under collapsible/expandable elements or multiple images in a carousel format so users can read it all without screen clutter.
Abandoned cart? Not just yet.
Abandoned shopping carts are routine in any eCommerce setup, and you’ll get more of those during the Black Friday rush.
For every abandoned cart, send an email reminding people of the great deal they’re missing out on. Include some before and after images – cost before/after Black Friday, cost during Black Friday – and emphatically show the price difference.
Additionally, if you’re addressing a cart abandoned right before a Black Friday sale, remind the customer that the items in their cart will be on sale soon. This encourages the customer to wait a few days and then purchase at a great price.
Oh no! It’s almost over!
Is the Black Friday sale about to end in 12 hours? Let customers know with an extensive reminder email.
Let people know it’s their last chance to get 20% off. Use attention-grabbing images and GIFs to showcase various products and remind people that the deals are on their way out. Once the next few hours pass, they can no longer get their new TV at €300 less than the regular price.
You can even send a live countdown clock via email to track how long the sale lasts. Right before the customer’s eyes, this in-email clock will be a constant reminder of the approaching end of a sale.
Last minute? You’ve got it covered!
Quite a few of your customers have to scramble at the last minute to grab deals on Black Friday. And yet, they need their shopping to be as well thought out as their more prepared counterparts.
That’s where your emails can help. Trigger mails to customers who haven’t bought anything (yet) with full-image product lists. Curate personal recommendations and ensure that they can buy everything within the email.
Sweeten the deal with guaranteed on-time delivery and a live delivery tracker inside their purchase confirmation emails. Customers just need to open the same email whenever they want to track the package.
Gear up your marketing toolkit for Black Friday
As one of the peak shopping days, Black Friday is the day you’ll compete the hardest against your business rivals. So, you’ll need all the help you can get to drive sales and get in your customers’ good books.
With the right email list, segmentation, subject line, content, format elements, and send time optimization, your email marketing for Black Friday can produce unprecedented success. Add Inbox Commerce to your email toolkit, and it will empower you to offer customers exceptional levels of in-email shopping convenience.
Let us show you how the next frontier in email marketing can get you to the top of Black Friday in 2023.
We’re constantly studying customer behaviours and patterns, optimising processes at different levels, analysing results, and bringing innovations to meet the highest goals in Black Friday marketing.
Connect with us to understand how you can benefit from our expertise and experience. We send over 20 billion emails a month on behalf of 6500+ businesses across 40 countries.
