To help you with your holiday campaign planning, we’ve created this helpful calendar that for each month includes: A projection of the average number of promotional emails retailers will send each of their subscribers The portion of that overall email volume that will be holiday messaging Common holiday messaging themes Key days to be aware of And much more You can also download this calendar as a pdf with one month per page, so you can use it as a planning tool throughout the year. Good luck planning your holiday messaging and stay tuned for more holiday help from ExactTarget.

1. The Email Marketing
a retailer’s guide to holiday email marketing success

2. Holiday marketing begins many months before the stockings are hung. Use this handy
calendar to plan ahead and make sure you’re sending the right holiday messages at the
right times in the holiday season.

3. The number of promotional emails that retailers will
send to active subscribers in July17 *
The percentage of
retailers that will
send a July email
mentioning the
holidays
1
17 18
22 23 24 25
30 31
12
19
26
06
13
20
27
07
14
21
28
01 02 03 04
08 09 10 11
16
05
29
1515
04
25 26

4. The small amount of holiday messaging
that there is will be in email banners
and other secondary message blocks.
Very
Low
17 18
23 24 25
29 30
05
12
19
26
06
13
20
27
07
14
21
28
01 03 04
08 09 10
15 16
11
22
02
31
19

5. •
•
•
•
•
•
•
17 18
22 23 24 25
29 30
05
12
19
26
06
13
20
27
07
14
21
28
01 02 03 04
08 09 10 11
15 1614
31
Moderate

6. Steel Black
Friday’sThunder! Black Friday! 28
17 18 22 23
24 25 30
05
12
19
26
13
20
27
07
21
01 02
03 04 08 09
10 15 16
28 29
22
1411
06
01
25
15
27 30
08

7. •
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•

8. 02
17
22 24
29 30
12
19
13
27
07
14
21
28
01 03 04
08 10
15 18 20
25 26
02
16
1109
23
31
05 06
26
Very
High

9. •
•
•
•
•
•

10. 15 16
20 21 22 23
27 28 29
03
10
17
24
04
11
18
25
05
12
19
26
01 02
06 07 08 09
13 14
30 31
01
06
•
•
•
Low

11. 1. National Retail Federation. “Shoppers to Remain Conservative with Holiday Gift Budgets This Year, According to NRF,” October 17, 2012. http://www.nrf.com/modules.php?name=News&op=viewlive&sp_id=1438
2. National Retail Federation. “Thanksgiving Day Promotions Win Over Millions of Holiday Shoppers, According to NRF,” November 25,2012. http://www.nrf.com/modules.php?name=News&op=viewlive&sp_id=1462
3. National Retail Federation. “Holiday FAQ.” http://www.nrf.com/modules.php?name=Pages&sp_id=1140
*Promotional email volume predictions are based on actual message volumes sent by more than 100 U.S. online retailers from April to June 2013 and then extrapolated based on previously identified holiday sending patterns.