To make your holiday planning even easier, we’ve created this helpful Email Marketing Holiday Calendar. With helpful statistics, useful messaging themes, and reminders of important days, you’ll want to keep it handy as you plan your holiday email campaigns.

1. Consider a Christmas in July
campaign promoting holiday decor
and other seasonal products.
Black Friday
Cyber Monday
IN JULY
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
Black Friday
2012
A record 247 million shoppers visited stores and
websites over Black Friday weekend 2012,up
from 226 million in 2011.2
Build on the year-long anticipation of Black
Friday and Cyber Monday by creating your own
July holiday versions of these sales,and
promoting them via email.
31
“Download our
mobile app!”
message
Christmas in July
MESSAGING
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
The percentage of
retailers that will
send a July email
mentioning the
holidays
Back-to-school dominates
the inbox, with holiday
messaging taking a backseat.
“Apply for a
credit card!”
message
“Connect with us!”
social media
message
“Update your
preferences”
message
The percentage of
consumers that
planned to spend an
average of $139.92
on holiday "self-
gifting" in 2012
1
August & September
Take Action
for the Future!
While your mainAugust and September
email focus will be on back-to-school,
try to get subscribers to take actions
that will make them more interested
listeners during the holiday months.
Check the calendar for a few ideas!
Percentage of
retailers that will send at
least one promotional
email on Cyber Monday.
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.
Black November
Some retailers will try to lock in early
gift sales by offering“Black Friday”
savings and deals on the Fridays
leading up to Black Friday.
Dates to Remember
19
“Join our loyalty
program!”
message
Low
Low
High
Moderate
Very
Low
The Email Marketing
Holiday Calendar
a retailer’s guide to holiday email marketing success
July
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
15
4 months to
Black Friday!
The small amount of holiday messaging
that there is will be in email banners
and other secondary message blocks.
Holiday Messaging
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 16
October
...will start off slow in October, but
accelerate throughout the month.
On Halloween, watch for a big jump
in Christmas email messaging.
Holiday Messaging
Steel Black
Friday’s Thunder! 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
• Pre-Black Friday deals
•
Shop our holiday collection
•
Specialized gift guides
• Holiday decorating tips
• Free shipping
• Free gift wrap
• Free gift with purchase
• Personalized gifts
• Download our holiday mobile app
• Visit our holiday Facebook page
or microsite
• Cause-marketing with a
holiday charity
By Thanksgiving week, the vast majority
of promotional emails will contain a
reference to the holiday season.
Holiday Messaging
Retailers make 20-40%
of their annual sales
during November and
December. Plan ahead
for your email content!
3
Decorate your emails like you
decorate your stores.
Add visual cues to your emails—like holiday
or wintry imagery or colors—to signal to
subscribers that it’s time to start gift shopping.
Happy
Thanksgiving!
Black
Friday
November
Holiday messaging quickly declines
after the first week of January.
Holiday Messaging
Stealing Black Friday’s
thunder, Thanksgiving has
become the new holiday shopping
kickoff day, thanks to more stores
opening on Thursday and to mobile
devices making it possible for
shoppers to pursue popular products
while away from home.
28
29 Mobile-friendly emails on
Black Friday are a must,
because shoppers will be ckecking
in-store deals and mapping out
shopping plans with phone in hand.
Retailers,
January
15
14
Finalize your
plans for post-
Halloween holiday
messaging.
31
Halloween! Time to
ramp up your holiday
marketing for the rest
of the year.
22
Early Black
Friday deals
1411
06
01
Black
November
begins
25
Most promo emails
now mention holiday
season
Happy New
Year!
01
Holiday
messaging slows
to a trickle
06
The holidays can be stressful for your customers, so remember that all of your holiday emails—from July to January—should truly help
them solve a holiday problem, whether that’s finding the perfect gift for that hard-to-buy-for loved one, or providing much-appreciated
extras like gift wrapping and free shipping.
And don’t forget that all holiday emails should offer a clean, user-friendly experience on mobile devices, and your website should, too.
Happy Holidays!
To:
From:
Retailers
04
Independance
Day (US)
• Order-by deadlines for guaranteed
Christmas delivery
•
Last-minute gift shopping
•
Gift cards and e-cards
• Free extras
• Season’s greetings emails
• After-Christmas sales are promoted
Dates to Remember
Cyber Monday will be the
busiest email marketing day
of the year for the seventh year in
a row. “Cyber Week” tie-ins will also
be popular.
02
Consider offering free
shipping with no minimum
purchase on “Free Shipping Day,”
as free shipping with a minimum
purchase has become so common.
18
26
“Last Sleigh Day” is the push
for every last online order.
Promote the end of express and
overnight shipping.
20
Launch your after-Christmas
sales on December 26 or even
25, which has become
increasingly common.
• Redeem your gift cards
•
Buy accessories for the gifts you
have received
•
Trade-in offers for replaced electronics
• Shop our pre-holiday clearance sale
•
Get an early start on ordering holiday
cards and decor
• Pre-order the hottest holiday gifts
• Preview our holiday collection
• Sign up for our Christmas catalog
• Create a wish list
• Learn about layaway and other
financial services
The majority of retailers will
mention the holiday season in
at least one promotional email
by the end of October.
25
5 months to
Christmas!
26
The last Friday
in July
Common Email Themes
Common Email Themes
Common Email Themes
Common Email Themes
Back-to-School
MESSAGING
15
Early Black
Friday deals
27
Hanukkah
begins!
30
Small
Business
Saturday
08
Early Black
Friday deals
02
Free Shipping
Day
Last Sleigh Day
Launch After-
Christmas Sale
Merry
Christmas!
17
22 24
29 30
12
19
13
27
07
14
21
28
01 03 04
08 10
15 18 20
25 26
02
Cyber Monday
December
16
1109
Green Monday
23
eGift Card Day
31
New Year’s Eve
Hanukkah Ends
05
A good start date
for “12 Days of
Christmas”
campaigns
06
The number of promotional emails that retailers will
send to active subscribers in January18
The number of promotional emails that retailers will
send to active subscribers in November25
The number of promotional emails that retailers will
send to active subscribers in December27
The number of promotional emails that retailers will
send to active subscribers in August & September18
The number of promotional emails that retailers will
send to active subscribers in October20
The number of promotional emails that retailers will
send to active subscribers in July
Begin helping subscribers with their future holiday
wish lists (and possible self-gift list!) in October.
17
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.
Your friends at ExactTarget
Very
High *
*
*
*
*
*