From inboxes to in-store, the holiday rush is a difficult time to capture attention. Retailers compete on price, urgency, and convenience, while customers weigh every purchase across channels in search of value. How do you stand out from the crowd when everyone is promoting?
The usual holiday marketing suspects
Percentage-off offers and urgency-driven subject lines dominated in 2024, sometimes lifting CTRs by 61–70% above average according to our benchmark data. While consumers expect discounts and respond to FOMO, blanket promotions erode margins, and both tactics lose impact when overused.
Urgency peaks in the final days before Christmas. Campaigns highlighting last-minute gift options perform well, as long as messages are clear, time-sensitive, and aligned with delivery cut-offs. Free shipping lifts engagement when featured in subject lines, proving that simple, clear value still drives action even in busy inboxes.
While discounts, urgency, and free shipping can all drive results, retailers see stronger performance when they’re balanced with segmentation, personalization, and, where possible, AI-powered offers that create value and brand differentiation without eroding margins.
Seamless from click to collect
Shoppers jump between channels constantly, browsing on mobile, purchasing in-store, checking social for inspiration. Holiday offers need to be consistent and redeemable everywhere to build trust and prevent drop-off. Make sure the experience is frictionless by optimizing web and mobile, confirming emails render correctly on all devices, and linking SMS to mobile-friendly pages.
Buy Online, Pickup In Store (BOPIS), also known as Click & Collect, blends online convenience with in-store immediacy. During the holiday season, this means you’re giving customers confidence their purchase is secured while driving incremental store sales.
Smarter segmentation strategies
Offers go further when they’re tailored. Use data to add relevance by targeting offers based on generational preferences, reward VIPs with exclusive codes, entice deal-seekers with multi-buys, thank repeat buyers with a holiday discount, offer free shipping to in-store shoppers, and give brand fans early access.
Don’t recycle last year’s segments. Use analytics dashboards to spot this year’s priority audiences and target them based on real behaviors and needs. Whatever the offer, keep redemption simple for everyone.
Keep content engaging and fresh
Make every offer relevant. Personalize based on location, weather, past purchases, browsing behavior, or declared preferences. Use zero-party data to refine over time, and, if possible, predictive AI offers that adjust per shopper to protect margins while maximizing conversion.
Bring it all to life with interactive formats. Gift guides, product pickers, polls, and quizzes make it interactive and engaging for customers to find the right product while capturing preference data for future campaigns. Reward mechanics give shoppers a reason to share data you can use to personalize further. Presentation matters too. Scratch-to-reveal discounts, live coupons, and rich media via MMS or RCS add fun and urgency that stand out in crowded inboxes.
Keep content fresh, if possible at time-of-open. Swapping sold-out items and updating prices in real time avoids disappointment and builds trust.
Mobile is the new loyalty channel
Mobile-first is as much about responsive design and mobile-optimized landing pages as it is about using mobile effectively as a channel.
SMS, WhatsApp, and push reminders provide timely nudges, like a personalized discount when a cart is abandoned, to drive quick action. RCS can take it further with branded visuals, carousels, and tappable buttons.
App-exclusive offers and in-app incentives are also powerful, encouraging downloads while rewarding your most engaged customers. These tactics are becoming table stakes for retailers to stay competitive.
Loyalty-driven promotions that deepen engagement
Enterprise brands like VF Corporation and its labels The North Face, Vans, and Timberland show the impact of early access, member-only perks, and limited-time acquisition hooks to drive sign-ups.
Challenges or points-based actions turn one-time offers into loyalty-building moments that keep customers engaged beyond the holiday rush.
Conclusion: Delivering personalization and customer value
Holiday promotions work best when they balance urgency with value, and discounts with personalization.
See how Marigold helps retail brands deliver smarter, more effective promotions →
The insights in this article are based on an analysis of over 8.7 billion holiday emails in 2024.
