If we know anything, it’s that you’re buried neck-deep in holiday eCommerce email marketing campaigns right now. You’ve got every single email lined up and ready to go out. You’re ready for the 2017 holiday season.

But are you ready for when the holidays are over?

Do you have a strategy in place to wow subscribers with your email marketing? How will you keep those new holiday customers you’ve just worked so hard for engaged?

If you don’t have a post-holiday eCommerce email marketing strategy, you’re in trouble.

With the week after Christmas delivering up to 10 percent of overall holiday sales, you’re shooting yourself in the foot if you don’t have an eCommerce email marketing plan in place. To help you prepare, we put together the top strategies, campaigns and ideas for your post-holiday eCommerce email marketing campaigns.

2016 eCommerce holiday stats

The best way to plan for your post-holiday eCommerce campaigns is to look at what happened last year. The outlook is good: In 2016, consumers showed more confidence during the holiday season. This was evidenced by the $658.2 billion increase in retail sales during November and December 2016.

To top that, the growth rate of eCommerce during the holidays continues to outpace growth in brick-and-mortar locations year-over-year. In fact, experts predicted 2016 would see a 13 percent increase in online sales for eCommerce. Not only were they correct in their predictions, but the results surpassed their forecast. In fact, online retailers saw their biggest Cyber Monday ever in 2016, with an over $3.3 billion take.

post-holiday consumer expectations

So with all the spending in November and December, what do consumers expect from brands post-holidays?

Surprisingly, the reports show shoppers are still hungry for deals, and they primarily want to shop for those deals online. They don’t want just any deal, either. They’re still expecting the deep discounts (50 percent off or more) retailers offered during the holiday season.

If executing this sounds overwhelming, don’t worry. There are a variety of creative messages you can use to deliver these post-holiday email marketing deals:

• Look back at 2017 trends
• Upsell or cross-sell gift accessories and/or add-ons
• Send reminder emails about items that are back in stock
• Extend free shipping
• Host an after-Christmas sale
• Hold a Boxing Day sale
• Create a holiday storage and organization sale
• Send reminders about gift card redemption opportunities
• Send a “Get what you really wanted” message

In addition to these email marketing messages, consider the fact that after the holidays, many people suffer a sort of “hangover” from the rush and stress of the season. You can successfully use email marketing as a pick-me-up, encouraging shoppers to get out of their post-holiday blues.

And speaking of blues, post-holiday winter weather can also get consumers down. While most retailers start prepping for spring products immediately after the holidays, they’re missing a chance to earn more money off the winter weather that’s still prominent across most of the United States this time of year. Weather-appropriate email marketing that promotes your products and services is a must after the holidays.

underutilized post-holiday email marketing ideas

Any type of post-holiday eCommerce email marketing will score you points. But if you really want to stand out from the crowd, take advantage of some underutilized tactics.

New Year’s themed email marketing is a layup. The new year marks a time for fresh beginnings. Forty-five percent of American adults make one or more resolutions each year, most focused on getting healthy, staying organized, learning new hobbies, traveling, and saving money. Because of these resolutions, many brands successfully benefit from a “New Year, New You” theme in their email marketing. Send a New Year’s email making a point to show exactly how your products and services will help people keep their resolutions in check.

Another post-holiday campaign you can use is a goodwill message. Since charitable giving accounted for 2.1 percent of sales in 2016, email marketing should take advantage of a post-holiday goodwill follow-up campaign this year. Even if your brand isn’t directly related to non-profits or giving, choose a charity or foundation to support during the holiday season. You can then send a post-holiday email to give subscribers and donors an update on the impact they made. Post-holiday emails are also a way to ask for additional contributions.

There are a few important days after the holidays you can use to inspire your email marketing, such as Martin Luther King Jr. Day. Since this is a federal holiday, with forty percent of people taking advantage of paid holiday leave, email open rates are often high on January 15th. It’s a no-brainer: Send an email on MLK day with a promotion or discount, working in language that recognizes and honors the holiday, and also use other federal holidays to send similarly creative email messages.

plan ahead

It can be hard to focus on a post-holiday eCommerce email marketing strategy when you’re executing holiday campaigns now. However, you can get more bang for your holiday email marketing buck by taking the time to plan ahead. It will be well worth the additional online revenue you’ll garner from keeping your subscribers and customers engaged. If you’re not sure you have the time to put together a post-holiday strategy, we’ve got you covered. Our experienced email marketing experts are trained in the strategy and execution of these types of campaigns and will be happy to step in. Just reach out.

Have you had success with other types of post-holiday eCommerce email marketing campaigns? Comment below to share your thoughts and recommendations!