6 Irresistible Black Friday Emails

After Thanksgiving comes Black Friday, the nation’s favorite shopping day. Many customers are stocking up on holiday gifts or treating themselves to something they’ve wanted all year. There are plenty of email marketing strategies you can use to capitalize on the increase in consumer spending this Black Friday.

Not a computer or design whiz? No issue. You can always hire a team of experts to create beautiful, brand-specific email campaigns so you can focus on your customers.

This year’s best subscriber incentives include animation, deals, and gifts. Consider the examples below as you plan your Black Friday email campaign.

1. Use Animation to Build Anticipation

When in doubt, use animation to engage your subscribers! Adding animation can help create visually appealing Black Friday emails. A fun animated campaign can also entice your subscribers to see what you have to offer. It’s easy to fall into the email marketing trap of constant self-promotion and aggressive sales tactics. Instead, lighten the mood and build excitement for Black Friday.

With this brilliant Black Friday email, Carhartt builds anticipation. When readers open this email, they see black blinds. The blinds retract in a flash to reveal more about their Black Friday sale. Create buzz with clever animation and a simple color palette. Could your brand?

2. Create a Gift Guide

Boost holiday sales with a compelling gift guide! Gift guides have a 48 percent higher transaction rate than standard promotional emails, making them ideal for Black Friday emails.

Use segmentation to improve your gift guide’s effectiveness. Segmentation involves categorizing your email list into groups and sending each group a customized email campaign. Campaigns are usually segmented by age, location, previous purchases, or interests.

Sort your products or services into categories based on gender, price, or interests. For example, Trouva’s “Gifts with a Conscience” gift guide offers sustainable gift options. Their decision to provide sustainable alternatives appealed to eco-conscious customers, resulting in a 650 percent increase in sales in just one year. Like Trouva’s niche Black Friday email campaign, you can get creative with your gift guide.

3. Offer Mystery Savings

Tempt your subscribers with Black Friday deals! Including a mystery promotion in your Black Friday emails will increase click-through rates and sales. For example, you could send a discount email to subscribers who click the call to action. When a subscriber clicks your campaign, they’ll be taken to a landing page with a discount code. If your website lacks these features, direct subscribers to your store where they can select mystery savings at the register.

“What will your mystery offer be?” reads the subject line of 22 Days Nutrition’s bold Black Friday email below. Open the email to see your savings. Like 22 Days Nutrition, create a vibrant Black Friday email campaign.

4. Give Your Loyal Customers a Gift

Of course, you should offer special deals to all of your subscribers on Black Friday, but consider rewarding your most loyal customers. Examine your contact list and group your most engaged subscribers. Then, create a campaign to thank them for their repeat business.

The rewards are limitless. Depending on your business, you could offer a free item, a discount on their order, or exclusive products only available to VIPs. Using a simple, engaging Black Friday email campaign, Sephora chose to reward repeat customers:

5. Send on the Right Day

As you can imagine, online retailers compete fiercely on Black Friday. Even if you have loyal customers, other e-commerce stores are vying for their attention. Rather than sending one email on Black Friday, consider sending a series of emails leading up to it. This will put you in the customers’ minds and help you sell.

Eve Sleep’s bedding store uses a series of Black Friday emails to both build up excitement for the big day and start its sale early. With less in-store shopping and more holiday shopping online, it can make sense to start your Black Friday campaign early. To create a sense of urgency, you can use time-limited offers to provide early sale access or tempting sneak peeks.

6. Get Creative

Not an online retailer? No need to miss out on a Black Friday emails campaign because your brand isn’t an e-commerce store! This year, give your subscribers something extra, whether it’s extra reward points, a gift, or a discount on their next service. Think outside the box about how your brand can participate in the Black Friday email frenzy.

In 2020, American consumers spent $188.2 billion on Black Friday, so there’s plenty of opportunity for all brands. Consider Dunkin Donuts. Even though donuts aren’t typically associated with Black Friday shopping, Dunkin Donuts released this vibrant, engaging campaign. The animation is not only eye-catching, but also shows the variety they have to offer their subscribers. For Black Friday and Cyber Monday, Dunkin’ Donuts is offering triple reward points.