How the Biggest Brands Use Email Marketing During BFCM

Black Friday and Cyber Monday (BFCM) are crucial windows to capture sales.

In fact, on Shopify alone, merchants recorded $6.3-billion USD in sales on Black Friday in 2021—a whopping $3.1-million USD sold per minute! This also represented a 23% increase from 2020, showing no sign of slowing moving forward.

Anything you can do to focus your time and energy on driving conversions during these periods is worth considering. One of the most effective ways to do this is by using email marketing tools to reach your audience. By running BFCM email campaigns through email marketing tools, you can save time and money, while still delivering a high-quality customer experience and standing out from the competition.

In this blog, we'll give you examples of how big brands structure their emails and explain how you can do the same with AfterShip.

1. Personalized Product Recommendations

The screenshot above is a perfect example of how to increase AOV and how to boost conversion rate.

By showing your customers products that they are likely to be interested in, you can boost your conversion rate and average order value.

In this example, Adidas showcases products similar to what the customer has already viewed on their website. Coupled with the attractive images and personal message, this email stands a good chance of driving clicks and conversions. It makes the customer feel valued, and it's a great way to increase brand loyalty.

AfterShip makes it easy to create personalized product recommendations. With our advanced segmentation capabilities, you can target your recommendations to specific groups of customers. For example, you can show first-time buyers different products than returning customers.

You can also use our recommendations engine to upsell and cross-sell products. For example, you can recommend accessories or related products to customers who are viewing a specific product on your website. When thinking about Black Friday and Cyber Monday sales, you can use product recommendations to send targeted deals and discounts to your customers.

Here's an example of a personalized product recommendation that AfterShip customers can use:

2. Cart Abandonment Reminders

With so many shoppers looking for deals, it’s not surprising that many of them will add items to their cart and then leave without completing the purchase.

Here, we see the J. Crew team reminding their customers about items that were left in their cart. This is a great way to win back customers who may have been distracted or simply changed their mind. By sending this email, J. Crew is increasing the chances that these customers will come back and complete their purchase.

You can set up automated cart abandonment reminders triggered when a customer adds an item to their cart and doesn’t complete the purchase. These reminders can be sent via email, push notification, or SMS, and they can include a personalized message and a link back to the abandoned cart.

When planning out your BFCM campaigns, be sure to include a cart abandonment reminder in your email sequence. This can help recover lost sales and boost your overall conversion rate.

Here's an example of a cart abandonment reminder:

We actually put together a list of useful templates to use for abandoned carts. You can read more about those here.

3. Time-Sensitive Offers

By offering a discount or free shipping for a limited time, you can encourage customers to make a purchase before it’s too late.

In this example, Nike uses the power of urgency and FOMO through their flash sale. They also highlight how much time is left before the sale ends. This creates a sense of urgency that encourages customers to act now before it’s too late. And you can do the same with your emails.

With AfterShip, you can create and schedule time-sensitive offers in advance. This way, you can make sure that your offers are sent out at the right time, and you don’t have to worry about manually sending them out.

When creating time-sensitive offers, it’s important to include a sense of urgency in the message. This can be done by using words like “limited time”, “while supplies last”, or “ending soon”. You should also include a countdown timer in the email so that customers know exactly how much time they have to take advantage of the offer.

During the holiday season, many shoppers wait until the last minute to make their purchases. By offering a time-sensitive discount, you can encourage them to buy sooner rather than later.

Here's an example of a time-sensitive offer:

4. Post-Purchase Follow-Ups

After a customer makes a purchase, it’s important to follow up with them to thank them for their business and ensure that they are happy with their purchase. This is a great opportunity to upsell or cross-sell related products, and it can also help you identify any issues that the customer may have had.

In this example, the Umbra team uses a very personal tone to thank their customers for their business. It's particularly effective because it feels like it was sent by a friend. There's no jargon or marketing speak, and the focus is on the customer's needs. This is a great way to build relationships with your customers and ensure that they are happy with their purchase.

With AfterShip, you can set up automated post-purchase follow-ups that are triggered when a customer makes a purchase. These follow-ups can be sent via email, push notification, or SMS, and they can include a personalized message and a link to related products.

The holiday season is a busy time for everyone, and it can be difficult to remember to send manual follow-ups. By automating this process, you can make sure that your customers always receive a follow-up after making a purchase, without having to lift a finger.

Here's an example of a post-purchase follow-up:

These are just a few good examples of email marketing campaigns and how you can use email marketing automation to make your life easier during the holiday season. By automating your email marketing, you can free up your time to focus on other aspects of your business, and you can be sure that your customers will always receive the best possible service.

Getting More Out of Your Black Friday and Cyber Monday Emails

Big brands are using marketing automation to take advantage of the holiday season, and you can do the same with AfterShip.

With our powerful segmentation capabilities, you can target your campaigns to specific groups of customers. You can also set up automated campaigns that are triggered by specific actions, such as abandoning a cart or visiting a certain page on your website. If you’re not using marketing automation, now is the time to start. AfterShip makes it easy to create and manage your campaigns, and our team is always here to help.