Unwrapping Success: Top 3 Strategies for Marketers to Boost Holiday Sales

The holiday season, with its festive spirit and gift-giving traditions, presents an unmatched opportunity for businesses to amplify their sales. As the end of the year approaches, customers are not only more inclined to purchase but are actively seeking the perfect items for their loved ones—and possibly themselves. However, with this increased demand comes heightened competition and elevated customer expectations. Marketers must, therefore, employ strategic approaches to capitalize on the season’s potential.

When it comes to re-engaging lapsed customers, think of targeted messaging that goes beyond a discount code: humanized interactions that reconnect, resonate, and reactivate. To accomplish this, consider leveraging the data you may already have available to meet your customers at their level and needs. You'll not only see an increase engagement rates, but a tangible lift in lifetime value as well.

This guide is meant to help marketers of all levels learn how to segment for ideal data, so if you're already a seasoned marketer, feel free to skip a few steps. We're using Shopify paired with Klaviyo for this guide (which we integrate easily with!) but you can accomplish the same segmentation with any ecommerce platform & ESP. You're always welcome to reach out to our team for guidance.

With that said, let's get started.

Reactivating Lapsed Customers

The holidays are an excellent time to re-engage with customers who have not interacted with your brand for a while. Lapsed customers already have a history with your brand, and with the right nudge, they can be reminded of the positive experiences they’ve had with your products or services.

Here’s how to reactivate them:

Personalized Outreach: Send personalized emails or messages to lapsed customers, reminding them of their past purchases and suggesting new, holiday-themed products they might like.
Special Incentives: Offer exclusive discounts or loyalty rewards to entice them to make a holiday purchase. This could be a special “We Miss You” promotion or early access to holiday deals.
Relevant Updates: Inform them about any significant changes or improvements to products or services that have occurred since their last purchase, which could reignite their interest.

By targeting lapsed customers, marketers can expand their active customer base without the high acquisition costs associated with gaining new customers.

If you need help reactivating lapsed customers, consider partnering with LTV.ai - we have helped retailers large and small reach out and re-engage this segment with results that speak for itself.

Improving Segmentation

The “one-size-fits-all” approach is not effective when it comes to holiday marketing. Segmentation is the key to delivering personalized experiences that can drive sales.

Marketers should consider the following to improve segmentation:

Data-Driven Insights: Utilize customer data to segment audiences based on purchasing behavior, preferences, and demographics to tailor holiday campaigns.
Customized Messaging: Craft messages that resonate with each segment. For example, parents might be interested in toys’ safety and educational value, while tech enthusiasts might be swayed by the latest gadget features.
Product Recommendations: Use segmentation to provide targeted product recommendations. This not only saves customers time but also demonstrates that you understand their needs and preferences.

Improved segmentation ensures that marketing efforts are more effective and resources are not wasted on uninterested parties.

At LTV.ai we leverage your segmentation data to automate personalized outreach with the use AI to reach customers and prospects at scale - in ways traditional methods will always fall short.

Having a Contingency Plan

Not all holiday offers will perform as expected. It’s crucial to have a contingency plan that includes different offers to deploy if the initial ones don’t work.

Prepared Alternatives: Have a series of different offers ready to go, such as BOGO (buy one, get one free), flash sales, or free shipping. Monitor campaign performance closely and be ready to switch gears if necessary.
A/B Testing: Before the holidays, test different offers to see which ones resonate most with your audience. Use this data to inform your contingency plans.
Real-time Adjustments: Utilize real-time analytics to make quick decisions. If certain products aren’t selling as expected, pivot to promoting those that are more popular.

By having a plan B (and even a plan C), marketers can quickly adapt to market responses and maximize the holiday sales potential.

In conclusion, the holidays are a time of significant opportunity for marketers. By reactivating lapsed customers, improving segmentation, and having a flexible contingency plan for offers, businesses can not only increase their sales but also build stronger relationships with their customers. By employing these strategies, marketers can ensure they’re not leaving any opportunities unboxed during the holiday season.

With LTV.ai, you can reach your entire audience whether lapsed, engaged, customers or prospects with engagement sequences focusing on new and personalized offers that speak to their individual interests and needs. No need for creative, photography or copywriting, your team can focus where they need to while LTV.ai handles the rest.

Try a demo today or book a call below to learn more.

Reactivating lapsed customers

Optimizing segmentation

Creating Flexible offers

Reactivate your customers with AI-driven sequences

Reactivating Lapsed Customers

Improving Segmentation

Having a Contingency Plan