Just because 2011 is rolling to a close doesn’t mean you should sit back and pop the cork on thatbottle of bubbly – yet! Consider sending one or more of these three emails below before the ball drops and 2012 makes a grand entrance.

1) The Gift That Keeps Giving – Gift Cards: According to the National Retail Federation, although an estimated $26.3 billion will be spent on gift cards, $8 billion or more will never be used. This is the perfect time to send an email to encourage customers to redeem their cards for great end of year deals.

2) The Gift You Really Wish You Didn’t Get  Turn a Return into a Sale: I spent years working at one of the nation’s largest retailers and our post-holiday mantra was “turn that return into a sale.” You’ll have lots of opportunities to turn unsatisfied gift recipients into loyal, happy customers in the weeks following the holidays. Start messaging them now so you’ll be top of mind when they get that cash return and want to buy themselves something they really wanted. And according to the NRF, nearly six in 10 holiday shoppers say they plan to take advantage of retailers’ sales and discounts to make additional non-gift purchases for themselves and their families during the holiday season. The average person will spend approximately $130.43 during the holiday season to take advantage of sales and discounts on apparel, electronics, home goods and other items for themselves or a family member, up from $112.20 last year!

 

3) Last Minute Shoppers: According to the National Retail Federation’s 2011 Consumer Intentions and Actions survey conducted by BIGresearch, as of the second week in December, the average person has completed 46.5 percent of their shopping, less than the 49.5 percent the average person had completed by the same time last year.

“For consumers, the holiday season is more of a marathon than a sprint – typically starting the season strong, pacing themselves in the middle and gearing up again in the final stretch, a trend retailers expect every year,” said NRF President and CEO Matthew Shay. “As the hours tick toward Christmas, retailers still have a few tricks up their sleeves to entice even the most extreme procrastinators looking to cross the final names off their lists.”

According to the survey, nearly 37 million people (16.5%) had not even started their shopping as of late last week, while 7.6 percent say they have completely finished shopping already. The survey also found the average 25-34 year-old has finished about 50.2 percent of their shopping – the most of any age group. This is your golden opportunity to message these last minute shoppers with deals and anything you can that will help them complete their shopping. Think upgraded shipping, extended holiday shopping hours, gift-wrapping, delivery, whatever you can do to score the sale and convert these last minute shoppers.

What end of year emails do you plan to send? I’d love to hear!

© 2011 – 2012, Contributing Author. All rights reserved.

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