Triggered Emails Are The Holiday Email Marketing Secret Weapon

Or you can add a module after your header or navigation bar reminding folks about your order deadlines, like Crate & Barrel did here:

It’s relatively easy to add a header across all of your emails with the right dynamic content in place (or adjusting a holiday email template, like one from our free email template library.)

But don’t make your new header too flashy or big—remember, about half of your subscribers are likely reading your holiday emails via mobile devices. Instead, convert a desktop “Gifts” or “Holiday” navigation bar links into tappable mobile call-to-action icons and boxes, like how Target adjusted their emails:

Since headers are prime real estate, consider adding more information and calls-to-action into your triggered emails’ footers near the bottom of your triggered emails, as well as any additional information on topics your subscriber might find helpful—like gift guides, gift services, or extended holiday returns.

Yours can be rather simple, like this from Janie and Jack:

Or extensive, like this one from The Citizenry, which includes links to their gift guides, holiday gift landing page, and gifting-specific language.

There’s no need to red-and-green your entire triggered email set. A little holiday magic can go a long way toward cohesive brand-building (and hide the fact that it’s an automated trigger.)

4. Add deals and discounts in unexpected places

Next, think about all the places your seasonal promotions and discounts could sit. What triggered emails do you have that you typically don’t offer savings on? 

Think about product-adjacent triggered emails that already drive sales, like:

• Adjusting your typical abandoned cart deal to align with the seasonal promotion
• Adding a discount or deal to your back-in-stock or product replenishment announcements to get that same-session conversion
• Including seasonal imagery or promotions in a loyalty milestone email

This is a great place to add a CTA block about featured products, a reminder of order cut-off dates, or mention your holiday gift guides. And if you’re worried about changing discount codes in so many places, it might be time to look into a real-time personalization tool to reduce the number of email versions you’d have to create and test (like Movable Ink or Liveclicker), empowering you to create more personalized, dynamic experiences.

In this Black Friday email from Under Armour, multiple uses of real-time personalization are used in action. First, the offer in the email is a unique barcode. Second, by using Movable Ink, they were able to generate store location information based on the time of the email’s open.

That way, if a promo code for a Black Friday sale has expired, but you’d like to swap it in time for Cyber Monday, using a real-time personalization tool can allow you to do just that—in one place. You’ve got plenty of other work to do during the holiday season, so automate as much as you can.

5. Let your subject lines be merry and bright

Another easy festive swap for your triggered emails to do more this season? Change up your subject lines to match what attracts shoppers during this season. Think: gifting, rom-com references, holiday puns, seasonal emojis, and of course, deals.

While of course you’ll save your best subject lines for your one-off campaigns, don’t neglect your triggered emails. Try a few subject line swaps through A/B testing, especially for those emails your shoppers definitely will encounter, like browse abandonments, restock notices, and transactional emails like shipping and receipts. 

6. Send shipping reminders and deadlines 

The biggest difference between shopping during the holiday season and the rest of the year? Shoppers are on a deadline. You already know how long it takes to ship during busy times like these, so make sure your subscribers know, too. While you may want to send out a dedicated email for procrastinators as it gets closer, consider creating a specific trigger for shoppers still on the fence. 

This one from the Citizenry includes a specific shipping CTA, along with a countdown block:

This one from Lake Pajamas is for true procrastinators, advertising gift cards as a last-minute gift: