8 Retail Marketing Campaigns We Loved This Holiday Season

The holidays represent more than 20% of annual sales for many retail verticals, with a significant percentage of those sales coming from first-time buyers. Those new customers can be retained into the new year and subsequently moved through the lifecycle.

This creates a bit of a catch-22 for retail marketers. Because the holidays are so monumentally important, retailers tend to increase their marketing volume. Bluecore customers increase their email sends by about 40% in November and December, for example. But since most retailers do that, capturing customers’ attention becomes all the more difficult.

Standing out in the inbox or making a site visitor stop mid-scroll calls for something other than a generic discount. Read on to see eight holiday campaigns that grabbed our attention over the last few weeks.

Sam Edelman: Capturing email addresses and shopper data upon entry

Retailers need reach. Entry capture pop-ups are designed to expand that by helping retailers identify shoppers as they enter the lifecycle and gain permission to engage them further. Welcome emails are such successful conversion drivers because they strike while the iron is hot, reaching shoppers while they’re most engaged.

Sam Edelman’s entry capture holiday campaign gives the brand a leg up for creating a strong welcome series. The discount is a common incentive to sign up, especially during the holidays. By also asking about favorite styles, Sam Edelman can set a foundation of personalization before there are any real behavior signals to respond to.

DXL: Creating a warm welcome for new subscribers

When a shopper signs up for a brand’s email list, they’re sending a signal: “I want to hear from you.” Welcome emails offer retailers the chance to make a first impression, which is doubly important during the holidays when consumer attention is such a commodity.

Right at the top, DXL clearly outlines who it’s for and why it exists: Big and tall men who want (but can’t always find) stylish options. The introductory discount works both in-store and online, and finding the nearest store is just one valuable CTA. There are also links to download the app, engage on social, and of course, “find your unique look.”

J.Crew: Notifying shoppers when best sellers are back

Best sellers are great recommendations during the holidays. They let would-be gift-givers, who may not be familiar with a brand themselves, what’s hot. Of course, the hotter the item, the more likely it is to sell out.

J.Crew is celebrating the holidays with an end-of-season cashmere sale. Highly rated and on sale, this gray one is just about gone. With Notify Me Back in Stock, shoppers can sign up to receive an email when it’s restocked. But even if the sweater is gone for good, signing up signals high purchase intent. That intent gives J.Crew valuable data about the shopper’s tastes and wants for future marketing messages.

Lulu and Georgia: Standing out with an offer to help

Lulu and Georgia did something a little different here. In a sea of “20% off!” emails, this holiday campaign stood out as a resource for holiday hosts. The plain text format and the sign off from Victor added to that sentiment. 

This email is framed in such a way that it feels like Lulu and Georgia’s primary objective is to help shoppers rather than convert them. There’s plenty of selling going on — Lulu and Georgia is still a retailer, after all — but the recommendations are all presented as solutions. If bedding or throw pillows aren’t what a shopper needs to take their guest bedroom to the next level, they’re able to reply to Victor directly, which is another nice touch.

Evo: Anticipating and answering shopper’s questions with Generative AI

Evo refers to snowboards as “your paintbrush, letting you leave your individual mark on the mountain.” The outdoor gear retailer sells more than 600 paintbrushes, all of which look pretty similar at first glance. That can potentially leave a shopper with a lot of questions.

With an AI Associate integrated onto its product pages, Evo is ready to answer any of them. Generative AI makes it clear that this particular snowboard is versatile enough for any terrain, as opposed to a snowboard that’s specifically designed for powder. The AI Associate also lets shoppers know that this particular snowboard is better suited for experienced riders, while a beginner may benefit from something more flexible.

Coach: Engaging self-gifters with holiday party looks

According to a Talker Research survey, 45% of Americans attend holiday parties. Meanwhile, CivicScience found that 42% have themselves on their shopping lists. Put those two together, and you’ve got this holiday campaign from Coach encouraging shoppers to “Express their festive side.”

The animated creative within the message is certainly eye-catching and showcases products in a more complete way. The bows on the back of the velvet dress, for example, are a detail someone couldn’t make out from product photography alone. These items are only scratching the surface. Clicking “Shop the Look” brings shoppers to Coach’s Party Edit, where they can filter apparel, shoes, bags, and charms by everything from gender to material.

Bloomingdales: Bundling recommendations to Complete the Look

Product recommendations are a major part of the online shopping experience, accounting for 31% of ecommerce site revenue, according to Barilliance. Onsite recommendations maximize product discovery and conversions. Bloomingdale’s illustrates that well here, hedging its bets with multiple recommendations models.

If this leather jacket isn’t quite right, collaborative filtering shows the shopper comparable options from other brands. But if it is? Bloomingdale’s recommends six different bundles he can use to “Complete the Look.” An important distinction is that the bundles don’t display comparable options. Instead, there’s a wide variety of shirts, pants, shoes, and accessories, increasing the odds the shopper spots something he likes.

Lucky Brand: Combining behavioral and product signals in triggers

Shopping around for the best deal is just as much of a holiday staple as eating too many cookies or debating whether Die Hard counts as a Christmas movie. (It does, to be clear.) Browse abandonment is a common behavioral trigger, jogging shoppers’ memories about items they viewed and may have liked.

Incorporating Price Drop triggers into holiday campaigns takes that to the next level, layering behavioral signals with product signals. Lucky Brand reminds the shopper he was browsing this sweater while also letting him know its price has dropped. “That style you viewed is now on sale — but not for long” creates a sense of urgency that could prompt a quicker conversion.

Curious which retail verticals had the strongest Black Fridays? Check out our 2024 Black Friday Benchmarks here.