Hello and good morning! Chase and Jimmy here. We hope your BFCM is off to a strong start!

The holiday rush is a great time for business, with more shoppers hitting the “buy” button than ever. But once the season winds down, the real challenge begins: turning those one-time holiday shoppers into real loyal, repeat customers. Keeping your brand top-of-mind after the holidays is crucial to building lasting relationships that drive revenue year-round.

In this newsletter, we’re sharing 8 Lead Nurturing Strategies to Keep Customers Coming Back After the Holidays. From personalized marketing tactics to loyalty programs and innovative post-holiday promotions, we’ll walk you through the key steps to turning seasonal shoppers into long-term advocates for your brand.

But first, a few goods:

🎙️ New Episode Alert! Unlock Data-Driven Marketing: Zero, First, and Third-Party Data Explained

In this NEW episode of 'Send It,' hosts Jimmy Kim and Chase Dimond dig into the intricacies of data-driven email marketing.

They cover the advantages (and disadvantages) of zero, first, and third-party data, practical tips for leveraging these data types to boost segmentation, personalization, and retargeting efforts and share helpful tool recommendations to manage and collect more valuable data.

And a major thank you to our sponsor AppBrew! Now, without further adieu, let’s send it—Watch the episode on YouTube or listen in on Spotify or Apple.

💡 Knowledge Drop of The Week

First things first, a quick shoutout of encouragement from Brett over at Kizik: We see you hustling hard to prep for BFCM—you’ve got this! 💪

And so, as you do your final prepping… Here are the three most under-utilized strategies that could change the trajectory of your holiday sales. ⤵

Now let’s dive into the goods…

8 Lead Nurturing Strategies to Keep Customers Coming Back After the Holidays

There’s no denying it—holiday spending brings out our love for shopping. I’d be lying if I said I didn’t have 5 tabs worth of products open as we speak.

While this surge is fantastic for online businesses, the real challenge is keeping that momentum alive and transforming holiday shoppers into loyal, repeat customers well after the season wraps up.

Luckily, with a little planning, you can nurture those new customers and keep them engaged long-term.

Here are our eight top strategies to help you do just that👇

1. Catch Their Interest with Fresh Offers

During the holidays, shoppers are usually well-prepared and intentional about their purchases—many even plan months ahead.

Just because the holidays are over doesn’t mean the wallets are closed. In fact, 28% of shoppers from December 26, 2023 to January 3, 2024 wanted to take advantage of sales and discounts, while 27% wanted to buy themselves a treat.

Use this to your advantage by offering enticing, limited-time deals like New Year’s specials, treat yourself promotions, stay cozy deals, etc. These promotions are especially appealing for customers who received cash gifts over the holidays—after all, many prefer money to a wrapped present!

And if big sales aren’t feasible, try getting creative with your messaging around New Year’s and fresh starts, or big events like the Super Bowl and Valentine’s Day. Spark curiosity about how your product could enhance their lives.

2. Tap into Sales Data for Smart Upselling and Cross-Selling

Every purchase offers valuable insights into your customers' preferences. By collecting data on names, emails, and product choices, you can build targeted marketing campaigns that cater to their specific tastes.

Your ESP gives you every data point you need to create highly personalized email campaigns. We love this example from Who Gives a Crap—they sent a “Give great gifts year round” email which promoted their other bath products and bundles “Because you can’t gift everyone toilet paper.”

With segmentation features from your ESP, you can target emails specifically to customers who shopped around the holidays or who tend to buy certain products during seasonal periods, providing them with cross-sells and upsells that feel uniquely tailored.

3. Create a Loyalty Program That Rewards Holiday Shoppers

Loyalty programs are a powerful way to make new customers feel connected to your brand from the start.

If you already have a program up and running, invite recent shoppers to join in. Or, make this the perfect time to get started—consider setting up a program that rewards customers based on their holiday purchases. Take this example from Paire:

You can automate loyalty program invitations and follow ups based on triggers making it seamless to invite frequent buyers into your program.

4. Experiment with Social Commerce Features

Social platforms are constantly adding new commerce features, and platforms like Instagram and TikTok now offer “shops” directly within the app. Utilize these in-app shopping tools to keep your holiday customers engaged by showcasing collections, restocks, and “back-in-stock” notifications. Social shopping is immediate and easy, allowing customers to make quick purchases right from their feeds without ever leaving the app.

Create post-holiday shopping guides or collections, linking them directly to your social store, so customers who already follow your brand can make repeat purchases with just a few taps.

5. Offer a Friendly Return and Exchange Policy

Returns are a reality in eCommerce, and the holiday season often sees a spike in them. However, a seamless return policy can turn an otherwise frustrating process into a brand loyalty opportunity.

Ensure your policy is visible on key pages like your FAQ, product pages, and checkout so customers know you’re dedicated to their satisfaction. Nike’s “Festive season return extension” is a great example—it’s the perfect way to relieve the stress of giving the perfect gift.

By offering a customer-friendly return process, you’re not only making returns smoother but also encouraging future purchases.

6. Offer Interactive Post-Purchase Experiences

After the holidays, enhance the customer experience by offering interactive post-purchase engagement, such as “How to Use” video tutorials, virtual product styling sessions, or online events that invite customers to engage with their purchase. Interactive content like product care tips, user-generated content campaigns, or even community forums where customers can discuss your products can foster deeper brand relationships.

This video from Krave Beauty gives customers a new DIY idea. Prompting them to get their hands on their product for a different reason than just sun protection.

Sending post-purchase emails with links to interactive experiences is a great way to keep customers engaged and excited to use their purchases in new ways. These experiences also provide an opportunity to introduce them to complementary products.

7. Leverage SMS and Conversational Commerce

In 2024, SMS and conversational commerce (such as chatbots and live chats) have become essential for ongoing customer engagement. People are increasingly comfortable receiving texts from brands, especially if it’s relevant and personalized.

Set up an SMS campaign that follows up with holiday shoppers, thanking them for their purchase and providing post-holiday promotions or restocks on popular items. Using conversational chatbots can also keep customers engaged by providing product recommendations or helping with post-purchase questions. For maximum impact, pair SMS with email in coordinated messaging flows that keep engagement high across channels.

8. Personalize Promotions with Predictive Analytics

Advancements in predictive analytics allow for even more sophisticated personalization in 2024. Using data insights, brands can forecast a customer’s next likely purchase and offer customized deals or recommendations based on this. For example, if a customer bought workout gear over the holidays, you might use predictive analytics to send targeted promotions for spring fitness products or accessories they might love.

By creating hyper-personalized promotions based on predicted behavior, you keep your brand relevant to each customer’s individual interests and needs, making it far more likely they’ll continue shopping with you.

Turn Holiday Shoppers into Brand Advocates

When done right, automation lets you nurture holiday shoppers into devoted fans, ensuring that your customer relationships extend well beyond the seasonal rush.

With the right tools and planning, you can create meaningful customer journeys, personalized email communications, and a hassle-free shopping experience—keeping the magic alive even after the holidays.

🔥 DTC Wins of The Week

First off, major props to BYLT Basics for absolutely crushing it with their influencer game. 👏 That placement on Tyson’s jacket last week? Chef’s kiss. Well played!

Shoutout to Bokksu for snagging a spot on the NYTimes Gift Basket list—talk about prime placement! ✨ And heads up, they’ve got eight more NYT features on the way. Keep an eye out!

🔍 The Hiring Vault

New This Week:

• Marketing Manager (Remote): Cider

• Content Strategist (Remote): DTCo

• Creative Director (Remote): DTCo

• Unicorn 🦄 VP of Marketing (Remote): Ice Barrel

• Performance Marketing Manager, DTC (Remote): Livingood Daily

• TikTok Shop Head of Content Design (Seattle, WA): TikTok

• E-Commerce Digital Marketing Specialist (Portland, OR): Artscape

• Retention Marketing Manager (Austin, TX): Huckberry

• Senior Paid Search Manager (Nashville, TN): LSM

• DTC Performance Marketing Channel Analyst (Carlsbad, CA): Prana

• Director, Growth & eCommerce (Corona Del Mar, CA): Toy Box Brands

• Senior Brand Manager (San Diego, CA): Infinium Spirits

• VP of Marketing (Los Angeles, CA): Goop

• Content Marketing Coordinator (Toronto, ON) (San Jose, CA) (Los Angeles, CA) or Remote: Interaxon Inc.

Still Open For Applications:

• Marketing Director (Remote): Poppy & Peonies

• DTC Acquisition Manager (Remote): Bulletproof
  Influencer Marketing Manager (Remote): BRĒZ

• Creative Strategist (Remote): TheKiddoSpace

• Category Marketing Director (Remote): Hims

• SEO & Content Marketing Manager (Remote) : Northpeak Agency

• DTC Paid Social Media Manager (Los Angeles,CA): Posh Peanut

• Senior Manager, Retention (El Segundo, CA): LiquidIV 

• Sr. Growth Marketing Manager (Marina Del Rey, CA): Dr. Squatch

• Retention Marketing Specialist (Los Angeles, CA): Fashion Nova

• Digital Marketing Specialist (Beaverton, OR): Nike

• Head of Digital Marketing (New York, NY): SBH Fashion

• eCommerce & Digital Marketing Manager (Hybrid, NY): AAVRANI

That’s a wrap for this week’s edition! Best of luck as you crush your Black Friday and Cyber Monday prep and sales! You’ve got this. 🔥

Thanks for hanging out with Chase and me. If you found this newsletter informative or just fun, share ecomemailmarketer.com with your favorite DTC marketer. Get them to subscribe so they don’t miss out on next week’s rundown.

Remember: Do shit you love.

🤘 Jimmy Kim