The Dos and Don’ts of E-Commerce Holiday Email Marketing with Providers like Mailchimp, Klaviyo, and Omnisend

With the holiday season right around the corner, shoppers’ inboxes will soon be flooded with festive promotional emails. For eCommerce brands, this brings immense potential but also a serious challenge.

When done right, holiday email marketing can significantly boost sales and engagement. However, a poorly executed campaign risks being ignored—or worse, triggering unsubscribes. The key lies in knowing exactly what to do and avoid.

In this post, we’ll cover essential dos and don’ts to help you create impactful holiday emails, with specific insights for Mailchimp, Klaviyo, and Omnisend users.

Why Email Marketing Is Essential for the Holiday Season

Holiday newsletters are more than just check-ins. They’re powerful channels to drive revenue and strengthen customer relationships. Here’s why email marketing is indispensable during the holidays:

• High ROI: Email marketing averages an impressive $36 return for every $1 spent (Forbes).
• Preferred Channel: Nearly 60% of consumers prefer receiving holiday deals via email
• Increased Engagement: Customers are actively looking for deals, leading to higher open and click-through rates.

But when every business out there is going to be sending out emails to their audience, how do you ensure yours stands out?

Dos and Don’ts of E-Commerce Holiday Email Marketing

Let’s dive into the dos and don’ts that will keep your campaigns engaging, effective, and memorable during this peak shopping season:

Dos of holiday email marketing 

While how you use emails during holidays is entirely dependent on what your business does and who your target audience is, here are some best practices to follow:

1. Segment Your Audience – Instead of a generic email, tailor your message to specific customer groups based on factors like past purchases, location, or engagement history. Segmentation boosts relevance and increases conversions. While Mailchimp and Klaviyo offer segmentation based on demographics and purchase history, Omnisend can be used for more behavior-based targeting.
2. Set Up Automation Campaigns – Timing is everything during the holidays, especially as shoppers look for last-minute gifts. Automate workflows to reach customers with the right message at the right time. You can use Omnisend vs Klaviyo or Mailchimp to build out detailed workflows, but we recommend using one that offers more e-commerce focused automations.
3. Use Festive Templates and Designs – Festive designs instantly capture the holiday spirit and make your emails feel timely and inviting. Include colors like red, green, and gold, along with seasonal graphics like snowflakes or gift icons. All the email marketing tools offer easy-to-customize holiday templates that you can further personalize for an authentic touch.
4. Test and Optimize for Mobile – With most holiday shoppers browsing on their phones, it’s crucial to ensure your emails are mobile-friendly. You can use Mailchimp, Klaviyo or Omnisend to preview or even A/B test different email marketing campaigns for the holidays.
5. Offer Exclusive Deals and Discounts – Exclusive, time-sensitive deals create urgency and make subscribers feel valued. You can further segment loyal customers to receive early-access to holiday deals, or even remind them of the discounts on both SMS and email using a tool like Omnisend to remain on top of their minds.
6. Personalize Beyond the Name – Today’s customers expect curated recommendations, offers, and greetings based on their unique history. While Mailchimp helps personalize with tags like the first name, Klaviyo can be used to add dynamic blocks for recommendations and Omnisend can be used to tailor each holiday email based on past purchases.
7. Start Early – Another little tip we do recommend for businesses to follow is to start their campaigns early. This helps cut through the clutter and also build excitement around what your sale has to offer. You can also encourage shoppers to create their holiday wishlists to keep them meaningfully engaged.

Don’ts of holiday email marketing 

Avoid these common pitfalls to ensure your holiday campaigns remain effective and don’t backfire.

1. Don’t Send Only Single-Message Campaigns – Successful holiday email marketing is about creating a dialogue, not just one-off messages. Relying on a single email often misses conversion opportunities. We recommend setting multi-step funnels to create a guided buying journey for holiday shoppers.
2. Don’t Clutter with Images and GIFs – While visual elements are appealing, too many can overwhelm shoppers and slow down loading times. Limit the number of images you use and compress files for faster load times.
3. Don’t Ignore Data – Monitoring performance metrics is crucial for optimizing campaigns in real-time. Test and track live data to identify best-performing times and adjust as needed.
4. Don’t Overcomplicate It – During the holidays, clarity is critical. Avoid cluttered emails with excessive offers or lengthy text. Keep your emails focused and direct, and use clear CTA to prevent confusion.

Holiday email marketing can drive exceptional results when approached with intention and strategy. By following these dos and don’ts, you can stand out from the crowded inbox and build meaningful connections with your audience.

Delivering valuable, relevant holiday emails will keep subscribers engaged and foster loyalty beyond the season. So start your campaign planning there!

Have you read?
World’s Most Fashionable Countries.
Best Non-Native English Speaking Countries In The World.
Countries With The Largest Household Size.
World’s Best (And Worst) Countries For Older People To Live In.