Holiday email volumes surge by 19-22% during Q4, with retail email volume sent during Q4 of both 2020 and 2021 was 19-22% higher than the quarterly average for Q1-Q3 of each year. Your Christmas campaigns aren't just competing for attention—they're drowning in it.
The difference between brands that rise above the others and those that get buried isn't just better subject lines or prettier templates—it's knowing exactly what your competition is doing and when they're doing it.
While most marketers are throwing ideas at a wall and seeing what sticks or hoping their "25% Off Everything!" emails will somehow stand out, the smartest brands are using competitive intelligence to find gaps, avoid overcrowded send times, and steal market share.
This isn't about copying your competitors. It's about outsmarting them.
Here's your playbook for Christmas email campaigns that cut through the noise, dodge the competition, and actually drive results when it matters most.
1. Create an Advent Calendar
Advent calendars are a creative marketing tactic to drum up sales during the holiday season. These are basically promotional bundles featuring one product per day leading up to Christmas.
Each product is packaged separately and is meant to be opened on the corresponding day.
The unwrapping is what makes this compelling because shoppers can be surprised by a new “gift” every day.
Ecommerce brands usually include bestsellers in their advent calendar, often in sample or mini sizes. However, some brands have a different advent calendar strategy: they offer limited-edition products to induce FOMO. This feels more exclusive as a result and adds urgency and intrigue.
Brands in SaaS or any industry that sells digital goods can also participate in advent calendars. You can release daily surprises that are downloadable or accessible through email.
Make sure to send consistent emails in the days leading up to Christmas to build anticipation and integrate social media for each day to make the surprise feel grander.
2. Send a Greeting Card
The holidays aren’t just about selling; it’s also about nurturing relationships with your mailing list. This way, you can really connect and stand out amongst brands that are sending transactional emails peddling discounts left and right.
Wish your subscribers a merry Christmas by sending a greeting card email. You can create designs that mimic a traditional greeting card but add your own spin such as team photos, behind-the-scenes content, or even a letter from your founder.
The email doesn’t have to be long either, just as long as it feels personal. Take inspiration from this email by Finisterre below. It’s short and expresses the founder’s gratitude.
If you really need to add a CTA, make it subtle so it doesn’t overshadow the main message of the email.
As for timing, consider sending this early in December when inboxes aren’t flooded with emails yet.
3. Curate a Gift Guide
There’s nothing like a good ol’ Christmas gift guide to get those clicks rolling in.
Aside from the major role gifts play in the holiday merriment, posting a gift guide also positions you as someone willing to help your customer give the perfect gift, rather than someone who is just out to make a sale.
It’s a double whammy because you reduce decision paralysis for the shopper while showing off your products and expertise.
A key tip for this kind of email is to categorize products per price point, such as under $25, under $50, under $100, and so on. This makes shopping even more convenient for budget-conscious customers.
Throw in gift wrapping or free shipping and you have yourself a pretty irresistible gift guide.
Wild sent this gift guide email ahead of Christmas using exactly this technique.
Posting a gift guide also positions you as someone willing to help your customer give the perfect gift, rather than someone who is just out to make a sale.
4. Present Unique Offers and Discounts
Offers and discounts are a must-do during Christmas, but how do you take it up a notch? There are a few tricks you can use to make your promotions more lucrative.
Presenting unique offers and discounts satisfies consumer expectations for end-of-year sales but you also have to make sure you time your offers right and emphasize exclusivity.
You don’t want to make your products feel cheap during sales campaigns because you still want to maintain brand value. Aside from that, you want to create urgency so your subscribers don’t procrastinate on their purchase.
First, you can create discount stacks throughout the month. With each offer, you can add discount percentages, such as increasing discounts from ten percent to fifteen percent to twenty percent, and so on.
Flash sales (24 to 48-hour period) are also tried and true methods for creating urgency. Buy one get one (BOGO) promos also tap into the value-oriented shopper who wants to get freebies with their purchase.
Don’t forget your VIP customers. Treat them with exclusive discount tiers to show your appreciation.
For an example of how to present offers and discounts, take a look at this email from Cupshe.
They marked down all products by 30 percent and emphasized that customers can save more when they buy more. At the bottom, they also promote their new collection to make subscribers curious about their offerings.
5. Target Procrastinators
Christmas is also a high time for procrastinating. A huge percentage of people drag their feet when picking out gifts for loved ones and shop last-minute. This type of shopper is a significant segment of your audience that you need to capture.
How do you target these procrastinating customers that competitors often neglect? Simple: You just need to address their concerns in a targeted way. That means no generic promotions.
You have to create emails about the pressure of choosing gifts or the hassle of receiving packages in time for Christmas.
Here are some ways to capture revenue from this segment:
- Offer expedited shipping through “last chance” emails
- Create gift cards for gift procrastinators
- Offer digital gifts that can be given instantly to gift recipients
- Use copy that acknowledges that procrastination is real during Christmas
- Promote same-day delivery and local pickup options
Italic’s email below shows how you can reel in shoppers on a time crunch with “the gift of perfect timing”.
Notice how they create urgency with their free shipping offer. “Guaranteed December 24 delivery” is also a very persuasive part of this email because it specifies just how fast they can get the product from your cart to a customer’s doorstep.
They know how to address specific pain points effectively through this last chance email.
Create better Christmas newsletters with Panoramata
That’s it for this Christmas email marketing guide. These tips and examples are brought to you by Panoramata, a one-stop shop for competitor tracking and marketing inspiration from emails to ads and landing pages.
If you’re interested in browsing more email ideas for Christmas and other holidays, sign up for free today.
Below, you can also check out our email swipe file with over 100 newsletter ideas you can use for your next campaign.
FAQs
When should I start my Christmas email campaigns?
Begin with relationship-building emails like greeting cards in early December when inboxes aren't yet oversaturated, then layer in promotional campaigns throughout the month with increasing urgency.
How can I make my discount emails stand out from competitors?
Use strategic timing to avoid overcrowded send periods, create exclusive tiers for VIP customers, and stack discounts throughout December rather than sending generic percentage-off promotions.
What's the most overlooked opportunity in Christmas email marketing?
Targeting procrastinators with last-minute solutions like expedited shipping, digital gifts, and gift cards—this segment represents significant revenue that many brands abandon in favor of early-bird promotions only.
