Holiday Shopper #1: In Flies the Early Bird

She loves Christmas. L-O-V-E-S it. She's also super organized and likes to stay on top of her game. So naturally she started her Christmas gift planning already in... August. By now she might be done with the bigger part of her list. BUT. The Christmas cheers got to her and she is still on the hunt for some nice and memorable gifts for her loved ones.

Yes, dear merchants, you heard us right, don’t give up on the early shoppers just yet!

Ecommerce has really empowered this type of shopper and that seasonal creep where people are buying things earlier and earlier. That’s because value is far more important to them than the feeling of “Yay, December’s here, this is when I buy all my Christmas presents”.

In 2019 Early birds represented those 19% of the shopping demographic which like to complete their gift list in one fell swoop, most often as early as the end of summer.

Early birds are predominantly traditional types of shoppers, meaning that they prefer the thrill of shopping at a physical store more than surfing the web. However, with the current global situation and the boom of online shopping, this tendency has slowly started to shift, making it even harder for e-stores to attract early shoppers. So the question is... 

 

How to Get Them? 

They might have bought most of their Christmas presents already, but this doesn’t mean that the early shoppers won’t indulge in some nice offers. After all, when all Christmas presents are already wrapped and it’s not even December yet, this means one thing only - more personal time. 

One tactic you may use is to target them directly - make sure you emphasize that the offer you are sending is especially for them, not their mom or child, but them only. Arm your texting vocabulary up with words like "your", "you", "special", "you deserve", "spoil youself" etc.



Example: 
{SiteName}: Hey {FirstName}, you are on our Nice List this year! Treat yourself to something nice from our exclusive winter collection and save 10%: {DiscountCodeURL}. Text STOP to opt out. 

Also, they might have bought their presents already, but why not offer them an extension to these items. Upsell strategies can be very successful to make more sales in December. Offer complementary items based on their purchases in the last 2 months. Pick their spirit up with a nice discount and see your purchases piling up like Christmas presents.

One of the ways to appeal to this group is to make your product description really eye-grabbing but also emphasize product scarcity. That could pull early shoppers out of their cocoons and convince them to spend an extra buck or two. 

Example: 
{SiteName}: Hey {FirstName}, our pre-season sale is ON! Hurry up and grab our special offers before somebody else snags them. Discounts of up to 25%: {DiscountCodeURL}. Text STOP to opt out. 

Just as important, however, is for retailers to stress the convenience of shopping with them. Simplify your checkout page and enable SMSBump chat to make yourself available if they have questions.

One last thing you could try out is to grab the attention of this shopping demographic through loyalty programs. You know how the saying goes - early bird gets the worm. They'd love to get special treats for being smart enough to plan ahead. Rewarding them by offering special pre-season offers or exclusive, limited-time access to a special product or service on your store, will make your early birds feel confident that they made a good choice with you.

Make sure you integrate your SMSBump account with Yotpo's Loyalty solutions to provide the ultimate sales experience and make your customer's journey even more enjoyable. 



 

Example: 
{SiteName}: Hey {FirstName}, you've got {YotpoPointsBalance} unused points in your account. Start your Christmas shopping early and exchange them for some memorable gifts. {SiteUrl} Text STOP to opt out. 


Give Your Christmas Campaigns a Flying Start! 

Need some last-minute inspiration and good ideas on how to create the perfect Christmas-themed SMS? We've done the heavy gift-wrapping for you and have put together a couple of SMS templates to make you shine bright like the star on your Christmas tree this jolly season! 

 

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