• by Jess Nelson , November 24, 2015

While it's the week for email marketers to inspire consumers to go shopping, it’s also a peak period of holiday stress for Americans. Email marketers should note the causes of holiday frustration and minimize stress in messaging campaigns.

A majority of Americans plan to shop this holiday weekend, according to a recent study by Ebates. 55% of Americans surveyed responded that they plan to shop on Thanksgiving, followed by Black Friday (48%) and Cyber Monday (42%).

Gift buying is the No. 1 holiday stress creator, according to a new study by customer engagement platform Needle. Some 79% of Americans surveyed responded that finding and purchasing the right gift was a top source of holiday anxiety, followed by family time (31%), traveling (26%) and cooking (25%).

About 60% of consumers struggle with sizing when purchasing the right product online and additional triggers of online anxiety include vague product details (24%) and missing out on the personalized in-store experience with a live sales associate (22%).

Email marketers can resolve his lack of customer experience through relevant, personalized email marketing based on a customer’s history and data. Email marketers without data solutions, however, can still provide critical customer support by incorporating tools to counter holiday shopping anxiety into their campaigns.

One option is to offer solutions for consumers to easily discover the correct product size or fit they need. Fittery is one available tool, and was just launched this November to help online shoppers find the perfect fit the first time. Additional companies that offer similar solutions include True Fit and True&Co.

Another recommendation is to offer promotions and discounts for consumers who have economic concerns this holiday season.

"A majority of Americans are concerned about sticking to a budget as they shop for the holidays," says Mark Moran, senior vice president of marketing and distribution at Ebates, "Cash back sites allow consumers not only to find the best deals, but also to get something back at the end of the holiday season. For families who are watching their spending, cash back sites offer an extra, easy way to save money and reduce the stress of holiday shopping.”