• by Ray Schultz , Columnist, November 20, 2017

Here’s a tip for companies trying to drive sales on Black Friday and Cyber Monday: Don’t wait for those days to send your emails.

Instead, send them on Thanksgiving. That’s the key recommendation in an infographic published today by Constant Contact.

"This actually makes a lot of sense," says Roger Barnette, CEO of MessageGears. "As both businesses and stores are closed on Thanksgiving it is a perfect day to both spur immediate e-commerce sales as well as advertise in-store sales for the following day.  Email is a perfect medium for this for retailers who can target customers based on loyalty and purchase history."  

We'd guess that there’s less competition in the inbox on Thanksgiving. And people will be looking at their emails while they’re sitting around watching football or waiting for the big feast.

Constant Contact says it analyzed tens of billions of emails sent during this period over the last three years. 

It found that there has been a 20% increase in the emails sent on Black Friday, and a corresponding 11% decrease in response rates.

And there has been a 41% increase in the emails sent on Cyber Monday 

That means inboxes are as stuffed as a Turkey on Cyber Monday. So try sending your email on Tuesday. Constant Contact saw a 8.5% increase in open rates for firms who did 

But don’t forget to offer deals. In another survey out today, RetailMeNot found that 60% of shoppers are looking for them regardless of what they’re buying, or for whom.

What’s more, 62% of consumers still have to do most of their shopping. So gear up.

The study also found that 37% of consumers plan on making purchases for themselves this holiday weekend, and that this form of “selfish shopping” is especially common among millennials, 50% of whom belong to this group, compared to 32% of Gen Xers and Baby Boomers 

Overall, selfish shoppers plan to spend an average of $100. So tailor some of your emails to them.

In addition, RetailMeNot found that while 87% of consumers plan to visit a physical store, 75% will shop both online and in stores 

“Consumers are going both online and in-store for list toppers such as toys, and looking in both places for gifts such as clothing and shoes, so retailers with an omnichannel presence will likely capture the most dollars," states Marissa Tarleton, CMO of RetailMeNot.

Where are they shopping? While 41% expect to shop at online-only marketplaces like Amazon, the same percentage will shop at big-box retailers like Target and Walmart, and 38% in department stores, RetailMeNot says.  

And 63% say they will be attracted by pop-up shops, new brand promotions, celebrity appearances and other events. 

RetailMeNot conducted three surveys, targeting 1,000 consumers apiece. And it ran a Q4 survey among 1,096 shoppers.