• by Aaron Smith , October 8, 2008

The retail industry is infamous for getting a head start on the holiday season, and this year promises to be no different than the rest. The arrival of Neiman Marcus' email yesterday touting its 2008 Christmas Book makes it official -- Q4 is upon us! If you haven't been preparing your email program for the holiday season, it's time to shake a leg and move into high gear.

For email marketers, this year's holiday season brings with it a number of challenges resulting from the current economic climate. Many program managers are working with reduced budgets and fewer resources, while being asked to produce more. Additionally, standing out in the inbox is becoming more difficult as many marketers have increased the frequency of their messages, contributing to inbox clutter and increased competition for recipients' attention. Finally, consumers are reluctant to make purchases, so creating a compelling message that stands out from the crowd is more important than ever.

While it's a bit late to start planning program strategy for the holidays from scratch, here are a few ideas on how to make the different parts of each email serve a special role during the holiday season:

1. Subject line - first things first: This is your primary tool in getting recipients to open your email. The more crowded the inbox, the more critical these few words. Consider using longer subject lines to better convey what your emails are about. Alchemy Worx' Subject Lines: Length Is Everything report found that subject lines of 70+ characters generate higher click-to-open rates and click-through rates than shorter subject lines (which produce higher open rates but fewer clicks).

Tout free shipping more often in subject lines. Web shoppers love free shipping and retailers know it. According to research done by the Email Experience Council last year, retailers included the words "free shipping" (or the equivalent) in their email subject lines about 42% more often during the holiday season.

2. Navigation: Place everything your subscribers need at their fingertips by packing your nav section with relevant messaging and links. Alert customers to shipping deadlines. Call out popular holiday items or shopping categories. Add just a touch of holiday with a graphic or a color change. Remind them what you're there for.

3. Main Message: Know your customers and how they shop. Sort items by categories: gifts for girls, boys, men or women; gifts for husbands, mothers, best friends or colleagues.; gifts by price range -- under $20, under $50, under $100, etc. Help customers out by breaking down their shopping lists, and they'll  appreciate it. Send a series of recipient-themed messages to different segments in your list -- or try a gridded approach in a single message to keep it all neatly packed, like a beautifully wrapped present.

3. Gift Services Footer: The Gift Services Footer (affectionately known as the GSF) keeps your holiday templates under control when you're trying to squeeze in a couple extra submessages.. -- or four! Layering gift card promotions, order-by dates, gift-wrapping offers, local retail store adjusted hours, and on and on, can get to be too much for one little email to handle. Cut down on overwhelming submessages by fitting an average of four messages into the space of one with the GSF.

The astute reader will have noticed a theme running through the above recommendations. They are designed to get you thinking and planning your emails from the customer experience perspective. Reward your subscribers with well-thought-out, customer-friendly messaging and they are likely to reward you in return with their loyalty and patronage.

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