March seems like a blessed reduction after these lengthy, chilly winter months.
Not simply because the climate’s lastly heating up, however as a result of shoppers are lastly spending cash once more.
In March 2022, US retail gross sales reached virtually $588 billion. That’s $6 billion greater than shoppers spent in February, and almost $10 billion greater than January’s determine.
As clients begin to loosen the purse strings, manufacturers have a unbelievable alternative to finish Q1 with a bang.
But it surely gained’t occur by likelihood. For those who’re going to smash your gross sales and income targets, it is advisable give your viewers a compelling cause to purchase—and which means getting your messaging spot-on.
That can assist you out, I scoured Drip’s cavernous ecommerce advertising and marketing swipe file to spherical up seven of my favourite March publication concepts.
Right here’s what I discovered…
1. ban.do: Launch a Spring Sale
March is a humorous time.
Spring solely begins halfway by way of the month (within the northern hemisphere, at the very least).
But, with summer season on the horizon, the window for selling spring-themed merchandise is fairly slender.
The truth is, search exercise for the time period “spring vogue” is already trending down by the tip of March…
…and it just about drops off a cliff in mid-April.
No ecommerce model desires to be left with a warehouse-full of unsold spring merch. So it is smart to launch a flash sale in March, like attire and equipment model ban.do does right here:
Learn the electronic mail copy and also you’ll discover ban.do was providing as much as a 50 p.c discount on new garments and equipment.
That’s a unbelievable method to increase gross sales of your spring product line earlier than it’s time to modify focus to summer season.
Talking of which…
2. Monki: Begin Selling Summer time Style
Ecommerce entrepreneurs are all the time trying (at the very least) one season forward.
So although spring’s solely simply starting, it’s already time to start out selling your summer season lineup.
Google Tendencies information exhibits that search exercise for the time period “summer season vogue” climbs steadily all through March:
Apparently, it then tails off considerably in April, earlier than peaking in Might and June.
To me, this implies that essentially the most fashion-forward shoppers are getting a headstart on their summer season purchases in March, whereas the remainder of us go away it till the final minute to spruce up our warm-weather wardrobes.
So March is positively the proper time so as to add some summer-themed messaging (and merchandise) to your electronic mail advertising and marketing campaigns.
Which brings me neatly to my subsequent March publication instance, from ladies’s vogue model Monki. As is commonly the case, all of it begins with an partaking topic line:
I significantly like using emoji right here. They’re not all the time acceptable, however used intelligently — and on the proper time — they seize consideration in a crowded inbox.
Having gained the press, Monki follows up with some sometimes bright-and-breezy electronic mail copywriting, a outstanding name to motion, and a quick choice of related merchandise:
In brief, there’s lots right here to influence Monki’s viewers to click on by way of and browse these summer season vogue staples.
3. Warby Parker: Reference Daylight Financial savings Time
March is the month once we spring ahead by adjusting our clocks.
On the face of issues, that may not sound like an apparent alternative for ecommerce entrepreneurs.
However there are a pair compelling causes to reference Daylight Financial savings Time in your March newsletters, identical to eyewear retailer Warby Parker does in my subsequent instance:
Firstly, and most clearly, altering the clocks could be complicated. So your viewers will possible respect a well-timed reminder forward of the day.
Secondly, Daylight Financial savings Time is the primary signal that summer season’s on the way in which, so it’s a pure match for any summer-themed messaging.
4. Rockets of Superior: Drive Gross sales With St Patrick’s Day Messaging
You don’t must be Irish to like St Patrick’s Day, which—as when you didn’t already know — takes place yearly on March 17.
Extra People are celebrating the vacation than ever earlier than, in keeping with the Nationwide Retail Federation (NRF), with 61 p.c planning to get entangled in 2023—up from 54 p.c in 2022 and simply 48 p.c in 2007.
And “celebrating” inevitably means “spending cash.”
To that finish, these participating in Patty’s Day 2023 plan to spend a mean of $43.84 per family, with most planning to rejoice by sporting inexperienced.
So, when you’re in vogue ecommerce, St Patrick’s Day is an apparent event to push your greenest attire.
That’s exactly what youngsters’s clothes model Rockets of Superior did in my subsequent March publication instance:
That is some clever electronic mail advertising and marketing.
When most individuals consider St Patrick’s, they think about busy pubs and Guinness hats. In different phrases, not very child-friendly.
However Rockets of Superior exhibits that with a little bit creativeness and a few good messaging, it’s completely attainable to make use of the vacation for selling children’ clothes.
5. Oribe Hair Care: Have a good time Girls’s Historical past Month
Customers anticipate extra from manufacturers than simply promoting a good product at a pretty value.
At this time, it’s a must to stand for one thing as properly.
Google Cloud analysis revealed that four-fifths of consumers want a model’s values to align with their very own. What’s extra, three-quarters say they’ve “cut up up” with a model over a distinction in values.
And with Girls’s Historical past Month — a celebration of the very important function ladies have performed in American historical past — occurring yearly in March, that is the right alternative to applaud the contribution of ladies to the success of your online business.
That’s exactly what Oribe Hair Care does right here:
One phrase of warning:
For those who’re going to hitch the dialog round Girls’s Historical past Month (or another consciousness occasion), don’t make all of it about promoting merchandise. In any other case you threat trying inauthentic, cynical, and grasping—which is an enormous turnoff for shoppers.
For that cause, Oribe Hair Care barely mentions itself on this March publication instance, aside from a quick reference to Channel Advertising Supervisor Lori Polk’s favourite Oribe product:
Not solely that, however the model eschews the basic “store now” or “browse our assortment” CTAs in favor of a hyperlink to its Instagram account, which incorporates additional particulars about its Girls’s Historical past Month marketing campaign:
6. Design Inside Attain: Use Tax Refund Season to Push Huge-Ticket Purchases
Tax return season isn’t the “sexiest” shopping-related occasion.
It doesn’t have the fervour of Valentine’s Day or the joy of Christmas.
But it surely’s nonetheless a probably large alternative for ecommerce entrepreneurs.
Whereas the deadline for tax returns falls in mid-April, analysis from the Nationwide Retail Federation reveals that 4 in 5 People file their returns in February or March.
Need to know the excellent news for manufacturers? Three-fifths of individuals are anticipating a tax refund in 2023.
And whereas nearly all of recipients plan to stay their refunds straight into financial savings or use them to pay down money owed, others are planning to spend, spend, spend.
One in 9 intend to put money into house enchancment in 2023, one-tenth have their eyes on a “main buy,” and an extra one in ten are planning to splurge:
That tells me one factor: tax return season is a great time to advertise big-ticket objects.
And with the IRS issuing most refunds in 21 calendar days or fewer, March is the prime time to start out pushing these high-end purchases.
Design Inside Attain positively received the memo. In March 2022, it shared this article showcasing high-end furnishings model Herman Miller:
These chairs price hundreds of {dollars}, which positively qualifies as a “big-ticket buy.”
However this isn’t nearly exhibiting off your most costly merchandise.
Design Inside Attain added some urgency by introducing a flash sale, giving would-be splurgers an incentive to purchase now.
7. Greetabl: Present Commencement Give Inspiration
By the point we attain late March, commencement is simply across the nook, with most establishments holding commencement ceremonies in Might and June.
Commencement is yet one more huge gift-buying vacation, with one-third of People planning to buy congratulatory presents for highschool and faculty graduates, in keeping with information from the NRF.
Common spending on presents quantities to virtually $115, whereas whole spending reached $5.8 billion in 2022. That’s fairly beneficiant.
Frankly, the NRF’s record of high commencement presents is form of uninspiring, with money, greetings playing cards, and reward playing cards rated as the preferred choices.
None of these issues wants a lot ahead planning.
Nonetheless, 16 p.c of respondents mentioned they meant to reward attire to the graduate of their life, whereas 11 p.c opted for electronics merchandise. These are objects that positively require a little bit extra thought.
So there’s clearly potential for a variety of entrepreneurs to capitalize on all that pre-graduation spending. And late March is a wise time to start out pushing your graduation-related messaging.
Unsurprisingly, gifting model Greetabl was desperate to get in on the act, sharing this electronic mail with its viewers in March 2022:
I just like the messaging right here. “Know a grad price celebrating?” places the onus on the customer; it virtually guilt-trips them into taking motion.
But it surely’s not my favourite factor about this electronic mail; that honor goes to this simple-but-effective piece of messaging:
The bulk ofshoppers gained’t want their commencement presents to reach in early April. That’s approach too early for most colleges and schools. So Greetabl offers clients the choice of scheduling their order to reach at a time of their suiting.
It is a good transfer, with analysis from Sendcloud revealing that 67 p.c of shoppers say versatile supply is vital to them when buying on-line.
So what does that flexibility appear like?
Based on Sendcloud, 65 p.c of consumers need the power to decide on the precise date their order arrives, whereas 71 p.c wish to select a time-frame for his or her supply. What’s extra, virtually half need to have the ability to alter their delivery slot even when an merchandise is already on the highway.
Even when you can’t fulfill all of these calls for, it’s in your pursuits to offer clients as a lot selection as attainable the place delivery is worried—particularly on the subject of reward purchases.
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