The holiday shopping season is just around the corner, and Cyber Week is the crown jewel of this make-or-break period. As inboxes fill up faster than stockings on Christmas Eve, how can your emails stand out and drive real engagement?
Good question. We have answers.
Last year, Twilio SendGrid handled a staggering 64 billion emails and messages during Cyber Week alone (so it’s safe to say we know a thing or two about email). That's a lot of holiday cheer—and a lot of competition for your customers' attention. But don't let that intimidate you. With the right approach, email can cut through the noise and connect with your audience when it matters most.
Grab a cup of cocoa, sit back, and get ready to learn how to sleigh this upcoming holiday season.
The end of the year isn’t just another quarter on your email calendar. It’s the Super Bowl of email, and depending on your industry, your entire year’s revenue could rely on this narrow sales season can improve your communication strategy
Direct line to customers: Unlike social media algorithms or paid ads, email lands directly in your customers' inboxes. It's a personal touchpoint in a noisy digital world.
High ROI: Email marketing consistently delivers one of the highest returns on investment of any marketing channel. During Cyber Week, when wallets are open and shopping intent is high, this ROI can skyrocket.
Customization at scale: With the right tools, you can personalize messages for thousands (or millions) of subscribers, making each person feel like you're speaking directly to them.
Timely and flexible: Whether you're announcing a flash sale or sending a last-minute reminder, email allows you to reach customers at just the right moment.
However, to keep up with scale and volume, deliverability is key to a successful Cyber Week.
Inbox competition: Your carefully crafted email is competing with dozens (if not hundreds) of others. Standing out is tougher than ever.
Deliverability pressure: With increased sending volumes, maintaining good deliverability becomes non-negotiable. One misstep could land you in the spam folder at the worst possible time.
Time sensitivity: During Cyber Week, timing is everything. Delays in sending or errors in scheduling can cost you big time.
Scalability concerns: Can your email infrastructure handle the sudden spike in volume without breaking a sweat?
Fortunately, with the right tools and know-how, you can turn these potential roadblocks into opportunities—and we can help.
During the holiday email rush, one-size-fits-all messages just won’t cut it. Your customers expect (and deserve) communications tailor-made just for them. Here's how you can use Twilio SendGrid to create emails that resonate with your audience:
Segment like a pro: Break down your email list into specific groups based on factors like past purchase behavior, browsing history, or engagement levels. SendGrid's segmentation tools make this process a breeze, allowing you to target the right people with the right message.
Dynamic content for the win: Why send ten different emails when one can do the trick? With dynamic content, you can customize sections of your email based on subscriber data. SendGrid's template engine lets you easily swap out content blocks, images, or offers based on your segments.
Get personal—beyond just first names: Sure, using a subscriber's first name is nice, but true personalization goes deeper. Leverage SendGrid's custom fields to include tailored product recommendations, loyalty point balances, or personalized offers in your emails.
Test, learn, improve: A/B testing isn't just for the off-season. Use SendGrid's testing tools to optimize your subject lines, content, and calls-to-action in real-time during Cyber Week. Every open and click counts.
Automate, automate, automate: Set up triggered emails for abandoned carts, browse abandonment, or post-purchase follow-ups. SendGrid's automation features let you create these journeys easily, ensuring you never miss an opportunity to engage.
Engagement isn't just about a single email—it's about creating a cohesive experience across your entire holiday email program. Standing out in the holiday season and Cyber Week inbox chaos isn't just about shouting louder—it's about engaging smarter.
Here are some best practices to boost your customer engagement, along with how SendGrid can help you make it happen:
Mobile-first design: With more than half of all emails opened on mobile devices, your messages need to look great on small screens. SendGrid's responsive email templates and Design Library guarantee your emails shine on any device.
Clear, compelling CTAs: Your call-to-action should be impossible to miss. Use SendGrid's click tracking to test different CTA designs and placements, optimizing for maximum clicks.
Preference centers: Let subscribers choose what they want to hear about and how often. SendGrid's subscription management tools make it easy to set up and maintain preference centers that boost relevance and reduce unsubscribes.
Re-engagement campaigns: Don't let inactive subscribers slip away during the busiest time of year. Use SendGrid's engagement data to identify at-risk subscribers and create targeted re-engagement campaigns.
Transactional email optimization: Order confirmations and shipping updates are prime real estate during Cyber Week. SendGrid's powerful email API lets you personalize these messages and even include relevant cross-sell opportunities.
Accessibility: Double-check your emails are readable for all subscribers on every device or system, including those using screen readers. SendGrid's email testing tools can help you check for accessibility issues before you hit send.
Strategically timed follow-ups: Use SendGrid's Event Webhook to trigger follow-up emails based on specific user actions (or inactions), like abandoning a cart or viewing a product multiple times.
Consistent branding: Maintain a cohesive look across all your holiday communications. SendGrid's Design Library lets you store and easily apply your brand elements across all your email templates.
When the holiday email volume cranks up, deliverability becomes harder (and more important than ever) to maintain. Good deliverability isn't just about technical setup—it's about sending emails people want to receive.
Here's how to guarantees your messages land in the inbox—not the spam folder—and how SendGrid helps you stay on the nice list:
Warm up gradually: Don't wait until Black Friday to ramp up your sending. Start increasing volume gradually in the weeks leading up to Cyber Week. SendGrid's IP warmup tools can guide you through this process smoothly.
Maintain a clean list: Remove inactive subscribers and hard bounces regularly. SendGrid's list management features help you keep your list squeaky clean, boosting your sender reputation.
Handle bounces intelligently: Not all bounces are created equal. SendGrid automatically suppresses hard bounces and provides detailed information on soft bounces to help you make informed decisions.
Optimize for engagement: High engagement rates signal to ISPs that your emails are wanted. Use SendGrid's engagement data to segment your list and target your most active subscribers during critical sending periods.
Use dedicated IPs: For high-volume senders, dedicated IPs give you full control over your sending reputation. SendGrid offers both shared and dedicated IP options to fit your needs.
Real-time analytics: Spot and address deliverability issues quickly with SendGrid's real-time analytics. Our detailed reports help you pinpoint problems before they impact your entire campaign.
Expert support when you need it: Our deliverability experts are on standby during peak seasons. If you run into issues, we're here to help you troubleshoot and get back on track fast.
Klaviyo leverages Twilio SendGrid's Email API to deliver personalized marketing messages for over 65,000 customers. With SendGrid's robust infrastructure, Klaviyo achieves an impressive 99.9% average delivery rate and 46.9% open rates. The platform now sends around 10 billion emails per month, with SendGrid handling 15,000 transactions per second at a median delivery speed of 1.9 seconds.
Shopify uses Twilio SendGrid's Email API to power its email marketing tool, enabling 1.7 million merchants to communicate with their customers. The platform achieves a 99.5% average delivery rate and a 91.3% inbox placement rate. Shopify's transactional emails boast an impressive average delivery time of less than 4 seconds for 90% of emails sent.
Strava, the social network for athletes, has been using Twilio SendGrid since 2011 to drive user engagement and app usage. By optimizing their email program, Strava saw significant improvements:
138% increase in click rate for kudos emails
20% increase in overall open rate
70% increase in overall clicks
These results came after reducing email frequency to 30-40% of overall volume (demonstrating the power of strategic email optimization).
Email marketing during the holiday season (especially Cyber Week) presents incredible opportunities and unique challenges, but it’s worth the investment. And with the right tools and know-how, you can turn the holiday chaos into your most successful email campaign yet.
And we can help.
Twilio SendGrid’s robust infrastructure, advanced features, and expert support team guarantee your holiday emails not only reach the inbox but also drive real engagement and results.
Your holiday-sending preparation starts now. Sign up for Twilio SendGrid (for free) to start importing your contacts, designing your emails, and preparing your campaigns.
