A birthday campaign helps you:
- Convert visitors to your site into customers.
- Turn first-time buyers into active customers.
- Retain active customers.
- Win back inactive customers.
Emails announcing birthday discounts and promotions are the perfect opportunity for brands that want to engage their subscribers. Data from Experian shows that birthday marketing campaigns generate 342% higher revenue compared to traditional promotional emails.
When brainstorming ideas for a birthday email campaign, it's important to remember that there's no one-size-fits-all tactic. Some birthday marketing strategies will work better for your industry than for others. So it pays to test, track, and optimize your birthday campaigns.
How do you plan a birthday promotion campaign?
Birthday automation is the process of automatically sending notifications or offers tied to your customers' birthdays. Examples of birthday automation in e-commerce might include:
- Sending emails with birthday wishes and a special discount code that can be used in the online store.
- Automatically generating birthday discount coupons that are assigned to the customer's account or sent by email.
- Sending special offers or products as part of a loyalty program on the customer's birthday.
- Personalizing the website or ad campaigns for customers whose birthdays are coming up.
- Sending SMS or push messages to the customer's mobile device with birthday wishes and offers.
Birthday automation in e-commerce is a great way to increase customer engagement and build brand loyalty. Customers feel appreciated, and the online store can boost its sales.
Send a birthday gift
Sephora's birthday email aims to create a sense of being special. The brand offers subscribers a free 15-minute makeover and a gift at checkout.
Even though Sephora's goal is to sell, its birthday email strategy is friendly and very much in line with the brand's personality.
Tip: Think about what incentives you can offer that aren't discounts. Notice, too, that Sephora lets subscribers redeem the gift at any point during the month - consider taking a similar approach in your own birthday marketing campaigns.
Promote a birthday discount coupon
This is a typical birthday email that includes a coupon. Foot Locker's "Happy Birthday" email offers either $10 on a $50 purchase or $25 on a $100 purchase.
Email personalization - personalized birthday promotions for your e-commerce customers
Personalize your birthday emails using the data you have available (first name, favorite products, a nearby location, and so on). Keep your messages short and punchy - with a clear call to action. Make sure your birthday promotions are consistent with your brand image and pricing policy. Whatever birthday campaign ideas you decide to test, remember to always track your results and run an analysis of the email marketing campaign after it ends, so you have hard data to confirm what worked and what needs improvement.