How we think about holidays is changing. And this goes beyond social media managers’ celebratory posts honoring one-off events like National Hot Dog Day (or whatever). Truly, how we think about The Holiday Season is changing at its core, thanks to a variety of factors like the economy, social media, and shifting generational priorities and interests. 

All of this means that how people prepare and shop for holidays are changing too. Consumers everywhere on the thrifty-to-spendy spectrum usher in the shopping season at different times of the year, with more varied spending habits than ever. 

Ultimately, this all means that how marketers approach holiday email marketing campaigns and messaging are evolving too! Tools like Backstroke’s email subject line generator, personalized AI messages, and hyper-specific email segmentation strategies are changing the game on how brands and retailers can win their holiday seasons. 

Here, we examine 5 new consumer expectations for the 2024 holiday season. We’ll also examine how email marketers can meet them, particularly in regards to Black Friday and Cyber Monday (BFCM) promotions.

BFCM Marketing: 5 Consumer Trends Email Marketers Need to Know

Consumer Trend #1: People demand personalization.

With access to today’s technology, email marketers absolutely must personalize their content. Today’s email personalization tactics are varied, sophisticated, and expected by consumers. 

McKinsey tells us that today’s most successful retailers use AI and personalized content to meet customers’ needs throughout the year. This is particularly true in an omnichannel context, as data helps us craft personalized AI messages for both SMS and email that target subscribers’ ages, locations, device types, and more.

The latter is particularly helpful, as iOS 18 has vastly changed the iPhone email experience and marketers need personalized content within their messages to surface them in inboxes.

When it comes to personalizing great email subject lines, Backstroke’s AI message generator allows users to select filters that specify their subscribers’ interests, characteristics, and more. As a result, it will generate the most effective email subject lines that are personalized to the point that they’ll cut through the noise of busy inboxes.

To learn more about how to personalize AI messages, read our guide Email Segmentation Strategy: 5 Ways to Segment Audiences & Create Custom AI Messages.

Consumer Trend #2: People are already shopping and spending. 

Forget Halloween and Thanksgiving. For many Americans, it’s already the Christmas season! 

That’s because 13% of consumers started shopping for the holidays in September. Citing early bird sales like Prime Day, woes over supply chain issues, and simply wanting to spread out their spend, marketers must assume that consumers kick-start their shopping season in the Fall.

To address holiday shoppers at any time, email marketers can craft messages that are designed to speak with a seasonal flair. Read our full report Holiday Email Marketing: How to Generate the Best Email Subjects for Any Season to discover tips to make your AI messages speak to the ebbs and flows of shoppers’ interests . . . at any time of the year!

Consumer Trend #3: People will get fatigued early.

Of course, since many people are shopping now and many brands are promoting holiday-centric messaging, consumers will get fatigued by it earlier than ever. In fact, 67% of consumers are anticipating marketing fatigue by the beginning of November. This is a major problem for email marketers, as their send volumes are only going to increase from here through BFCM.

This means that your #1 challenge is to get people not only see your subject lines, but care about them. Find ways to make content fun. Use slang, ALL CAPS, and interesting emojis throughout subject lines to capture attention. Experiment with the voice filters you apply when generating AI messages. Experimentation is the best way to see what works and ultimately stand out. 

Consumer Trend #4: Holiday shopping experiences aren’t linear.

Linear shopping experiences are things of the past. Today’s holiday shoppers are constantly bombarded with messages, as the average consumer sees anywhere from 4,000-10,000 ads per day. With so many stimuli, it’s easy to see why shopping experiences are now non-linear. 

Still, we can inspire consumers to move quickly through their buying processes. Today, people are incredibly responsive to deal-focused content that inspires them to buy at that exact moment. 

Email marketers can select settings in Backstroke’s email subject line generator to emphasize limited time offers and clear CTAs. These are effective triggers to push people to that next step in their shopping journey!

Consumer Trend #5: Holidays no longer apply to a strict calendar.

Summerween decor swept through TikTok in July. Amazon pushed back-to-school messaging seemingly the second Summer Break started. The holidays and occasions we shop for no longer apply to a strict annual calendar. 

The solution to this new frontier of holiday email marketing comes full circle. Again, personalization and studying consumer habits are critical. There are a few other ways to get creative with both. We suggest: 

• Include Social Proof In Your Subject Lines: 84% of people say that they trust online reviews as much as their friends . . . and 91% of people read online product reviews regularly. Clearly, including social proof in your messaging can really pack a punch.
• Get SO Emotional. When creating effective email subject lines, experiment with your selections in Backstroke’s generator. Select the “Yep!” option in the Slang filter. Max out the Risk and Brand Voice filters. This is especially effective if you’re sending to young people, as 57% of Gen Z say they prefer to hear from brands via email and this type of authenticity connects them to brands.
• Analyze Other BFCM Marketing Trends. Our Data Science team analyzed what over 10,000 brands are sending in their BFCM marketing campaigns. Learn from competition and industry leaders to direct your strategy! Check out our list of the 10 biggest BFCM messaging trends consumers will see in inboxes this year.