Holiday Marketing Campaigns with WhatsApp

Planning to launch successful holiday marketing campaigns to make the most of seasonal purchases? Learn how to use WhatsApp Business Platform to increase your holiday sales.

Why Launch Holiday Marketing Campaigns? 

Holiday shoppers tend to plan early. Google’s survey shows that shoppers worldwide were done with about 21% of their holiday shopping by October.  People want the best deals and take time to find brands that offer the biggest discounts. 29% of people plan their holiday menu more than a month in advance. 

More and more businesses are jumping on the early access holiday sale trend to grab shoppers’ attention. Promotions like Fall Sale resulted in a jump of  9.8% e-commerce growth rate in 2022, surpassing those of November and December. 

Launching targeted WhatsApp marketing campaigns for the holiday season helps attract customers looking to make purchases. By understanding your audience and analyzing their buying patterns, you can send personalized offers for increased engagement. Advertising your holiday offerings, such as big discounts, easy pickup and return options, free shipping, etc, helps gain a competitive edge and increase your holiday sales. 

Why Use WhatsApp for Holiday Campaigns? 

WhatsApp is one of the most popular instant messaging platforms worldwide. Apart from the extensive reach that WhatsApp provides with its global user base of over 2 billion people, here are a few reasons how WhatsApp can level up your holiday campaigns:

High Engagement Rates

WhatsApp boasts an average open rate of 98%, which is considerably higher than other digital channels such as email. A high open rate indicates that your message will be read by your intended audience, which can lead to more purchases. 

Personalized and Instant Communication

While email and social media have their strengths, nothing compares to the instant and personalized connections that WhatsApp allows. With WhatsApp, you can send tailored messages to customers, delivering a personalized experience. This can significantly improve customer satisfaction and conversion rates. 

Rich Features

You can use more than text to engage customers with WhatsApp. Include images, video, voice messages, and documents to showcase your products and services effectively and enhance engagement. Moreover, the WhatsApp Business Platform offers a host of powerful features and tools to run the best holiday marketing campaigns for your business. Features like auto-replies, quick replies, buttons, and catalogs make it effortless for businesses to launch successful holiday marketing campaigns. 

Improved Customer Support

Efficient customer support is critical to improve conversions and retention. WhatsApp offers a powerful platform for businesses to promptly resolve issues and answer queries. This complements your holiday marketing efforts and can result in more sales.

Convenience

With the rise in smartphone adoption, WhatsApp is an easy way to reach customers on the platform they are already on. Your campaigns are likely to have better ROI with a platform on a platform that is easy to use.  

Pre-Holiday WhatsApp Campaign Ideas 

1. Showcase Products with WhatsApp Catalog 

When holiday shoppers are bombarded with marketing messages, WhatsApp Catalog offers you an opportunity to grab their attention. 

WhatsApp Catalog acts as your digital storefront, making product discovery effortless. A well-crafted catalog allows customers to easily browse your business’s products or services. Moreover, customers can share their favorite catalog items with their friends, bringing in more customers.  

For example, an electronics store can showcase the hottest gadgets of the season, along with vibrant images, prices, and detailed product descriptions. Customers can explore the available products and select their favorite right on WhatsApp.

2. Give a Sneak Peak of Your Holiday Offers

In a marketplace saturated with holiday promotions, catching customers’ attention as early as possible is essential. Instead of unveiling your offers all at once, stagger the announcements to keep customers interested. Sharing abundant information can be counterproductive. So, it’s best to space out your announcements. 

For example, an e-commerce business can tease deals on each product category every week in the lead-up to the holidays. They can send deals focused on only home appliances so interested customers do not miss information.

3. Place Ads That Click to WhatsApp

Run Click to WhatsApp ads on your social media channels. When customers click on the ads, it opens a message thread on WhatsApp. Introduce your businesses to more people and build awareness of your WhatsApp presence. Collect WhatsApp Opt-In to build customer trust.

4. Promote Early Access Deals 

Why wait till the holidays to have fun? Allow customers to get ahead of the holiday shopping frenzy and provide an opportunity to be among the first to enjoy your special discounts and offers before the holidays. Customers can shop stress-free by planning their purchases well in advance. 

5. Build Anticipation with Countdown Campaigns

Generate excitement by sharing countdown campaigns to keep your business top of mind.

Countdown campaigns encourage active participation from customers who eagerly await your offers. They create a sense of urgency, urging customers to make quick purchase decisions to avoid missing out. Use images or videos with a timer to make the message visually compelling.

6. Advertise Events and Collaborations

Share messages promoting events or partnerships with complementary businesses. For example, an apparel business can advertise its fashion show to display its holiday collections. It’s a fantastic way to create a buzz.

WhatsApp Marketing Ideas During the Holiday Season

1. Provide End-to-End Shopping Experience on WhatsApp

Reduce friction in the buying journey by reducing the number of touchpoints with WhatsApp Commerce features. Enable customers to learn about your products, place orders, make payments, get updates, and ask questions – all from within the WhatsApp Platform.

2. Grab Attention with Time-sensitive Live Deals

Time-sensitive live deals help nudge customers to take immediate action. The fear of missing out (FOMO) is a powerful motivator, driving more conversions and boosting sales during the holiday promotional period. 

3. Share ‘Last Chance’ Messages for Low-Stock Items

When you create a sense of scarcity, customers are more likely to rush to purchase items they have been considering. “Last Chance” messages can lead to higher conversion rates as customers will want to secure an item that’s been on their wishlist, especially if they believe the product may soon be unavailable.

4. Send Personalized Product Recommendations

Segment your WhatsApp customers based on demographics, purchase patterns, or past interactions. Craft personalized messages with offers and discounts that resonate more with each customer. Tailored product recommendations enhance the shopping experience by making it convenient for customers to find products that cater to their preferences and needs.

You can also upsell and cross-sell by leveraging customer data such as previous purchases. For example, if a customer recently purchased a digital camera, you can send offers on complementary products such as zoom lenses, camera bags, tripods, and lens filters to maximize sales.

5. Provide Stellar Customer Support

Leverage WhatsApp automation tools to provide prompt assistance. Automate responses for  FAQs, freeing up agent time for more complex issues. ​WhatsApp Business Automation allows your business to be available 24/7, ensuring no customer is left without a response.

WhatsApp can be integrated with your business systems, such as marketing software and customer relationship management (CRM) systems, streamlining workflows and ensuring a seamless customer service experience.

6. Trigger Abandoned Cart Recovery Messages

Abandoned cart recovery messages are a potent tool for e-commerce businesses to re-engage potential customers and boost sales. ​Make your messages feel personal. Mention the customer’s name and specific products they left in the cart. Send reminders and share exclusive discounts. Use WhatsApp buttons or links so that customers can easily complete the purchase or seek assistance if needed.

7. Share Timely Order and Delivery Updates 

By proactively sharing updates, customers stay informed of the delivery process, resulting in a stress-free shopping experience. Moreover, timely updates reduce anxiety and minimize the need for customers to contact your support team for information, saving time. Sharing updates directly on WhatsApp eliminates the need to switch platforms, making the experience seamless.

Regular updates foster trust and build confidence as customers appreciate transparency in their transactions.

Post-Holiday WhatsApp Marketing Campaign Ideas

1. Share Tips and Product Guides

Product guides can assist new customers in getting started with your products, significantly reducing the learning curve and improving onboarding experiences. By sharing tips and guides as a PDF or video on WhatsApp, your business can foster stronger relationships and improve product usage.

2. Send Reorder Reminders

Send timely reminders when it’s time to repurchase products or items with a limited lifespan. Reorder reminders help ensure customers don’t switch to competitors for similar products and hence is vital to reducing customer churn. For example, you can send reorder reminders to customers who have ordered ink and toner cartridges, air filters, etc, that need regular replacement.

3. Promote Your Loyalty Programs

Loyalty programs lead to repeat business and help improve customer retention. By providing an incentive for buying from your business, you earn loyal customers who tend to spend more over time, increasing their overall lifetime value.

4. Announce Extended Sale

Extended sales gives you an opportunity to re-engage your customers. By notifying your customers of the sale extension, you can continue to generate revenue.

5. Collect Feedback From New and Existing Customers

Holiday marketing campaigns can lure in new customers. By sharing surveys on WhatsApp, you can uncover any challenges that new customers may have had, allowing you to address these concerns promptly. Incorporating surveys into your onboarding process on WhatsApp helps improve customer satisfaction.  

WhatsApp is an excellent channel for gathering feedback because it is easier for customers to share their opinions in real-time.  Collecting feedback helps you assess your brand perception and make any necessary changes in procedure accordingly. 

Once you identify satisfied customers, you can encourage them to leave you a review by sharing a link.

Improve Your Holiday Sales with Kaleyra and WhatsApp

WhatsApp Business Platform helps businesses engage with customers at scale and create meaningful connections. With a trusted Business Solution Provider like Kaleyra, you can get the most out of WhatsApp Business Platform. Maximize your holiday sales and increase your ROI with WhatsApp and Kaleyra.