It’s that time of year when everyone is piling into the car for road trips and vacations are finally around the corner. We’re all on our mobile devices while filling the tank during the family road trip. But, though we’re still connected, our email and digital habits do change.
Sometimes you ignore your phone when taking a noon nap on the beach, but eventually, you’ll pick it up and see the free shipping and deeply discounted promotional email. Email is vital even while consumers are on vacation but patterns do change so campaigns need to focus on small screens and seasonal appeal.
Email is still email
Just because people go on vacation doesn’t mean they cut the digital umbilical cord. People just can’t seem to tear themselves away from those screens! Booking hotels, flights, tours, and other vacation-related activities require an email address for confirmations and itineraries.
The fact of the matter is that email is vital even while on vacation, it is the documentation of our online lives.
Human patterns during summer
It’s a safe bet that we’ll all continue shopping online, even poolside. E-commerce makes it almost a foregone conclusion that we will shop everywhere. But in the summer months, the when, where and how of our online shopping changes.
Human patterns change in the summer as we go on vacation, have increased demands on our time because kids are out of school, or simply spend more time enjoying the weather. This change might translate into time-sensitive offers not having as much impact as during the rest of the year.
The important thing to keep in mind is that the click may not happen exactly when you hoped it would. But, if your list is engaged, it could come a couple of days later after the deal has been extended and people are back online.
Strategies to reach your audience during summer days
- All of the old rules apply. Grow your list organically and don’t cut corners when it comes to opt-in;
- It’s even more important to ensure that your emails are optimized for small screens;
- Be authentic in every email. Referencing sparklers, kids out of school, holidays, warm weather and other relevant topics help your product seem relatable to the recipients’ immediate needs;
- No matter how great the offer, or clever the subject line, nothing matters if the email doesn’t arrive in the inbox. Also, if you’re thinking summer is a great time to send a giant email to people who haven’t opened your emails for months and months, if not years and years, think again.
We’re almost halfway through the summer. Soon all the heat, trips and sunburn will be a happy memory and people will fall back into their usual email habits. But, while there is still time, there’s no reason you can’t make small adjustments to your email program that will make this its best summer yet.