10 Cyber Monday Marketing Ideas to Try This Year

Here’s a quick rundown of what your email sequence could look like:

• Early VIP access to the sale (optional)
• Cyber Monday launch
• Cyber Monday promo reminder
• Last hours to save
• Cyber Monday extended (optional)

Most brands send between 2 and 4 emails in a span of 48 hours. Let’s look at the examples from last year’s Cyber Monday promo campaigns.

Launch email. The announcement of the official start of your Cyber Monday sale is the most important email you’ll send on that day. Keep in mind that your emails don’t have to be of a complex design. Their goal is to let customers know about the deal and the rules they need to follow to get it.

Your Cyber Monday emails should never feel like a reheated version of your Black Friday email deals. Keep them fresh and enticing using bold visuals, countdown timers, and clear CTAs.

Reminder email. Midway through Cyber Monday, remind your subscribers about the deals they might be missing out on. For example, Milk, a beauty brand, reminds customers about makeup sticks – one of their most popular products on sale that also make a great holiday gift.

Last-chance email. In the final hours of the sale, send a final push to create urgency. For example, Bombas, an underwear brand, sends a short but eye-catching email to remind customers that they only have until the end of the day to take advantage of the Cyber Monday promo offer.

Pro tip: Gradually increase your email frequency before BFCM

If your current cadence is one email a month, don’t jump suddenly to multiple emails a day. That’s the digital equivalent of springing a surprise party every day — fun the first time, not so much after that.

Start pacing yourself from now to the launch of your Black Friday promo, increasing the frequency gradually. This way, your audience is accustomed to hearing from you a bit more by the time Cyber Monday arrives.

2. Leverage personalized offers

While blanket discounts are effective, personalized offers can make all the difference. Use customer data to tailor your discounts based on past purchases, browsing history, or wishlist items.

Since you’re competing with hundreds of offers from other brands, one of the best ways to make yours stand out is to personalize them.

The easiest approach?

Send targeted email recommendations based on the products customers bought or clicked through in your previous emails.

Example of recommendation emails automated in Getsitecontrol

For example, suppose you sent an email featuring several collections on sale. You can track customers’ clicks through your email and send them bestsellers from the collections that piqued their interest.

Note how Oak and Luna sends a Cyber Monday sale reminder featuring best-selling necklaces – to those who clicked on the necklace collection in the previous email.

If you’re running remarketing campaigns on social media, you can use the same approach and target your past visitors by reminding them about the products they were viewing.

Other discount strategies you can try:

• Tiered discounts: Encourage larger purchases by offering bigger savings as customers spend more.
• Exclusive discounts for VIPs: Reward your best customers with deeper discounts or early access.

3. Maximize urgency with countdown timers

Few things drive action like FOMO. Add countdown timers to your emails and site banners to show how much time remains, creating a sense of urgency that pushes customers to act quickly.

Here are three ways to instill a sense of urgency:

• Countdown timers: Include a real-time countdown in your emails or site banners to emphasize how much time is left.
• Low-stock alerts: If certain items are running out, let customers know with phrases like “Only 3 left in stock!” or “Hurry, selling fast!”
• Flash sales: Introduce hourly deals or limited-time offers during Cyber Monday to keep customers engaged throughout the day.

For website countdown timers, we recommend GSC Countdown timer if you’re on Shopify and HurryTimer if you’re on WordPress. Both tools are free.

4. Offer flexible payment options like Buy-Now-Pay-Later (BNPL)

While BNPL may have slowed in 2023, it’s still a persuasive option you should leverage for your Cyber Monday campaign.

BNPL has two major benefits. First, it helps prevent cart abandonment: the ability to spread payments over time helps reduce sticker shock and increases conversion rates. And second, it attracts budget-conscious shoppers. By promoting BNPL in your emails and on your product pages, you can appeal to shoppers who might otherwise hesitate to make a large purchase.

According to the Adobe report, during Cyber Week 2022, BNPL orders rose 85%, and revenue increased 88% compared with the prior week.

Another study estimates that by 2027, BNPL will become the go-to option for over 900 million people.

For ecommerce stores, this is not just an online shopping trend; it's an opportunity. Equip your store with BNPL options such as Klarna, Afterpay, or Affirm, and watch as more customers choose you for their shopping spree.

5. Automate post-purchase and cart recovery emails

Automation can be your secret weapon during high-traffic periods like Cyber Monday.

Consider your sale to be an opportunity for building relationships. With a horde of new customers signing up and making their first purchase, it is crucial that you use this momentum to turn them into returning buyers.

How? By using well-timed email workflows to handle:

• abandoned carts,
• cross-sells,
• and reviews.

Let’s look at the examples.

Abandoned cart reminders can help you recover potentially lost sales by reminding customers about the items left in their carts. For example, this is what West Elm sends to those customers who picked products but didn’t complete checkout.

You may want to send abandoned recovery emails 1 to 2 days after the Cyber Monday sale is over while the selected item is still fresh on the customers’ minds. You can also sweeten the deal by saying that the promo discount is still valid for that order.

Post-purchase emails are one of the most overlooked opportunities to engage first-time buyers. Apart from thanking your customers for buying from you and sending tips for using the new product, you can suggest related or complementary items.

Finally, you should include review requests in your post-purchase email sequence. A few days after delivering the purchase send an email asking your customers about their experience.

Some brands offer a discount incentive to encourage more people to leave reviews, like the Sun of a Beach in the example above. This not only boosts your credibility but also encourages repeat sales.

6. Build a dynamic gift guide to cater to holiday shoppers

For many consumers, Black Friday and Cyber Monday kick off their holiday shopping. Create a gift guide that’s easy to browse and appeals to shoppers looking for the perfect present.

You can curate a holiday newsletter featuring gift ideas or put together a collection of products that make excellent gifts and promote it with popups, like The Sill did:

Ideally, you want to organize your guide by category. For example, you can break down gifts by budget, recipient, or occasion (e.g., “Gifts Under $50,” “Gifts for Him/Her,” or “Top Tech Picks”).

One easy way to promote gift categories is by using a pop-up navigator, like the one below:

You can add a popup just like this one to your website for free, using Getsitecontrol. Read the step-by-step instructions here – it works for Shopify, WordPress, or any other website platform.

7. Use well-timed popups and banners to capture attention early

Popups and banners can be a highly effective way to promote your Cyber Monday deals — if used strategically. For example, in the days leading up to Cyber Monday, you can use exit-intent popups to invite store visitors to your list in exchange for early access to the sale:

This way, you can build anticipation and grow your email list.

Once the sale goes live, consider adding a bold holiday banner across your site highlighting your biggest deal, with a direct link to your sale page.

Remember to keep your messaging clear and your CTAs prominent so visitors know exactly where to click and what to expect.

8. Leverage SMS marketing for instant engagement

While email is essential, don’t overlook the power of SMS marketing, especially during time-sensitive events like Cyber Monday. Text messages have much higher open rates compared to emails, making them a great channel for last-minute reminders and exclusive offers.

Brands like MoMa, Ferko’s, Dermstore, and others leverage SMS marketing to promote early access to the sale, feature the best deals, and remind about the sale ending.

Here’s how you can use SMS marketing for your Cyber Monday promo campaign:

• Tease your sale: Send an SMS a day or two before Cyber Monday to build anticipation and encourage subscribers to explore your store or start building their carts.
• Early access for SMS subscribers: Offer your SMS list exclusive early access to your best deals or even a special discount code.
• Flash alerts: Use SMS to announce limited-time flash sales throughout Cyber Monday to keep customers engaged and drive repeat visits to your store.
• Last-minute reminders: In the final hours of Cyber Monday, send a reminder SMS to nudge those who haven’t yet taken advantage of your offers.

If used right, SMS marketing can be a powerful complement to your email strategy, especially when you need to drive quick action.

9. Consider extending your Cyber Monday deals

If your Cyber Monday deal turns out to be a smashing hit, consider extending it for a few hours more, up to 24 hours. If you choose to do it, that will be your Tuesday email – or SMS.

Here is an example of the Cyber Monday sale extension from True Classic, a men’s apparel brand.

Remember that this can come off the wrong way to those who purchased thinking the offer would last until the end of the day. To avoid this, you can do two things. First, you can make discounts smaller for the sale extension or offer free shipping instead. Second, you can send the extension email only to those who haven’t clicked through the previous Cyber Monday email and missed out.

In Getsitecontrol, you can choose promo email recipients based on their previous email clicks

This tactic is particularly effective if you emphasize that this extension is a “last chance” offer. So, feel free to use eye-catching emojis in your email subject line or add a countdown timer to the email.

10. Incorporate UGC into your campaign

Leverage the power of social proof by incorporating user-generated content into your Black Friday and Cyber Monday marketing campaigns. UGC, such as customer reviews, photos, and testimonials, can build trust and showcase real-life experiences with your products – and that’s especially important if you’re trying to reach a new audience.

There are lots of ways to incorporate UGC into your promo. For example, Ruggable used the QA format and an actual team member in the video announcing the sale.

@ruggable Replying to @Kristin Kelley Ask and you shall receive. 😎 Shop our Black Friday sale on ruggable.com with code BF23 for up to 25% off! 🎊 #blackfriday ♬ original sound — Elsie Silver

Example source

Here are three more ideas for implementing UGC in your campaign:

• Feature customer reviews in emails: Highlight top reviews and testimonials in your email campaigns to build credibility and encourage others to purchase.
• Create a social media contest: In the weeks leading up to Cyber Monday, run a contest asking customers to share photos or videos of their favorite products to win exclusive discounts during the sale. You can then feature this content in your marketing materials.
• Add UGC to product pages: Use photos or videos your customers share on product pages to show potential buyers how the product looks or works in real life.

You can display UGC on product pages in a form of a social media gallery or as a collage like Delani Jewelry does.

By integrating authentic customer content into your Cyber Monday promotions, you can enhance trust, increase engagement, and give potential buyers the social proof they need to convert.

Time to start crafting a winning Cyber Monday marketing campaign

Cyber Monday is your chance to boost revenue, grow your customer base, and build lasting relationships. By blending smart emails, tailored discounts, urgency tactics, and flexible payments, you’ll be set for success.

Remember, preparation is key. Start early, optimize every touchpoint, and make sure your offers stand out in a crowded inbox. Don’t forget to leverage SMS for instant engagement and consider extending your sale for additional revenue.

Here’s to breaking records and delivering a seamless shopping experience in 2024!