New 10X Holiday Wins with In-App Message

Seasonal marketing has become a cornerstone of successful campaigns for businesses worldwide. From New Year’s Day to Christmas, these events present opportunities for brands to connect with audiences through timely and relevant in-app messages. According to Deloitte, U.S. holiday retail sales alone reached $1.3 trillion in 2022, highlighting the importance of well-executed seasonal campaigns (Deloitte, 2022). While marketers have traditionally relied on emails and push notifications, in-app messages are emerging as the go-to tool for immediate and contextual user engagement. By delivering highly personalized, event-specific communications, brands can capture attention during these key moments. This blog explores strategies, challenges, and case studies that show how CRM marketers can maximize the impact of in-app message during holiday campaigns.

Image of holiday campaigns in-app message examples
Source: Ideogram

Why In-App Messaging for Seasonal Marketing?

Higher Engagement Rates

In-app messages outperform other communication channels in terms of visibility and engagement. A study by Airship found that in-app messages achieve open rates as high as 60%, double that of push notifications. This advantage lies in their ability to capture attention at the exact moment users are interacting with an app, eliminating distractions common to other communication methods.

Real-Time Relevance

In-app messages target users when they are actively engaged, ensuring real-time relevance. This capability makes them ideal for seasonal campaigns where timing is crucial, such as promoting time-limited discounts during Black Friday or holiday-themed offers in December. For instance, a last-minute Christmas shipping reminder delivered while users browse the app can immediately prompt a purchase decision.

Adaptability Across Events

In-app messaging is highly flexible, enabling brands to align campaigns with diverse global holidays. Whether it’s cheerful, festive designs for Christmas or respectful, community-oriented messages for Ramadan, in-app messaging allows precise cultural customization. Brands can also integrate event-specific gamification, like spinning wheels for Valentine’s Day or scavenger hunts during Easter, to engage users in fun and interactive ways.

Data-Driven Insights

In-app messaging provides invaluable real-time feedback through analytics, allowing marketers to track open rates, click-throughs, and conversions. Tools like Braze and IAM Studio empower CRM marketers to leverage these insights to refine campaigns, test different strategies, and make data-driven adjustments for optimal results.

Optimizing Timing and Frequency

Timing is crucial for in-app messages. Analyzing user activity patterns helps ensure messages reach users when they are most active, maximizing engagement. Frequency capping is equally important, as excessive messages can overwhelm users, leading to disengagement.

Advanced Personalization

Behavioral triggers and dynamic content elevate in-app messaging by delivering highly relevant offers. For example, an abandoned cart message with a discount or a reminder tailored to browsing history can drive immediate action. Here’s our blog post about personalization.

Enhancing Visual Appeal

Integrating rich media such as videos, GIFs, or high-quality images makes in-app messages more engaging. These visual elements, combined with clear and concise CTAs, guide users toward desired actions effectively.

Image of in-app message with holiday symbols
Source: Ideogram

Global Events and Messaging Opportunities

Seasonal marketing opportunities span the calendar year, offering numerous occasions to engage users. Below are key events and how in-app messaging can capitalize on their themes:

January – New Year’s Day

New Year’s resolutions and fresh beginnings make January a prime time to promote fitness subscriptions, educational tools, or organizational apps. Motivational in-app messages that inspire users to kickstart their goals work especially well.
Example Message: “Start the year strong! Get 20% off our annual subscription today.”

February – Valentine’s Day

Valentine’s Day offers a chance to emphasize thoughtful gifting ideas, romantic experiences, and exclusive deals for couples. Personalized in-app messages can evoke emotional connections, strengthening user-brand affinity.
Example Message: “Show your love! Surprise your special someone with 15% off.”

Spring Events: Easter, Mother’s Day, and Ramadan

  • Easter: Gamified in-app messages like virtual egg hunts create a fun and interactive shopping experience, driving higher engagement.
  • Mother’s Day: Highlight personalized gift bundles to foster emotional resonance.
  • Ramadan: Respectfully align messaging with fasting schedules and community themes, emphasizing generosity.
    Example Message: “Celebrate Easter with us! Find hidden discounts in our egg hunt game.”

Summer – Back-to-School and Seasonal Sales

Summer presents opportunities for back-to-school promotions and seasonal sales. For instance, targeting parents with educational tools or apparel discounts can yield significant conversions.
Example Message: “Back-to-school savings are here! Shop now for 25% off essentials.”

Fall and Winter Events

  • Thanksgiving (October in Canada, November in the US): Highlight gratitude and togetherness with family-themed campaigns or exclusive holiday discounts.
  • Halloween (October 31): Use playful, spooky-themed messages to promote limited-time offers or in-app games.
  • Black Friday (November): Highlight flash sales with countdowns and urgency-inducing messages.
  • Christmas (December 25): Showcase festive designs, gift guides, and last-minute shopping incentives.
    Example Message: “Scary good deals await! Shop now and save 30% on Halloween must-haves.”

Regional Events

Don’t overlook localized opportunities like Singles’ Day (November 11) in China, Diwali (October–November) in India, or Oktoberfest (September–October) in Germany. Tailored in-app messaging for these events can enhance user trust and engagement. Explore additional global events below for more opportunities to connect with your audience:

  1. Lunar New Year (Between January 21 and February 20): Celebrated in countries like China, Korea, and Vietnam. A time for family reunions, gifting, and traditions. Perfect for festive campaigns emphasizing new beginnings.
  2. Songkran (April 13–15): Thai New Year celebrated with water festivals. Ideal for light-hearted and refreshing campaigns.
  3. Golden Week (Late April to Early May): Japan’s national holidays week focusing on travel, relaxation, and family.
  4. Vesak Day (Date varies, typically May): Celebrated across South and Southeast Asia, this Buddhist holiday emphasizes mindfulness and community.
  5. Eid al-Fitr (Date varies, typically April–May): Marks the end of Ramadan, focusing on family, feasting, and community. Great for culturally respectful promotions.
  6. Eid al-Adha (Date varies, typically June–July): Another major Islamic holiday, emphasizing generosity and community.
  7. Bastille Day (July 14): French national holiday celebrating freedom, suitable for campaigns tied to independence and culture.
  8. Chuseok (September, date varies): Korean harvest festival similar to Thanksgiving, ideal for family and gratitude-themed promotions.
  9. Boxing Day (December 26): Significant in countries like the UK, Australia, and Canada, centered on post-Christmas sales and deals.
  10. Kwanzaa (December 26–January 1): African-American cultural celebration of community, creativity, and heritage.

Image of in-app message for seasonal marketing
Source: Ideogram

Strategies for Effective In-App Messages

Time-Sensitive Offers

Urgency is one of the most effective drivers of action. Including countdown timers in in-app messages creates a sense of fear of missing out, prompting users to act quickly.
Example: “Hurry! Only 3 hours left to save 50%!”

Gamification

Interactive campaigns keep users engaged while making shopping more enjoyable. Techniques like virtual scratch cards, spinning wheels, or trivia can be tailored to seasonal themes. Look into our past blog post and learn more about winning gamification strategies.
Example: “Spin the wheel for your Christmas discount!”

Data-Driven Targeting

Segment audiences by demographics, browsing history, or previous purchases to deliver hyper-relevant messages. Behavioral targeting enhances the likelihood of conversions.
Example: “We noticed you love cozy sweaters-enjoy 15% off our winter collection today!”

User Experience

Ensure that in-app messages are non-intrusive and integrate smoothly with the app interface. Poorly timed or disruptive messages can harm user experience and cause churn.

Case Studies of Event-Driven Campaign Success

Amazon’s Black Friday Flash Sales

Amazon leverages in-app messaging to notify users of hourly flash sales. By aligning messages with user preferences, Amazon drove a 25% increase in app conversions during Black Friday (Springboard, 2022).

Starbucks’ Holiday Rewards Campaign

Starbucks promoted double reward points during Christmas week, leveraging in-app messages personalized to users’ purchase behaviors. This resulted in a 20% uptick in mobile transactions and strengthened loyalty (Springboard, 2022).

Alibaba’s Chinese New Year Red Envelope Campaign

During Chinese New Year, Alibaba offered virtual red envelopes containing coupons and discounts. This culturally inspired initiative boosted daily active users by 30% (Airship).

Canva’s Holiday Templates

Canva showcased holiday-specific templates through in-app messaging, helping small businesses create festive designs. The campaign led to a 15% increase in template downloads (Airship).

Challenges in Holiday Campaign Messaging

Message Overload

Bombarding users with promotions can lead to disengagement.
Solution: Focus on high-value, strategic messages to maintain interest.

Cultural Sensitivity

Missteps can alienate users and damage trust.
Solution: Collaborate with regional experts to ensure culturally appropriate messaging.

For better understanding of the cultural relevance, read this blog post.

User Fatigue

Frequent promotions or gamification can cause burnout.
Solution: Keep messages concise and aligned with user preferences.

Best Practices for CRM Marketers

  1. Early Planning: Start building seasonal calendars months in advance to coordinate messaging efforts across teams.
    Tip: Launch teaser campaigns to build anticipation.
  2. A/B Testing: Experiment with multiple variations of CTAs, visuals, and timing to identify the most effective strategies.
  3. Analytics Integration: Leverage performance data to refine ongoing campaigns and inform future efforts.
  4. CRM Tools: Platforms like Braze and IAM Studio enable integration of user data and in-app messaging for maximum impact.
    To learn more about IAM Studio, visit here.

Conclusion

Seasonal and holiday campaigns provide valuable opportunities for CRM marketers to connect meaningfully with users. By leveraging in-app messaging, brands can deliver timely, relevant, and engaging content that captures attention and drives action. Whether through gamified Easter hunts or urgency-driven Black Friday sales, in-app messages are pivotal for creating lasting impressions.

Transform Your Seasonal Campaigns Today

Let IAM Studio elevate your seasonal campaigns with its advanced in-app messaging tools. By integrating with your CRM and delivering data-driven results, IAM Studio ensures your holiday campaigns cut through the noise and maximize engagement. Start planning your next event-driven campaign today to drive 10X holiday wins.



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