Christmas in July: AI for Christmas campaign success

‘Tis the season to get Planning! As marketers, we know that July is not just about soaking up the sun and managing summer sales. It is the perfect time to start planning for the most wonderful shopping season of the year – Christmas!

Holiday shopping is big business for UK retailers, with about £80 billion being spent in Christmas retail sales each year, according to Statista. With so much at stake, you need to make sure your campaigns really ‘sleigh’ to cut through the competition. Failing to plan can decrease revenue, create opportunity for customer attrition and impact brand reputation.

At Planning-inc, we are here to help! In this blog, we’ll explore how you can prepare for post-peak retention with the magical power of AI.  

So, what do you need to put in place now to ensure your Christmas campaigns benefit the brand long after the baubles go back into storage? Here are a few considerations.

Preparing for Christmas Campaigns with AI

1. Strong data foundation with real-time Single Customer View (SCV): You need easy access to unified customer data to make your holiday campaigns shine. During Christmas, shoppers interact with brands through various channels, making a 360-degree Single Customer View (SCV) essential for understanding their behaviour. In the pre-planning phase, tailor your communication strategy by identifying the right channel, target audience, content, and personalised messaging. Remember the marketing mantra: the right person, the right message, and the right time! With a real-time SCV powered by AI, you can deliver consistent and uniquely tailored experiences across channels, leading to higher engagement and customer loyalty. A 360-degree SCV enhances customer relationships, creates personalised experiences, and makes your marketing efforts more efficient. It’s like Rudolph guiding your sleigh to success!
2. Ability to capture intent using AI: To make your holiday campaigns truly sparkle, it’s crucial to capture the intent of your target audience in the moment. By identifying key characteristics and behaviours within each customer segment, you can leverage the power of AI to swiftly understand their intentions and deliver real-time, personalised experiences. This timeliness is paramount as it allows you to capture your customers’ attention precisely when they are most receptive, ensuring that your holiday messages resonate deeply and ignite the spirit of the season. It is like having an army of Santa’s little helpers who anticipate your customers’ needs, understand their preferences, and engage them with targeted offers and messages at every touchpoint. AI truly is the magical elf in your marketing workshop!
3. Mechanisms to encourage repeat purchases with personalised recommendations: Ah, the sweet sound of jingle bells ringing with each repeat purchase! Personalisation is the secret ingredient to converting intent, boosting customer engagement, and fostering loyalty. To turn one-time purchasers into repeat customers, tap into your first-party data and sprinkle some predictive targeting and AI magic. Calculating each customer’s affinity for different product categories enables you to target and segment them more effectively. Use personalised messages across various channels, like email, website, and push notifications, to re-engage customers. Here’s a little gift of wisdom: implement two types of personalised recommendations. Alternative recommendations: using a customer’s historical and contextual preferences, suggesting similar products that align perfectly with their Christmas wishes. Complementary recommendations: Capture intent by suggesting related products or services based on a customer’s expressed interest. Imagine the joy when a customer add baubles to their cart and are then prompted to buy a tree topper and wrapping paper that match the aesthetic, completing their perfect winter wonderland.
4. Reporting and customer insights:  To make your holiday campaigns shine, it’s crucial to lay the right foundations for effective reporting and customer insights. Before the holiday season arrives, it’s essential to ensure your data streams and customer profiles are unified across channels. This unified view provides a comprehensive understanding of your customers’ behaviour, wants, needs, and motivations. By establishing this solid data groundwork, you can accurately measure the incrementality of your campaigns and gather valuable insights. Armed with this knowledge, you can refine your strategies and deliver impactful experiences that truly shine during – and well after – the Christmas season.

How Can Planning-inc Help?

As you gear up for the holidays, Planning-inc can help you identify intricate behavioural patterns and optimise your campaigns across any channel.

Get in touch to find out how

Stay tuned in the coming weeks as we share more insights and strategies to make your holiday campaigns unforgettable. Our team of experts is ready to assist you in implementing AI-driven solutions that will elevate your campaigns and drive post-peak retention. So, grab your hot cocoa, put on your favourite Christmas sweater, and get ready to sleigh the ho-ho-ho-liday season with AI-powered marketing strategies!