Spring is officially here.
And it’s the perfect excuse to build a revenue-driving campaign for your store.
Launch a Spring cleaning sale, run a site-wide promo, or test out a free gift with purchase. The opportunities are endless.
And with this post, you have everything you need to create the perfect Spring campaign.
Let’s dive in.
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Have items that aren’t in stock yet, but will be soon?
Letting your audience pre-order Spring styles is a great way to bring in sales before your products have even arrived.
Take this example from Artemis, a shoe brand:
I love the description they give. You can almost picture the local Moroccan women dyeing and weaving the shoes.
Just remember you have to make it really clear on your product pages if a product is pre-order only and won’t be shipping immediately. Here’s what that looks like on their site:
Notice that the product title includes pre order and then the first part of the description about ship date is in bold so you know exactly what you’re signing up for. The last thing you want is for someone to purchase a product that’s not immediately available then turn around to cancel because it wasn’t clear from the get-go.
So if you already have designs in the works that aren’t quite ready to be shipped yet, consider allowing your audience to pre-order (assuming you have real product photos to share with them). Especially if you have a loyal base, this will go a long way.
Building hype around upcoming product launches is an amazing way to keep your audience in the loop and build excitement so that once a product is available, they’re ready to act immediately.
Otherwise, think about it. You introduce a new product on launch day. If you hadn’t teased it ahead of time, they wouldn’t know to be looking out for anything brand new from you, which means they likely wouldn’t take you up on the offer right away.
But by giving your subscribers a heads up, they feel in the know are much more likely to make a purchase when you actually do launch.
Here’s a great example from eco-friendly candle brand, Mala:
Everything about this email is incredible. From the countdown timer to the blurred out images, you’re already dying to know what’s coming.
But they don’t stop there.
They’re allowing VIPs to shop the collection 24 hours sooner than anyone else and if you sign up for their SMS list, you’re eligible for a free gift. But that only applies to the first 50 purchases. So without even launching a new product, they’re creating urgency for their existing email audience to join their text list and make a purchase.
Finally, they encourage Instagram follows with a to-the-point “stay tuned on our IG” CTA.
The next email is the announcement:
The newest scents are featured and you’re reminded about early access to shop the collection (text subscribers got access a full 24 hours ahead of time in case you were curious).
So whether you’re launching a brand new Spring collection or just a single product, make sure you’re building hype ahead of time. That way when the time comes, your audience acts. So you can bring in more sales and build stronger relationships with your email and SMS subscribers.
Another great way to build excitement around your latest products is to share behind the scenes content to make your audience feel involved and invested throughout the entire process.
Because the more your audience can relate to or understand your work, the more likely they are to support you with a purchase.
Clothing brand, The Great shared what went into their Spring collection with their email subscribers:
With the inspiration board, color swatches, and sketches, you almost feel like you’re part of the process. Not to mention the fact that it makes you really appreciate everything that goes into designing and launching an entire collection.
Rather than sharing this ahead of time to get their audience excited about their Spring line, The Great shared this once the collection was already available to shop. Still super valuable, but remember that the more you can take your audience along for the ride, the better. So feel free to give your subscribers an inside look as you design, plan and bring your newest products to life.
You could even involve them in the process by asking them ahead of time exactly what products they’re looking for.
Then you know what’s likely to sell and can tailor your upcoming launches around those products.
Spring is a great time to refresh. And especially if you have a beauty or health food brand that makes something like a new routine a natural fit, now is the perfect time to showcase that.
Here’s a great example from clean skincare company, Blume:
Skincare is notoriously confusing. “Should I use this product before or after all the others?” “Is it just for morning or should I use it before bed too?” These are just a couple questions that often run through your mind. Especially if you’re trying something new.
To combat that, Blume showcases an easy-to-use bundle with step-by-step instructions for a new Spring routine.
When you help your customers envision themselves using your products in their daily lives, you’re that much more likely to get them to convert. Just look at their product photos in this email. They’re not just generic photos of a product in a bottle. You see a real person using them and can imagine what each product looks and feels like.
But what if you want to go a more content-driven, less salesy route? Take a look at this example from skincare brand Sahajan:
Rather than specifically calling out their own products, they share 4 tips for making the transition into Spring.
As a brand based in Ayurvedic practices, this more educational, helpful content makes perfect sense. And chances are, if you’re receiving their emails you’re also interested in learning more about this kind of lifestyle.
I also love that the founder, Lisa, shares a little about her personal life. She shares the fact that she has kids and loves to watch TV while everyone else in the house is asleep (relatable for moms everywhere, I’m sure!).
So rather than pushing their products left and right, Lisa takes the opportunity to educate her audience about lifestyle changes they can make heading into Spring.
If you have products that would make it easy to highlight a routine that’s perfect for Spring, that’s an easy win. But you can also go the more content-focused route and add value for your audience.
Spring is the perfect time to bring back bestsellers you already know your audience loves. Because you’ve already proven that these products will sell, it’s a safe bet to assume it will happen again.
Here’s a great example from alcohol brand, Haus:
Not only is the lemon lavender flavor perfect for Spring, but I love that they incorporate a review that includes a mention of Spring to keep it on theme. Plus, the colors and photos make it really easy to imagine what the product is like in real life.
You could even go so far as to send a specific email to repeat purchasers of this particular product and give them early access for their loyalty. Then, get the word out to the rest of your audience.
Bag and accessory brand, Caraa, also highlighted best selling products for Spring, but brought back their most popular styles in brand new colors:
What I love about this play is that if you know certain customers are fans of a specific product and you have that product in a brand new color, you can reach out to them in a really personal way to share that news.
Best sellers are also the perfect way to engage with members of your audience who have never made a purchase.
So if you’re feeling stuck this Spring, showcase some of your best-selling products or bring them back with a new twist so you can target past purchasers too.
When in doubt, site-wide promotions are always an option. It just depends on whether or not this type of offer makes sense for your business. If your margins don’t support discounting or you don’t want to be seen as a discount brand, this type of offer probably isn’t right for you.
But if you don’t run site-wide promos frequently enough that your audience knows not to buy from you at full price, they can be really effective.
Here’s a great example from skincare brand, Herbivore:
In honor of Spring, they ran a 21% off site-wide promotion. But they didn’t stop there.
Because this type of offer is likely to reduce your average order value (AOV), they ran it in conjunction with a free gift with purchase offer to encourage shoppers to hit a $100 threshold to qualify.
If you’re on the fence about a site-wide discount, this is a clever way to try it out without sacrificing what your customers are spending.
Just remember: don’t run site-wide discounts too frequently. The way your subscribers value your product will change and it’s really hard to come back from that. But luckily there are so many other types of Spring campaigns you can run that don’t revolve around discounting.
In the example above, Herbivore offered a free gift with purchase in conjunction with a discount as a way to incentivize higher cart values.
But you can actually do the same thing without having to slash prices.
Take this example from coffee brand, Jot:
Once you click that button, you find out that it only applies to subscription orders. Since I’ve never purchased from them before, this doesn’t do much to get me over the hump (not many people are going to start a subscription without at least trying the product first).
But you could absolutely run a similar gift with purchase campaign for first-time buyers as a way to incentivize them. Or you could start by offering it to your most valuable customers first, then take whatever you have left and offer it up to the rest of your audience. Since you’ll have a limited number, you can use this to drive urgency (we only have X left! Place your order ASAP to get your free gift).
So the next time you’re feeling stuck coming up with a campaign, either design an exclusive gift that you don’t already sell or use a smaller item you already have to test it out.
Ahh Spring cleaning. At the end of every season, it’s the perfect time to clear out your existing inventory to make space for your newest products.
Here’s another great example from eco-friendly candle brand, Mala:
I love how they explain why the sale is happening (to make room for their Spring collection) and share that some of the scents won’t be coming back. So if you love one, stock up now.
It’s also really smart that they encourage email subscribers to follow them on Instagram to get sneak peeks about what’s coming.
So if you have inventory from previous seasons you need to get rid of, try out a limited time Spring cleaning sale like this. Just make sure you send an announcement email (and ideally text) and a last chance reminder at the very least.
Giveaways are an amazing way to grow your email list. But you have to partner with the right brands. For example, if you sell women’s clothing, you probably wouldn’t want to partner with a men’s shoe brand. Because those new subscribers you get are really unlikely to convert or engage with your content.
I love this example from sustainable food container brand, Inka:
Rather than using this particular giveaway to grow their email list, they used it as an opportunity to build their following and get in front of new potential customers. Here are the terms:
*Giveaway closes 12pm PST 3/24. Winner will be announced by the Olipop team via Stories. Must be 18+ and live in US to enter. This giveaway is not affiliated with Instagram.
Each brand is getting in front of the other’s audience and growing followers from the other’s base. Plus, they’re getting even more exposure by asking people to tag a friend (hoping that they’ll follow and ideally become a customer down the line).
So if you know brands that have a similar audience to yours, try asking them about a giveaway! If they’re into the idea, you can decide together what you want to prioritize (emails, followers, etc.).
As an ecommerce business, you don’t have the option to not be on Instagram. But with everything else on your plate, it can be really hard to focus on growing your audience.
That’s why I love this play so much. Here’s what beauty brand, Lake & Skye did to convert their email subscribers into Instagram followers:
While this is ultimately another giveaway, it did not include another brand (they gave the 2 winners their own products) and was just focused on growing their Instagram following.
To enter, all you had to do was like this photo, follow their brand and tag a friend. Aach person you tagged was an entry, so the more people you tagged, the more likely you were to win.
So even if you don’t have another brand in mind to run a giveaway with, you can still launch one on your own with the goal of growing your following. The best part? If you do it yourself, it’s really low lift. All you have to do is put together an email and Instagram post with the offer and watch your following grow.
With Privy, you can get your Spring campaign up and running seamlessly with our Spring email templates.
Just drop in your logo, update the copy to match your campaign/offer, add in the products you want to feature and you’re good to go!
You can get started with Privy for FREE today. Already have an account? Log in to start using your Spring templates ASAP.
Now that you have a ton of inspiration for your actual campaign, it’s time to think about your subject line.
Because remember: if your subject line isn’t compelling enough, your audience isn’t going to open your message. Which means they’re not going to see or take action on your offer.
So before you hit send, make sure you have a killer subject line. Here are 12 spring subject line ideas to inspire you:
Just make sure your subject line matches your offer! If you’re running a site-wide promo, you want to make sure you’re sharing that in your subject line.
And don’t forget to look back at your emails with the highest open rate to get an idea of what works best with your audience. Ultimately, you know them (and what they’ll respond to) best.
From Valentine’s Day, to March Madness, and everything in between, The Ecommerce Holiday Calendar has you covered.
You’ll get constant inspiration (like this post!) and reminders so you never miss out on a chance to bring in holiday sales again.
Because the reality is that even the smallest holidays are a chance for you to come up with a killer campaign and watch the sales come in.
There are so many different offers you can run to drive sales for your store.
And now that you have campaign inspiration, subject line ideas, and the right email templates, you seriously have everything you need to launch the perfect Spring campaign for your business.
Whether you run a site-wide promo, giveaway, or test out a free gift with purchase, you’re well on your way to building a Spring campaign that converts.