Your SMS Strategy For Maximizing Revenue This Memorial Day

Every year Memorial Day is celebrated on the last Monday of May and marks the unofficial start of the summer season. For many brands, it is one of the most important retail events and the perfect occasion to launch their new seasonal collections.

Traditionally, Memorial Day sales are focused on home appliances, mattresses, barbeques, yard and gardening equipment, outdoor and patio furniture, pool supplies, sports equipment, and all kinds of accessories related to outdoor activities. 

2022 Memorial Day

This year we celebrate Memorial Day on May 30. According to Numerator, 29% of consumers will prefer to make their holiday purchases online, with the majority of them (65%) spending between $25 and $100. However, the rising inflation is expected to influence total spending heavily, as 9 out of 10 shoppers admit it will limit their purchases, and 59% claim the impact will be moderate or significant. 

Start the hype about your Memorial Day sales with timely and engaging SMS campaigns — announce a holiday flash sale or a hot new summer collection. With its 98% open rate and high levels of personalization, SMS is the preferred channel if you want to make sure your message will reach your audience and skyrocket your sales. 

Set your store up for success with our detailed strategies and inspiring text message templates. Let the countdown to Memorial Day begin!

14 Days Before Memorial Day

Strategy: Use SMS to create buzz about your upcoming flash sale or brand new summer collection.  

Launch date: May 16

Target: ALL customers

Now is the time to start the hype about your Memorial Day sales with a warm-up SMS campaign. Get your customers in the mood for shopping by announcing your pre-sale deals. Try to keep the discounts lower at this point, as you’ll want to save the best deals for your VIP customers later on or for the Last Chance sales push around the big day.

Send your first Memorial Day SMS campaign around May 16. Most brands will start to actively promote their offers for the long weekend just a few days before, so such an early launch will give you a great head-start and your customers will be notified about your offers well before others reach out to them. Furthermore, people usually plan their Memorial Day weekend in advance, so it might be better to spread the news about your offers as early as possible to give customers time to stock up on necessities. 

You know what they say: the early bird gets the worm. And early birds will become your favorite type of holiday shoppers, as they will help you get some sales in, even before the holidays begin.

You don’t need special targeting. Quite the contrary — let EVERYONE know about your Memorial Day sales! Sending a timely SMS with a personalized touch will help you make sure that each and every one of your customers will get the announcement of your hot summer deals. 

Pro tip: Try not to be too salesy or pushy with the copy of your text messages — remember to be considerate and celebrate respectfully. Use the opportunity to convey a patriotic theme. Especially on this occasion, it might be better to avoid strong FOMO.

7 Days Before Memorial Day

Strategy: Use SMS to send special offers to your favorite shoppers. 

Launch date: May 23

Target: Loyal and high-value customers

One week before the holiday weekend is the right time to send an exclusive Memorial Day offer to your most loyal and high-value customers. Consider it another option for an early bird campaign, but for the VIPs. These people bring in a significant part of your revenue by making either bigger or repetitive purchases, or in other words — these are your top spenders. 

Show your appreciation and special attention by sending them exclusive offers or a sneak peek at a brand new product/collection. Now is the time to really go BIG on discounts. Such targeted SMS campaigns will help you reach out to your most valuable segment of customers, boost AOV, CLV, and improve your overall store performance. Moreover, with the latest data privacy changes, engaging loyalty programs will remain one of the best ways to nurture your customer-brand relations.

Pro tip: Personalization is key — use first names to greet your customers to create a feeling of bond and trust.

3 Days Before Memorial Day

Strategy: Use SMS to engage your churned customers.

Launch date: May 27

Target: Customers who have not made a purchase yet

Let the Memorial Day festivities begin! Now is the time to get your customers all prepped up for the long holiday weekend with appealing & personalized offers. 

Whether it will be a short-time flash sale or a special package deal — the choice is yours! Combining products in bundles will help you boost sales and, at the same time, clear out the shelves from some slow-moving items. 

If you already approached all your customers with an early-bird campaign and sent out exclusive offers to your VIP customers, this campaign should focus on those who have not purchased from your Memorial Day sales just yet. Maybe they liked your offer but got too distracted over the long weekend and simply forgot? Send them a timely reminder about your sizzling hot deals.  

Pro tip: Present an appealing offer — traditionally, Memorial Day sales are bigger than usual and can be compared in terms of value to BFCM promotions. Big discounts, gift vouchers, and free shipping will serve as an excellent incentive for customers to hit the Purchase button. And remember, always use a clear call to action. 

Memorial Day

Strategy: Use SMS for some last-minute sales.

Launch date: May 30

Target: All customers

The goal here is simple. Use this campaign as a last chance to move some slow-running products. Now is not the time to hold back — boost the discount value and keep those sales coming. 

This is where you can include a hint of urgency, just to let shoppers know that the deals will soon expire. Remember to remain respectful and avoid being too pushy or aggressive when it comes to sales and messaging on this special day. 

Bonus Option

Even if you don’t have a special promotion this Memorial Day, it is always a good idea to reach out to your customers with some heartfelt message to commemorate the day or simply thank them for being there for you. 

It will help you strengthen the bond with your audience and position your brand top of mind on this special day.  

Another great idea is to use the occasion and make a company announcement or launch a care campaign.  

These were our top strategies on how to engage with your customers this Memorial Day and drive more sales to your store. 

If you need some more inspiration, check out these 11 ready-to-use text marketing templates  — simply copy, paste, and schedule your holiday SMS campaigns!

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Special thanks to our friends at SMSbump for their insights on this topic.