Let segmentation and channels drive your BFCM messaging
During BFCM, every brand is competing for attention (and share-of-wallet) from subscribers. It’s no secret that the hardest part of converting a customer through digital channels is grabbing their attention in the first place. Klaviyo’s data indicates that brands achieve the most success in generating engagement and revenue when they base their marketing and channel strategy on segmentation.
Most ecommerce brands sell a variety of products across a few categories and target at least a handful of different customer personas. Even if you have a small catalog or you only have 1 target persona, you can split them into a few distinct groups based on their budget or buying patterns.
If you want to increase sales and get products off the shelves this holiday season, you have to craft your messaging around the factors that influence your customers’ decision to purchase. Those key factors are:
- Budget/willingness to spend
- Convenience
- Motivation or specific need
- Level of urgency
The holiday season also brings huge opportunities to expand your target personas to a special seasonal audience: gift shoppers. Those who wouldn't usually fall under the group of people interested in your brand likely have friends or relatives who are, so guiding them towards the right gift for a special person in their life should be an important part of your holiday messaging strategy.
Identify key holiday buyer personas to target
You will likely have a few key BFCM campaigns that apply to your entire engaged audience across email, text (SMS and RCS), WhatsApp, and push, such as your sale launch announcement and your final reminder to save. Beyond that, focus on creating messages that speak to the specific interests and concerns of your buyer personas.
Let’s examine how those important purchasing factors mentioned before can help us identify buyer personas for the holiday season. Once you understand the habits and behaviors behind each persona, you can use metrics and customer data to build these segments in Klaviyo.
Deal hunters
Budget: only willing to shop sales or perceived “deals.”
Motivation: save money, potentially willing to stock up all at once if that means saving money in the long run. Likely shopping for gifts for other people.
Convenience: unimportant; willing to sacrifice quick delivery to save money.
Level of urgency: will wait for the best deal; willing to explore substitute products.
Gift shoppers
Budget: varies, but may be likley to splurge on a gift for a special person in their life.
Motivation: can’t make up their mind and may be deciding between alternatives, also may be concerned about shipping dates being too late for holiday gifts.
Convenience: shipping and delivery dates are very important, as are flexible return and exchange policies.
Level of urgency: need an extra push to make that purchase decision; may require an additional incentive or social proof.
VIPs
Budget: have spent significant money with your brand in the past, willing to pay for a brand they trust.
Motivation: love your brand and looking for what’s new, trending, or special.
Convenience: willing to wait for backorders if it means they get the newest or best products.
Level of urgency: will likely be looking out for your promotions in their inbox.
Window shoppers
Budget: you will not know this information yet; you may have to try a variety of incentives to see what works with this group.
Motivation: doing research and searching for more info; may be comparing you against alternatives or weighing pros and cons.
Convenience: not a huge factor, but this segment relies heavily on social proof and reviews to make their decision.
Level of urgency: they are not in a rush to make a purchase; you will need to create a sense of urgency for these folks.
Impulse buyers
Budget: not particularly price-sensitive.
Motivation: chasing trendy or new items, wanting to be first in line for items they perceive as valuable.
Convenience: they will only buy what is right in front of them; are not actively seeking out your product.
Level of urgency: they are driven by personal impulse and perceptions of how your product will elevate their life.
Build your segments and define the group-specific campaign messaging
Now you’ve got an idea of the different buyer personas who might be browsing your website this BFCM. So, how do we translate our theoretical persona groups into real segments inside of Klaviyo?
The good news is, you’ve got a bunch of existing customer data inside Klaviyo that allows you to build segments that make sense for your brand. Segments AI now makes the process of translating ideas to reality even easier, as you can simply write a prompt in natural language rather than scouring the conditions dropdown for the right definition. Just remember to double-check your AI-generated segment definitions, and edit them yourself in the builder if they’re not quite right!
Note: No matter how you choose to build and customize your segments, you will always want to include some engagement criteria within every segment in addition to the buying or purchasing criteria. Be sure to add the following criteria to every segment that you build:
- Has opened, clicked, or made a purchase in the last X days (some form of logic to exclude profiles who have not engaged since before last BFCM)
- Is not suppressed for email marketing / Is consented to receive text message (SMS and RCS) or WhatsApp / Has push token (depending on the channels you’re using)
Deal hunters: highlight your lowest prices and best deals
Possible segment criteria or Define with AI prompts:
- Purchased last year during BFCM.
- Purchased during a different promotion you ran (Labor Day Sale, Clearance event, etc.)
- Purchased something in the last year that was in the category Sale or Clearance.
- Never purchased a product over a certain dollar amount ($20, $50, etc).
Messaging ideas:
- Flash deals on specific products that are open for short periods of time (can also be a text-channel exclusive deal using SMS, RCS, or WhatsApp).
- Curate your best deals and lowest prices into 1 email, benchmark prices against competitors or usual retail.
- Lead with potential savings and explicitly state when the deal will end.
- Use a countdown timer to stress urgency (can do this with an onsite form or in an email).
Last-minute shoppers: place emphasis on in-stock items and flexible returns
Possible segment criteria or Define with AI prompts:
- Purchased last year during BFCM.
- Active on site but have not made a purchase in the last 14 days (or however long the duration of your sale is).
- Viewed product but have not made a purchase in the last 14 days (or however long the duration of your sale is).
Messaging ideas:
- Curated gift guide email with gifting suggestions.
- Send a “best-selling gift that everyone will love” text (SMS and RCS) or WhatsApp campaign.
- Target onsite visitors with a “buying guide” form that asks for more information, and provides a curated gift guide via flow upon submission.
- Collect all in-stock and ready-to-ship products into 1 category page on your site and emphasize readily-available items in campaigns.
- Mention your return and exchange policy and make it clear that customer service is available to assist with gift returns.
VIPs: give them exclusive perks to lock in their spend
Possible segment criteria or Define with AI prompts:
- Historic customer lifetime value is greater than $XX.XX
- Total customer lifetime value is greater than $XX.XX
- Has placed more than X orders over all time
*For all criteria, use monetary values and order counts that you feel accurately reflect your best/VIP customers
Messaging ideas:
- Give this group first or early access to your sale or promotions.
- Have specific free gifts/swag/merch to give away to VIP customers with their orders.
- Include custom profile properties that show loyalty point value/redeemable rewards available (if you have a formal loyalty program).
- Offer limited-edition holiday products to this group first.
- Create a “secret sale” for VIPs only on a hidden landing page on your site.
Window shoppers: create FOMO with reviews and social proof
Possible segment criteria or Define with AI prompts:
- Has placed 0 orders over all time
- Has been Active on Site and/or Viewed Product at least 2 times in the last 7 days
- Started checkout at least once in the last 30 days but did not purchase
Messaging ideas:
- Round up your best customer reviews or social posts from customers into a Why customers love us email that encourages these prospects to try your products.
- Stress the time sensitivity and potential savings of your limited-time deal.
- Highlight why your product is superior or how you beat competitors in a campaign.
- Display in emails and on your website when items are “low in stock” to amplify the scarcity effect, use messaging “get it before it’s gone.”
Impulse buyers: leverage current trends and niche creators to attract trend-chasers
Possible segment criteria or Define with AI prompts:
- Has previously purchased from a social media ad (depending on if you have Instagram Shopping set up or not, you can upload this info to Klaviyo as a custom profile property, like Purchased from social ad with value true)
- Purchased XYZ product (specify your best-selling products) at least once over all time
- Has filled out a Facebook lead ad at least once over all time
Messaging ideas:
- Send a targeted campaign across email, text (SMS and RCS), or WhatsApp that features your top-sellers or “hottest” items.
- Include social proof and UGC images showing real people using your products and/or include real reviews.
- Align your products within pop-culture trends like memes or content formats that resonate with your target audience (pull ideas from social media).
- Partner with a complimentary brand to sell product bundles, or co-market products that share a similar audience.
BONUS SEGMENT: espresso shot to capture excess revenue
This segment is a Klaviyo favorite. Toward the end of your BFCM sale, round up all the subscribers who have engaged with any of your messages since the launch of your sale but have not made a purchase. Then, try and squeeze a conversion out of these interested buyers with a targeted campaign.
Possible segment criteria to include:
- Opened OR clicked email at least once in the last X hours (however long ago you started your campaign messaging)
- Placed order 0 times in the last X hours (use the same time frame)
Messaging ideas:
- Change the subject line of a previous BFCM email that performed well and send to this group.
- Add a countdown timer and build the urgency around the end of your sale.