When and How to Plan Your CRM Holiday Strategy (Without Burning Out your Team in Q4)
For most DTC brands, Q4 is the season to acquire new customers and drive high sales and move inventory. Early November to late December can deliver up to a third of your annual revenue — but only if your CRM channels are ready to work hard.
If you've ever found yourself frantically writing email copy when it should be in a customer’s inbox, you already know the pain of leaving holiday planning to the last minute (or not at all…. flying on the seat of your pants?!). But here’s the good news - a smart, early-start strategy can not only save your sanity, but also drive the best results of the year.
I've built and executed holiday CRM strategies for over 10 years, of which I've driven +89% YoY revenue growth. The formula isn't magic — it's experience mixed with planning, segmentation, testing & optimizing to create an engaging message and a strong conversion rate.
When to Start Planning
Think of your holiday CRM planning like training for a marathon. You wouldn't start running the week before race day, so why would you blag a plan for the biggest time in retail?
Here's the backwards calendar I recommend:
June-August: Finalize offers, discount tiers and a rough timeline. Decide what you want BFCM and December to look like.
September: Plan channel specific details like segments, frequency and channel.
October: Start to design and draft campaign copy, nail the overall message verbiage and look for key events (offer launch, ending, specific discounts etc)
November: BFCM in the house! Daily (or almost daily) emails to your most engaged customers are totally acceptable for frequent and loyal customers, less frequency for SMS and push alerts but increased frequency is also an option IF the content is valuable. Make sure frequency reflects the customers brand engagement.
December: Now it's time for gifting and last minute holiday purchases, adjusting frequency again to reflect offers and content.
How to Build Your Holiday CRM Strategy
1. Get Crystal-Clear on Goals
Want to drive as much revenue as possible? Move units? Reactivate dormant customers? Your CRM plan should directly support those business goals — not just "send more emails."
2. Segment Like a Pro
Forget 1 email for everyone on your list. Instead think about the customer:
Most valuable: Early access, exclusives, special offers etc.
Previous BFCM shoppers: Re-engage through relevancy, use past data to determine messaging and leverage deals and pricing to entice back for that next purchase.
Lapsed customers: Tempt them back with the best deals and offers if revenue is your main goal. Want to increase repeat purchases? Skip this audience.
I’ve seen smart segmentation lift conversion rates by 3–5x over generic sends.
3. Channel-Specific Strategies: Playing to Each Platform's Strengths
Email: Your workhorse channel. Use it for promotional campaigns that drive traffic and conversions, plus automated triggers like browse abandon and cart recovery. The more traffic you drive, the more these triggers fire.
SMS: Your urgency weapon. Perfect for flash sales, low stock alerts, and shipping deadlines. High impact, so don't overdo it.
Push: Your instant action button. Best for your most loyal customers when you need immediate response.
4. Optimize with an A.I. Strategy
Leverage A.I. to create team efficiency, inspiration and just take some of the pressure off, by:
Predicting the best send time for each customer (many ESP's offer this).
Dynamically swap in products they're most likely to buy.
Keep your segments refreshed automatically without manual updates.
Test subject lines and send out the winning variant to the majority of recipients
Start Planning Today, Celebrate the Results in January
Now you have the information you need to nail BFCM 2025. Winning the holiday season isn't just about more volume — it's about engaging emails that provide a solution, an irresistible deal or meeting customers needs. Plan early, be deliberate, and let data guide you.
A well-run holiday CRM plan doesn't just deliver Q4 revenue. It builds customer relationships that carry into Q1 and beyond.
Want to make sure you’re ready to crush Q4? — get in touch! I help DTC brands build customer engagement and retention strategies that deliver results.
