One of the only things that stands between us wrapping up this insane year is what we’re all describing as an unprecedented holiday shopping season. Tons of survey data has been released, numerous predictions have been made, and marketers have been challenged to develop strategies and plans unlike any other plans for previous years. While you’re thinking outside the box and finalizing your holiday email campaigns, I want to encourage you to revisit your standard preparation for this season as well. 

Here are 5 things to check off your list:

1. Data Feeds

Ensure all data feeds and triggers are working as expected, especially those for remarketing campaigns or opting in customers.  Also, keep an eye on your feeds and triggers throughout the holiday season. A quick glance at send reports on a regular basis can help to catch issues early.

2. Deliverability

Check in on deliverability and work to mitigate concerns now. The last thing you want is for all your hard work to go to waste due to poor inbox placement.

3. Campaign Design Audit

Audit your campaign designs within the inbox on desktop and mobile. According to Litmus, every email has 15,000 different rendering previews. Take a moment to validate templates are rendering correctly for an optimal customer experience including content display, links, and images.

4. Targeting and Personalization

Increase targeting and personalization by using customer information and behavior data to stand out from the vast increase of messages during the holiday. This can be as simple as personalizing subject lines.

This last one is something everyone hates to address. But I promise you, it’s the most important thing you can do to help yourself this holiday:

5. Be prepared! 

Things happen: sites go down, promotion codes don’t work, products sell out... and the list goes on. Prepare your contingency plans now. Have offers approved and creative ready so that you can quickly pull the trigger to help mitigate customer dissatisfaction.

Want to learn more? Check out Merkle's 5 Fundamentals for the Holidays Guide here.