Email marketing is not only about crafting the perfect message — timing plays an equally important role. Even the most compelling offer can be wasted if sent at the wrong time. Many businesses overlook this and schedule their campaigns without considering consumer behavior. Below we will explore why holidays and specific months may not be the best time to hit “send,” and how to adjust your email marketing campaigns for maximum impact.
Holiday Email Overload
Have you ever noticed that most large companies send their top promotional emails during major holidays? Christmas, Black Friday, and Cyber Monday are typical examples. During these times, inboxes get flooded with offers, discounts, and limited-time promotions. While these campaigns may seem like golden opportunities, the truth is many of these emails never get opened.
Here’s why: during holidays, people are busy visiting family, traveling, or simply relaxing. They are not as focused on checking emails. As a result, messages sent during these periods often get overlooked, deleted in bulk, or marked as spam emails when users return after a long weekend.
Months to Avoid Sending Emails
There are specific months in the year when sending bulk campaigns tends to underperform. Avoid scheduling major promotions in December, January, July, and August.
- December: The month is tricky. While people are actively shopping for Christmas deals, inbox competition is at its peak. If you wait until the last week before Christmas, your emails risk being buried under hundreds of others.
- January: Many consumers face financial fatigue after the holiday season. They are less likely to spend and more likely to unsubscribe from promotional lists.
- July and August: These are vacation months in many regions. Consumers spend less time at their computers and often ignore promotional content.
Smart Strategies for Holiday Campaigns
Send Campaigns Early
Instead of sending Christmas promotions in late December, start earlier — in November. Offering attractive discounts such as “up to 50% off” weeks before the holiday rush ensures your message is noticed before inboxes become saturated. Early shoppers will appreciate the timing, and you won’t need to compete directly with last-minute discount emails.
Reframe Consumer Expectations
Many buyers have been conditioned to believe the best deals only appear on holidays or right before Christmas. By sending strong promotions earlier than expected, you can surprise your audience and increase sales. This also builds trust — customers will associate your brand with timely and valuable offers rather than stress-driven last-minute shopping.
Behavioral Insights for Better Timing
Understanding subscriber behavior can help you fine-tune your send schedule. For example, B2B audiences tend to open emails during business hours—especially mid-morning on Tuesdays and Wednesdays. In contrast, B2C emails often perform well in the evenings and weekends when consumers have downtime to browse offers or read newsletters.
- Mid-week sweet spot: Tuesday to Thursday mornings see higher engagement for professional and educational content.
- Weekend reads: Saturdays and Sundays work for lifestyle, travel, and long-form content that requires leisure time.
- Time zone targeting: Segment your list by geography to send at local peak times rather than a single global send.
Competing with Bulk Emails
Another challenge of holiday email marketing is competing with bulk campaigns from major retailers. Consumers often delete dozens of such messages without even opening them. By timing your emails more strategically, you reduce the risk of being part of this “trash bin effect.”
When you position your campaigns away from the peak flood, your content has a higher chance of being seen, opened, and acted upon. This creates a competitive advantage even if you are a smaller brand compared to industry giants.
Automation Tips for Send-Time Optimization
Modern email marketing platforms offer automation features that allow you to send at the optimal time for each subscriber. Consider:
- Send Time Optimization (STO): Let the system analyze past engagement data and queue each email to arrive when individual subscribers are most likely to open.
- Behavioral triggers: Automate emails based on user actions (e.g., browsing specific pages or abandoning a cart) to reach them when interest is highest.
- Time-delay sequences: Schedule follow-up reminders at preset intervals after the initial send to capture late responders without manual intervention.
Examples of Strategic Timing in Action
Travel agency: Sent vacation package promotions on Sunday evenings when users plan their week ahead. Open rates increased by 22% compared to weekday sends.
SaaS provider: Deployed trial expiration reminders exactly 24 hours before cutoff. Conversion to paid plans grew by 18% due to timely nudges.
Retailer: Launched a summer clearance sale email in early June instead of July. With less inbox noise, they saw a 30% higher click-through rate.
Long-Term Engagement Strategies
Timing adjustments should be part of a broader engagement strategy. Over the long term:
- Regular analytics reviews: Reassess your send schedules quarterly based on changing subscriber habits and business cycles.
- Subscriber preference centers: Allow users to select preferred send days and times, aligning your campaigns with their personal schedules.
- Seasonal micro-campaigns: Deploy mini-series around events like back-to-school, end-of-quarter, or industry conferences when subscribers are primed to act.
- Lifecycle mapping: Coordinate send timing with buyer journeys—welcome emails immediately after signup, re-engagement blasts after 30 days of inactivity, and anniversary messages on subscription dates.
Best Practices for Timing Email Campaigns
- Know your audience’s schedule: Use tracking tools to learn when your subscribers are most active.
- Segment your list: Not all audiences behave the same. Separate customers based on region, demographics, and buying habits.
- A/B test sending times: Experiment with weekdays versus weekends. Research suggests mid-week and Sunday campaigns often perform best.
- Avoid “dead periods”: Don’t waste your best offers on holidays or extended weekends when people are distracted.
Conclusion: Timing Equals Conversions
Email marketing success is not only about catchy subject lines or compelling calls to action — timing is equally important. By avoiding months with low engagement, sending campaigns earlier than expected, and steering clear of inbox competition, you maximize the chances that your emails will be opened and acted upon. Utilize automation to optimize send times at an individual level, integrate behavioral insights, and adopt long-term engagement strategies. The smarter you plan your sending strategy, the more effective your email marketing campaigns become — delivering higher open rates, stronger engagement, and ultimately, more conversions.
