Black Friday and holiday emails for quilt and fabric shops
Quilters shop differently from other customers: they buy in bundles, they plan projects months ahead, and they want to be part of a community. A quilt shop’s holiday emails should sound like the shop on a busy Saturday.
Plan around projects and people
The best quilt shop emails sell what someone is going to make, not just what they’re going to buy: kits, bundles, pre-cuts, and classes. And because many of your customers also give gifts to the quilters in their lives, gift certificates and “for the sewist” bundles belong in the plan.
The five emails
- Early access (the week before Black Friday). Tell your best customers about the doorbuster fabric bundle or the kit, and let them know quantities. Quilters will plan their weekend around it.
- Black Friday: the bundle and the kit. Offer a discount on fat quarter bundles or a free pattern with a fabric purchase over a set amount, and say how much you have of the limited items.
- Small Business Saturday: the shop story and a free something. A free pattern, a class discount, or a free button with a purchase, plus a short story of the shop. Examples.
- Gifts for sewists and class sign-ups (early December). Gift certificates, notions bundles and a “for the quilter” gift guide. Class and workshop sign-ups for January double as gifts.
- Last day to ship and in-store pickup. Be specific about cutting and shipping cutoff dates for fabric orders. Template.
What to put in a quilt shop’s emails
- Photos of finished quilts made from the fabric on sale, not only flat swatches.
- Yardage and cut details: “bolt end,” “fat quarter,” “pre-cut,” so buyers know exactly what they’re getting.
- Shop hop and event dates, if your shop takes part in one.
- Class schedules and how to sign up.
A short template: the bundle email
Hi [First Name], Our Black Friday bundles are ready, and since you're on our list, you can see them first. [Collection name] fat quarter bundle: [number] fat quarters, [$ price] (usually [$ price]) [Kit name] quilt kit: everything for the [name] quilt, finished size [size], [$ price] [Notions bundle]: [what's inside], [$ price] We have [number] of each, and when they’re gone, they’re gone. [See the Black Friday bundles -> link] Doing your Saturday shopping in person? We’re open [hours], and [event or treat]. Happy sewing, [Your name], [Shop Name]
Our quilt shop sample email shows what a finished campaign looks like.
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