Note: This article covers email marketing strategies tied to Japan's New Year (Oshogatsu) shopping season, a culturally specific period. Timing and customs will differ outside Japan.
The year-end/New Year period is a major sales season that can shape an e-commerce business's yearly results. At the same time, it's also when inboxes get flooded, as sale announcements and greeting emails from many companies all arrive at once.
Many people in charge of email marketing may relate to concerns like "we just sent a greeting email and left it at that" or "our emails get buried among everyone else's, so open rates won't budge."
This article lays out a concrete approach to designing email sends tailored to the purchase stages and customer segments unique to this season. It also covers a send schedule for maximizing open rates and ready-to-use templates.
An Email Send Schedule That Boosts Open Rates During the Year-End/New Year Season
Results from year-end/New Year emails depend heavily on when, to whom, and what content is delivered. To avoid getting buried among the flood of emails from other companies, it's important to understand the daily rhythms and buying behavior unique to this season and deliver content suited to each phase.
Early to Mid-December: Sends That Encourage "Product Consideration" for Prospective Customers
This is when people start thinking about what to buy and what they'll need for the year-end/New Year period, with bonus payouts and holiday plans in mind. The goal is to give customers who haven't yet decided on a specific purchase a reason to remember your site.
Goal
Encourage site browsing and information gathering; give advance notice of year-end sales and lucky bag (fukubukuro) offerings
Recommended Send Timing
Weekday evenings (8–10 PM) are a good window, since more people check their phones once work and household tasks settle down, and emails are easier to get read before the year-end sale rush truly begins.
Saturday mornings (10 AM–12 PM) work well too, since people are more inclined to browse leisurely once the weekend starts — a good time to direct them toward gift features.
Content Tips
Rather than leading with specific discounts, it's effective to weave in content that's enjoyable to read in its own right — like "a treat for yourself after a hard year" or "recommended items to close out the year" — gradually building purchase intent.
Late December: Announcing "Shipping Deadlines" and the "Last Business Day of the Year" to Existing Customers
As year-end approaches, customer attention shifts to practical concerns like "will it arrive before the new year" and "by when do I need to order." At this stage, it's important to ease those worries while also capturing last-minute demand before the year ends.
Goal
Drive last-minute demand, avoid shipping-related trouble, and build trust
Recommended Send Timing
Two days before the shipping deadline is a good time to send, since messaging like "only X days left" can nudge purchases, and this is also when more people want to finish their shopping before year-end — making it a period when emails tend to get read.
The day before your business closes for the year (your last business day), re-announce your closure period and when shipping will resume. A subject line like "[Final Reminder] Year-End/New Year Business Hours and Shipping" clearly signals important information and reassures customers.
Content Tips
Include as much specific detail as possible — carrier name, delivery-time differences by region, and the possibility of delays — to reduce the gap between expectations and reality ("it arrived later than I thought"). Avoid vague wording and clearly state estimated dates and times.
January 1–3: Announcing the "Hatsuuri" (New Year First Sale)
The start of the new year is when many people naturally gravitate toward keywords like "Hatsuuri" (first sale), "fukubukuro" (lucky bags), and "New Year sale." That said, this heightened interest doesn't last long, so it's important to approach it firmly within a short window.
Goal
Create a smooth path to Hatsuuri and lucky bag sales; sustain purchase motivation
Recommended Send Timing
Avoid New Year's Day morning, since people are busy with family events and shrine visits (hatsumode) and less likely to check email. Afternoon (2–5 PM) or evening (8–10 PM) on January 1 works better, when people are more likely to be on their phones.
Limit sends to one per day on January 1, then keep the momentum going on January 2 and 3 with different angles — like "almost sold out," "back in stock," or "ends today" — sent in short succession to sustain the excitement of the New Year sale.
Content Tips
Place conditions like the sale end date/time or limited quantities right at the top of the email, in the first thing readers see. Group images and buttons near the top so the content is understandable at a glance — this structure is effective.
The Last Day of the Holiday Break: Driving Last-Minute Demand
The final day of the New Year holiday is when people are aware that "work (or school) starts tomorrow" while still enjoying their last bit of free time. As this holiday stretch wraps up, the feeling of "let me go ahead and buy that thing I've had my eye on" tends to peak.
Goal
Prevent missed purchases, capture repeat purchases, and clear inventory
Recommended Send Timing
Target the early evening (5–7 PM) of the last holiday day, when people are settling in at home, with messaging like "check before the holidays end" or "ends today" for one final push.
Subject Line Tips
Use wording that makes the deadline easy to picture, such as "until 11:59 PM today," "last day of the holidays only," or "check before the break ends," to drive opens and action.
Content Tips
Highlighting products that customers viewed during the Hatsuuri period, or popular items running low on stock, tends to get a strong response. Combining this with a cart-abandonment reminder is also effective.
Copy-and-Paste Year-End/New Year Email Templates
The year-end/New Year period is an extremely busy time for whoever handles email marketing. Writing greeting copy and sale announcements from scratch can be a real burden.
Here are versatile templates designed with both relationship-building and sales in mind. Swap in your own company's details where needed.
Year-End Greeting Template
A year-end greeting email is an important opportunity to properly thank customers for the year. Sending it alongside your holiday closure notice also gives customers peace of mind.
Subject: Year-End Greetings / Thank You for Your Support This Year
Dear [Customer Name],
Thank you very much for using [EC Site Name].
This is [Staff Name] from our operations team.
The year is coming to a close.
At [EC Site Name], we've worked on [what you focused on or improved this year — e.g., expanding our product lineup and improving site usability], and we hope it has been of some help to you.
We're deeply grateful for your continued warm support.
— About Our Year-End/New Year Business Hours and Shipping —
We will be closed during the following period.
- Closed: December XX (Day) – January XX (Day)
- Last shipment of the year: orders placed by noon on December XX (Day)
We will continue to accept orders 24 hours a day during our closure, but shipping and replies to inquiries will resume, in order, starting January XX (Day).
We appreciate your understanding for any inconvenience this may cause.
Our entire team will keep working next year to bring you products and service you'll be happy with.
Wishing you a wonderful New Year.
[EC Site Name] Operations Team
[Signature / Contact Information, etc.]
Hatsuuri / Lucky Bag Sale Template
A New Year sale email works best when it balances New Year's greetings with an appealing offer. Keep the energy up while avoiding language that feels pushy.
Subject: [New Year's Greetings] Announcing Our Hatsuuri Sale
Dear [Customer Name],
Happy New Year!
Thank you very much for using [EC Site Name] last year.
We look forward to serving you again this year.
As a token of our appreciation for your continued support, we're holding our annual Hatsuuri sale, always a customer favorite.
— Highlights of Our Hatsuuri Sale —
- Special pricing, up to X% off
- Limited-quantity lucky bags
- X times the points
This lineup is available for a limited time only, so be sure to check it out early.
▼ Shop the Hatsuuri Sale
[Link Button to Hatsuuri Landing Page]
[Sale Period]
January 1 (Day), 12:00 AM – January 7 (Day), 11:59 PM
[A Note on Lucky Bags]
Due to high demand, our site may experience heavy traffic right after the sale begins.
Sales end as soon as stock runs out, so please note this in advance.
We sincerely thank you for your continued patronage of [EC Site Name] this year as well.
[EC Site Name] Operations Team
How to Use Email by Customer Segment
Since the volume of emails increases during the year-end/New Year period, if customers feel "this is the same thing again," open rates can drop and even lead to unsubscribes. To avoid this, it's effective to segment customers by status and vary the subject lines and offers you send them.
Dormant Customers: Win Them Back With Lucky Bags and Special Coupons
"Dormant customers" — those with a purchase history but no site visits or purchases in the past few months — are valuable customers who have chosen your business at least once before. Use the year-end/New Year timing to give them a reason to think, "let me check this out again after a while."
Subject Line Tips
Convey both "exclusivity" and "a deadline." Example: [Limited Time] A Special Coupon Just for You from [EC Site Name]
Body Copy Tips
Open by thanking them for their past patronage, and clearly frame the message as "a special offer, just for customers we haven't seen in a while."
Things to Watch For
After a dormant customer returns, either revert to your normal send frequency for them or let them choose their preferred frequency in advance, so they don't feel overwhelmed.
Best Customers: Early Access Sales and a Heartfelt Thank-You
For "best customers" — those with frequent repeat purchases who contribute significantly to your sales — it's important to give them more than just a discount; make them feel they're receiving special, personal treatment. Since the year-end/New Year period is also when customers are exposed to offers from other companies, it's essential to make an effort to maintain your connection with them.
Subject Line Tips
Convey both "gratitude for their continued patronage" and that this is a "special offer." Example: [VIP Offer] An Early Sale Just for [Customer Name]
Body Copy Tips
Thank them warmly for the past year, then clearly spell out the exclusive elements — such as an early-access URL available before the general public, or a special bundle that includes items not part of the regular sale.
Send Timing
Sending even half a day to a day earlier than your general customer announcement can create the impression that "I'm being prioritized."
Cart-Abandonment Customers: Year-End/New Year-Only Follow-Up
"Cart-abandonment customers" — those who added items to their cart but never completed the purchase — have clear intent, making them a segment that responds well to the right follow-up. Combine this with year-end/New Year specifics like delivery timing and sale eligibility in your messaging.
Subject Line Tips
Tie the item they were considering to the timing.
Example: [Almost Out of Time for Year-End Delivery] Check the Item in Your Cart
Body Copy Tips
Re-show the image and name of the item in their cart, and clearly spell out what applies right now — such as the deadline to order for year-end delivery, or a discount that applies during the Hatsuuri sale.
Using Automated Sends
Using your marketing automation tool or cart system's features to set up automated sends — for example, "X hours after adding to cart" or "X hours after the session ends" — lets you keep following up consistently even during your holiday closure.
Communicating Your Year-End/New Year Closure and Shipping Information
While orders increase during the year-end/New Year period, shipping carriers and payment providers also head into their own closures or busy seasons, making shipping delays and slower support response times more likely. Since this kind of trouble can largely be prevented with clear advance communication, it's worth treating these emails as important notices for protecting customer trust.
Clearly Communicate Your Support Response Timeline
Customers who reach out during your closure can feel anxious if they don't know when they'll hear back, and that anxiety can turn into a complaint. It's important to clearly lay out your response schedule in advance.
Information You Must Include
- Your closure period
- The date you'll start responding to inquiries received during the closure
- The final cutoff time for inquiries before you close
Wording Tips
Add a line like, "Since inquiries may be heavier than usual right after we reopen, replies may take longer than normal," to set customer expectations in advance.
Tip
Including the same information in your inquiry form's auto-reply email lets customers confirm it right away, adding to their peace of mind.
Be Thorough About Order and Shipping Announcements Around the Holidays
Road conditions, weather, and higher shipping volumes all raise the risk of delivery delays during the year-end/New Year period. Share the period that may be affected, along with your order deadlines, in advance so no one is caught off guard later.
Information You Must Include
- The order deadline for the last shipment of the year
- The date shipping resumes in the new year
- That remote islands or certain regions may take even longer
Wording Tips
State clearly that "orders placed after [date] will ship in the new year," and add a considerate note like, "if you'd like your order to arrive before the year ends, we appreciate you ordering early," which comes across as courteous.
Tip
While referencing information from your shipping carrier, avoid definitive language like "it will arrive by this date" — use words like "estimated" or "planned" instead.
Posting to Your Homepage and Linking It Up
If you only include important notices in your emails, customers may find them hard to track down later. Post your year-end/New Year business hours and shipping information somewhere easy to find on your site as well, and link it together with your emails.
Navigation Tips
Place a prominent link button in your email, such as "View our year-end/New Year business hours and shipping schedule here."
What the Link Should Lead To
Ideally, a banner on your homepage or a pinned page at the top of your announcements section, where customers can see the latest information all in one place.
Emergency Contact Information
In case of system issues or an urgent message from a B2B partner, listing an email address that's monitored even during your closure adds to customers' peace of mind.
Mobile-Optimizing Your Emails
During the year-end/New Year period, far more people check email from their phones — while visiting family, traveling, or relaxing at home — rather than from a PC. Whether your email design accounts for this mobile-first reality makes a big difference in results, even when sending the same content.
Optimize Subject Line and Body Copy Length
Since phone screens are smaller than PC screens, whether someone reads an email is decided almost entirely by the first few characters of the subject line and the first line or two of the body. Try to fit your key point — like "X% off," "lucky bag reservations open," or "last day today" — within roughly the first 15 characters of your subject line.
If you use brackets like "【】", be careful not to make the subject line too long, and aim for something that communicates the content at a glance.
Keep the body copy from being overstuffed in a single sentence, and break lines appropriately for readability. In particular, make key information like price, discount rate, and end date/time stand out with bold text or placement at the start of a line, so it comes across clearly even on mobile.
Adjusting CTA Buttons and Spacing
Since phones are operated by touch, CTA (call-to-action) buttons or links placed too close together increase the risk of accidental taps. Leave adequate spacing between buttons and surrounding text to prevent mis-taps while keeping things easy to read.
Placing CTA buttons in multiple spots — not just at the end of the email, but also in the first view and at the end of each section — makes it easier for readers to click through the moment they're interested.
Put Your Year-End/New Year Email Strategy Into Practice
This article covered the key points, schedule, and templates e-commerce businesses should know when using email marketing during the year-end/New Year shopping season.
Email is a tactic that's especially well-suited to this season, letting you deepen relationships with existing customers while keeping ad spend down. That said, since many businesses send at the same time, a strategic approach is essential.
Use this article as a reference to refine your own email operations and make the most of the year-end/New Year shopping season.
