The weeks before the holidays bring in customers you do not usually see. People shopping for someone else, people new to the area, people who found you while looking for something specific. Most of them pay, say thanks and leave, and you never hear from them again.
That is a missed chance, and an easy one to fix. Every one of those customers could be on your email list by January, which means the busiest weeks of the year keep paying off long after they end. All it takes is a consistent, polite way to ask.
Ask at the moment it makes sense
The best time to ask for an email address is when the customer gets something from it. A receipt sent by email, a reminder when their order is ready, a note when the item they wanted is back in stock. Asked that way, the question feels like service rather than marketing, and most people say yes.
Asking at the end of a long checkout line, with no reason given, gets a much colder response. If your team asks, give them a single sentence to use and a reason the customer will care about.
Make it easy in every place customers meet you
The counter is only one place to collect addresses. A few others are worth setting up before the rush:
- A sign-up form on your site with one line on what people will receive and how often.
- A box on your booking or order form, unticked, that lets customers opt in.
- A short card in bags or with completed jobs, with a link or code to sign up.
- A question at the end of a phone booking, asked the same way every time.
- A link in your social media profiles for people who follow you there.
Whatever you use, record where each address came from. Knowing that most sign-ups came from the receipt prompt and almost none from the card tells you where to spend effort next year.
The busiest month is the one where the most new people walk through your door. Make sure some of them can hear from you again.
Be clear about what they are signing up for
People are far more willing to share an address when they know what will arrive. Tell them plainly: one email a month with news and seasonal offers, or a reminder when service is due. Then do what you said. A list that grows fast and then unsubscribes in January has not really grown.
Only add people who have agreed to hear from you. Buying lists or quietly adding every customer causes more harm than good, and it is the fastest route into spam folders. If your list has not been tidied in a while, clean up your email marketing list before you add the new names.
Send something useful soon after
A new subscriber who hears nothing for three months forgets they signed up. Send a short welcome soon after someone joins: thank them, remind them what to expect and include one genuinely useful thing, such as your holiday hours or how to book before the calendar fills.
Monthly campaigns, welcome messages and tracking who engages are part of Vizible's email marketing service. If you would like a plan built around your own customers, start with a free growth proposal.
Frequently asked questions
- What is the best way to collect customer email addresses?
- Ask at a moment when the customer gets something from it, such as an emailed receipt or an order update, and give one plain sentence about what they will receive and how often.
- Can I add every customer to my email list?
- Only add people who have agreed to receive marketing email. Adding everyone without asking leads to complaints, unsubscribes and messages landing in spam.
- How often should I email new subscribers?
- Send a short welcome soon after they join, then stick to the schedule you promised, which for most small businesses is about once a month.
- Should I offer a discount for signing up?
- It can help, but it is not required. A clear promise of useful, occasional emails works for many businesses, and it avoids training people to wait for a coupon.