A guide for eCommerce — Stripo.email

Let’s face it — traditional holidays like Black Friday, Christmas, and Valentine’s Day have become marketing battlegrounds. Your customers’ inboxes get flooded, making it harder to stand out. That’s where unconventional holidays step in — and they’re no joke.

Unconventional or “marketing” holidays include National Coffee Day, Singles’ Day, Star Wars Day (May 4th), or even National Clean Your Desk Day. While they may seem quirky or niche, their power lies in surprise, creativity, and emotional connection. More importantly, they offer fresh opportunities to connect with your audience in a less crowded, more personal way.

And here’s the kicker — consumer interest in these lesser-known holidays is rising fast. For example, Singles’ Day (11/11), which started in China, generated $156 billion in eСommerce sales in 2023 alone. Brands that tap into these moments with clever email campaigns can boost open rates, click-throughs, and conversions, without fighting over the same space as everyone else.

The strategic advantage of unconventional holiday campaigns

If you’ve ever sent a marketing email on Black Friday, you know the struggle. Open rates drop, conversions stall, and even your most loyal subscribers might miss your message — because they’re getting hundreds of them. Traditional holidays are marketing war zones. Every brand is pushing a sale, and everyone’s inbox is overflowing.

Now here’s the good news: Unconventional holidays cut through that noise.

These offbeat dates catch people off guard — in a good way. When you send a campaign for something like National Pancake Day or Small Business Saturday, you’re not just showing up — you’re surprising them. That alone gives you an edge. Email campaigns tied to non-traditional holidays had a 17% higher open rate and 23% more clicks than those sent on major holidays. 

Why? Because novelty drives engagement. People are naturally curious when something feels fresh, relevant, and different from the usual holiday sales pitch. It makes them stop, open, and interact. And that’s exactly what your email marketing needs.

Beyond clicks and opens, there’s another big win: brand identity. Celebrating quirky or meaningful holidays — like International Women in STEM Day or World Mental Health Day — can reflect your values. It shows your audience who you are and what you stand for. Whether humor, inclusivity, sustainability, or innovation, these campaigns help humanize your brand.

So instead of shouting over the crowd during every global holiday, why not speak directly to your people on a day that actually says something about your brand? That’s the real power of going unconventional.

Identifying relevant unconventional holidays for your brand

Choosing the proper unconventional holidays to spotlight in your email campaigns can make a significant difference in engagement and brand perception. Here’s how to select holidays that resonate with your audience and align with your brand values.

1. Understand your audience’s interests and values

Start by analyzing your customer demographics and psychographics. Consider factors like age, location, interests, and purchasing behavior. For instance:

Aligning your campaigns with your audience’s interests increases the likelihood of engagement and conversion.

2. Ensure cultural sensitivity and inclusivity

While unconventional holidays offer creative opportunities, it’s crucial to approach them with cultural sensitivity. Avoid holidays that could be misinterpreted or offend certain groups.

According to recent data, only 41% of U.S. consumers feel represented in advertisements, even though 71% want brands to prioritize diversity and inclusion. That’s a big gap — and a big opportunity. Inclusive holiday marketing isn’t just ethically right; it’s a smart strategy. In fact:

• 64% of consumers take action after seeing an inclusive ad that reflects their identity;
• ads that showcase diversity are 90% more likely to be remembered.

That kind of impact is hard to ignore.

So, how do you keep your campaigns respectful and inclusive?

• research the holiday’s background. Make sure you understand what it stands for and avoid reducing it to a gimmick;
• avoid stereotypes. Choose visuals, language, and offers that are thoughtful and culturally accurate;
• use inclusive visuals and language. Represent different ages, ethnicities, gender expressions, and abilities in your design and tone.

Inclusivity doesn’t mean playing it safe. It means playing it right, acknowledging your audience’s diversity, and making everyone feel seen and valued.

3. Utilize holiday calendars and planning tools

To discover and plan for unconventional holidays:

Crafting compelling email campaigns around unconventional holidays

Once you’ve chosen the proper holiday, it’s time to bring your campaign to life. A well-executed email can turn a niche holiday into a high-performing moment for your brand. Here’s how to do it right — step by step.

1. Subject lines: First impressions matter

Subject lines are your first and best chance to get noticed. When working with unconventional holidays, lean into curiosity, relevance, and fun. A few proven techniques:

• reference the holiday directly: “It’s National Pizza Day — Here’s a Slice of Something Special 🍕”;
• use emojis strategically to highlight the theme without overdoing it;
• keep it short and focused: Aim for 6–9 words or under 50 characters;
• create urgency or curiosity: Phrases like “Limited Time Offer” or “Guess What Day It Is?” can entice readers to open;
• personalize when possible: Including the recipient’s name or preferences can increase open rates;
• test variations: Run A/B tests on your subject lines — tweaking a word or emoji can boost open rates by up to 49%.

About 34% of recipients open emails based on the subject line alone, making it a critical component of your campaign.

2. Content personalisation: Make it feel just for them

Unconventional holidays already feel more personal, so lean into that. Use customer data (like past purchases, browsing behavior, or location) to tailor the content.

• segment your audience: Group subscribers based on behavior, interests, or demographics;
• recommend products: Suggest items based on past purchases or browsing history;
• celebrate with them: Acknowledge customer milestones or anniversaries with your brand.

Example:

• a pet store on National Dog Day can send personalized offers like “Treat Max to 20% Off His Favorite Snacks!”;
• segment by gender or interest for National Women’s Health Week or International Gaming Day campaigns.

Stripo’s editor, with dynamic content blocks and merge tags, lets you personalize emails at scale without writing separate versions for every segment.

3. Visual design: Match the mood and stand out

Your design should reflect the uniqueness of the holiday — this is where you can really have fun, but remember to align with the holiday theme:

• incorporate holiday-specific imagery: Add themed banners, GIFs, or background illustrations tied to the holiday (e.g., pancakes for National Pancake Day);
• maintain brand consistency: Stick to your brand identity, but feel free to add playful accents like themed fonts, icons, or colors;
• optimize for mobile: With many users checking emails on their phones, responsive design is crucial;
• keep accessibility in mind: Make sure your colors have enough contrast, and all images include alt-text;
• use pre-designed modules from Stripo’s library to speed up design without sacrificing quality;
• generate custom visuals with GenAI: Use Stripo’s AI image generation to quickly create unique, themed visuals right in the editor;
• add interactive elements: Enhance engagement with games or quizzes using Stripo’s no-code interactive module generator.

You can find suitable templates for different holidays with us:

(Source: Email from Vans)

(Source: Email from Calvin Klein)

(Source: Email from Ann Summers)

4. Call-to-action: Clear, bold, and timely

Your CTA should be clear and compelling:

• use action-oriented language: Phrases like “Shop Now” or “Discover More” prompt immediate action;
• highlight benefits: Emphasize what the reader gains by clicking, such as “Get 20% Off Today”;
• ensure visibility: Place the CTA prominently and use contrasting colors to make it stand out.

A well-crafted CTA guides the reader toward the next step, increasing the likelihood of conversion.

Measuring the impact of your campaigns

You need to track the right numbers to know whether your unconventional holiday campaign is working. Let’s break down the key metrics, how to benchmark them, and how feedback loops can help you continuously improve.

1. Key metrics to track

The core email metrics still apply here, but the context matters. If executed well, unconventional holiday campaigns often outperform standard promos.

• open rate: This tells you how many recipients opened your email. As of 2025, the average open rate is 39.64% across all industries, with welcome emails hitting 83.63%, and triggered emails (like order confirmations) reaching 45.38%. For well-targeted, unconventional campaigns, this can go even higher — especially when the subject line surprises or delights;
• click-through rate: This measures engagement. Industry average hovers around 3.25%, but unconventional campaigns often see higher CTRs — up to 5%, depending on how well the offer ties into the theme. Triggered campaigns (e.g., cart abandonment) see up to 5.02% CTR;
• conversion rate: This reflects the percentage of users who take the intended action (purchase, sign-up, etc.). Average email conversion rates sit around 2.6%, with triggered and personalized campaigns often performing better;
• ROI: Email marketing still dominates in cost-efficiency, offering an average return of $42 for every $1 spent. And ROI can increase by up to 760% if you’re using personalization and segmentation. Targeted, timely campaigns around niche holidays can yield even higher ROI due to lower ad competition and more substantial relevance.

2. Benchmarking against traditional campaigns

When stacked against major holiday promotions (like Black Friday or Christmas), unconventional holiday emails often see:

• higher open rates — less inbox noise means more visibility;
• better engagement — content feels fresh and more personal;
• stronger brand recall — you’re connecting in a way others aren’t.

Here’s how unconventional holiday emails typically compare to traditional ones:

Metric	Traditional holidays	Unconventional holidays
Open rate	~30–35%	Often exceeds 40%
Click-through rate	2–3%	Up to 5%
Conversion rate	~2%	3% or more

In contrast, traditional holiday campaigns typically get lost in the noise. They also tend to rely on broad discounts, which may not convert as efficiently as tailored offers linked to unique days.

3. Feedback loops: Learning from your audience

Tracking metrics is only half the story. The best marketers build feedback loops into their campaigns.

• ask directly: Include a quick poll or a “What did you think of this email?” link;
• use behavioral signals: Low clicks? Maybe the offer wasn’t relevant. High opens but no conversions? The landing page might need work;
• customer feedback: Adding a quick survey or feedback link in your emails can result in a 42% increase in customer satisfaction and a 33% improvement in campaign effectiveness;
• A/B test regularly: Try different subject lines, visuals, CTAs, and send times to identify what resonates best.

Marketers who run consistent A/B tests see up to 28% higher click-through rates.

Best practices and tips

To make the most of your unconventional holiday email campaigns, a solid foundation is just as important as creativity. Here are a few essential practices that help turn ideas into actual results.

1. Plan ahead — timing is everything

Unconventional holidays might not have the hype of Christmas or Black Friday, but that’s actually a good thing. It gives you time to plan, create, and schedule without rushing. Map out your campaigns at least 3–4 weeks in advance, especially if you’re tying them into inventory, promotions, or product launches.

Use content calendars like Stripo Email Calendar, National Day Calendar, or Loomly to spot opportunities early and work them into your email marketing workflow.

2. Run A/B tests — small changes, significant gains

Testing is still one of the simplest and most effective ways to improve performance. Whether experimenting with subject lines, button placement, or images, A/B testing gives you data to work with, not just a gut feeling.

And it works. Brands that test consistently see: Up to 49% higher open rates and 28% better CTRs.

3. Stay compliant — always play by the rules

Creativity is key, but compliance isn’t optional. Make sure your campaigns follow the basics of email marketing law:

• include a clear unsubscribe link;
• identify your business in the footer;
• only send to users who’ve opted in;
• comply with regional laws (GDPR, CAN-SPAM, etc.).

This protects both your brand reputation and deliverability rates.

4. Integrate with other channels — be everywhere they are

Your email campaign shouldn’t live in a silo. Sync your messaging with your website banners, social media posts, and SMS campaigns. This creates a consistent brand experience and reinforces the message across multiple touchpoints.

For example, if you’re running a flash sale for National Ice Cream Day, use matching visuals and hashtags on Instagram, add a countdown banner on your homepage, and promote it through email — all at once.

Wrapping up

Unconventional holidays offer something most email campaigns can’t — freshness and surprise. While big-name holidays flood inboxes, these offbeat moments help your brand stand out and connect more meaningfully with your audience.

Key takeaways:

• less crowded inboxes = higher engagement: Novelty boosts open and click-through rates;
• personalization wins: Tailor content around niche holidays to reflect your brand’s values;
• design and timing matter: Use tools like Stripo to craft on-brand, timely emails;
• test, measure, repeat: A/B testing and performance tracking lead to better campaigns over time.

When done right, these campaigns don’t just drive sales — they shape brand loyalty and long-term trust.