January sales email calendar.
A January sale needs its own plan separate from Christmas, with a clear start, a clear end and a defined audience. Announce early to your best customers, open to the full list next, and close with a last chance email, so the sale feels like an event instead of a permanent discount.
Key dates (UK)
- From Boxing Day through January, with brands choosing their own start and end
Last reviewed 12 October 2026. Dates are calculated from the rule for the day, so they stay correct each year.
Why it matters.
Shoppers expect reductions after the holidays, so the question is how to take part without training your list to wait. A sale that has a reason, such as clearing a season or a stock reset, is easier to defend than one that simply exists.
January is also when budgets are tight and attention is split, so shorter emails and a single clear offer usually serve readers better than a wall of products.
Send plan.
1. 21 days before
Decide which products are in the sale and which are excluded, and agree the end date.
2. 5 days before
Send an early access email to VIPs and past buyers with the exact start time.
3. Launch day
Send to the full engaged list, with the best sellers at the top and the end date stated.
4. Mid sale
Send a reminder to people who clicked but did not buy, showing the items they viewed.
5. Final day
Send a last chance message in the morning, then switch the banner off the moment it ends.
Before you send.
- Confirm the end date is in the email, the banner and the discount rule itself.
- List excluded products in plain words so support is not surprised by questions.
- Check that sale prices appear in the catalogue feed before dynamic blocks go live.
- Set up a reminder to switch banners off on the last day.
- Review returns terms for sale items and mention them if they differ.
Segments to use.
- VIP customers for early access
- Browse abandoners who looked at sale items in December
- Full price buyers from the last six weeks, handled carefully so they do not feel penalised
Subject line ideas.
- The sale starts at nine, you are in early
- Last pieces from the season
- Still thinking about it? Two days left
- Ends tonight, no extensions
More in the sale and promotion subject line library.
Common mistakes.
- Running the sale with no end date and letting it quietly continue into February
- Emailing full price December buyers a discount straight after they paid more
- Showing sold out sizes in the main email because the catalogue feed was not refreshed
This is a planning structure, not a promise of results. Your offer, stock, list and shipping options decide what is right, so test and adjust.
Want this planned and built for you? See our klaviyo email marketing service or book a free audit.
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