Analysis of more than 44 billion emails and 83 million text messages globally reveals how intelligent marketing helps brands make the most of peak season, with targeted emails driving 11% higher average order value
The holiday season creates some of the biggest opportunities of the year for marketers, along with some of the fiercest competition for customer attention. As promotions ramp up, knowing where to focus and how to stay relevant becomes increasingly challenging. A new report from Intuit Mailchimp, Breaking Through Peak Season Noise, shows how intelligent marketing, or using data with AI and automation, can help businesses make more informed decisions about what opportunities to pursue.
Developed by Intuit Mailchimp and Datalily, the report analysed more than 44 billion emails and 83 million text messages sent globally with Mailchimp in 2025 during peak season, which spans Halloween through New Year’s Eve and includes some of the biggest shopping days of the year. During the period, Mailchimp’s UK customers added 50 million email contacts and 1.6 million SMS contacts, while customers globally with connected ecommerce stores processed 7.5 million orders and more than $1.1 billion in gross revenue attributable to email and SMS campaigns*. The findings reveal opportunities to engage customers throughout the season and help build relationships that extend beyond the holidays.
“Peak season is an opportunity to deepen customer connections,” says Jack Tam, SVP of Product and Engineering 
at Mailchimp. “The businesses that thrive use their own customer data to understand when people are ready to act, which messages matter, and where to focus next. This research helps marketers make those decisions with confidence and build customer relationships that endure long after the season ends.”
at Mailchimp. “The businesses that thrive use their own customer data to understand when people are ready to act, which messages matter, and where to focus next. This research helps marketers make those decisions with confidence and build customer relationships that endure long after the season ends.”Intelligent marketing capitalises on peak season engagement
The research highlights how breaking through peak season noise comes down to making smarter choices around targeting, timing, and channel strategy, helping brands find an edge during the most competitive marketing season of the year.
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More targeted messages saw higher order values. During Black Friday Cyber Monday (BFCM) weekend, UK marketing emails using personalisation (dynamic content) drove 10% higher average order value than those that didn’t. Globally, campaigns using abandoned cart content blocks also saw 36% higher open rates and 28% higher click rates, showing the potential of using customer data and automation to reach shoppers with more relevant messages.
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Email and SMS played different but complementary roles. Email sustained communication and drove more revenue overall, while SMS captured attention during high-intent, time-sensitive moments. At peak, SMS delivered up to 6x higher order rates than email and 3x higher revenue per message worldwide. Among Mailchimp customers using both channels during BFCM, SMS drove nearly 20% of their total combined ecommerce revenue.
Mailchimp customer Gymwrap, the fitness brand founded by actor and entrepreneur Nicole Ari Parker, saw the impact firsthand after bringing its email and SMS marketing together in Mailchimp ahead of peak season. Its first full SMS campaign through Mailchimp generated 142x ROI, helping establish SMS as a critical channel for the brand. “Having our email and SMS data in one place gives us a much clearer view of our customers. We can see how they prefer to engage with us and use that information to reach them in the right place,” says Hume Merritt, Chief Marketing Officer at Gymwrap.
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Generative AI emails saw stronger performance. During peak season, 450 million emails globally used generative AI. Emails in the UK using the feature saw a 9% higher order rate and 5% higher conversion rate than those sent without it, pointing to the potential of AI to help marketers create content that performs.
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Lower-volume days revealed overlooked opportunities worldwide. Weekend order rates were 2x higher than weekday rates, even though brands sent roughly 60% fewer messages on weekends. Around BFCM, shoulder days also drove stronger engagement, while the Sunday between Black Friday and Cyber Monday saw 59% fewer emails and 82% fewer text messages than Black Friday.
Opportunities extend beyond the holidays
Mailchimp customers added more than 500 million contacts to their audiences during peak season. Email contact additions increased heading into Black Friday Cyber Monday weekend, while SMS opt-ins rose sharply immediately before Black Friday. First-time buyers represented 63% of email orders and nearly 62% of SMS orders during BFCM in the UK.
Some of those first-time buyers returned after the holiday season. Among customers who made their first purchase during peak season, 16.6% globally purchased again in the first quarter of 2026. Those who returned took a median of 26 days to make their next purchase. The findings show why businesses should treat holiday acquisition as the start of the customer relationship and prepare retention campaigns before demand peaks to turn seasonal shoppers into longer-term customers.
Download Breaking Through Peak Season Noise for interactive charts, practical recommendations, and full methodology.
*Based on internal aggregate Mailchimp data in countries where SMS was available. Individual results vary