The pre-Black Friday sale
Sunday, November 8 to Tuesday, November 10. What goes out and when, how the free picks work, who gets what, and the emails and texts themselves.
Why this shape. Jason's idea: instead of a percent off, returning customers get free food they pick themselves. As Jason puts it, you can't eat 30% off. The more someone spends on other items, the more free items they pick, up to five, worth up to $84.95. The sale launches alongside the new MetaBloc™ formula, so it has a reason behind it: the biggest change to WiO's foods deserves the biggest sale.
It goes to returning customers first, the people who already know the food, about three weeks ahead of Black Friday. The window is short, Sunday to Tuesday, with a real end at midnight Mountain time on Tuesday and no extension, so every reminder is true. Four emails and two texts carry it, and each email opens with the offer and the button.
What changed since this afternoon
- The free list grew from 10 to 27 items: every WiO food that is not frozen and costs $16.99 or less. It is in section 2.
- The emails no longer state a count of free picks.
- Monday's and Tuesday-evening's emails now say “up to $33.98” where they said “$33.98”.
- The chips card with 28 of 250 calories is the one in use. The shipping line stays out.
- The schedule and the audience are unchanged. Sunday's email is being scheduled tonight.
Why not the whole list? The sale goes to about 39,000 people who have bought from wiodiet.com before. The free picks only switch on at checkout for customers with a past order. People who have never bought would reach a checkout where nothing is free, so they wait for Black Friday.
1. What goes out, and when
Sun, Nov 8, 12:00am Mountain
The sale opens. The free picks switch on in the store.
Sun, Nov 8, 9:00am
Email 1, Jason's launch letter. To everyone who has bought from us before.
Sun, Nov 8, 5:00pm
Text 1. To past buyers who have opted in to texts.
Mon, Nov 9, 9:00am
Email 2, “You can't eat 30% off.” To people who have not ordered since Sunday.
Tue, Nov 10, 9:00am
Email 3, Last day. To people who have not ordered.
Tue, Nov 10, 5:00pm
Text 2. To past buyers who have opted in to texts and have not ordered.
Tue, Nov 10, 7:00pm
Email 4, Final hours. To people who clicked a sale email but have not ordered.
Tue, Nov 10, 11:59pm Mountain
The sale ends. A hard end, no extension.
2. The free picks: the ladder and how it works
One ladder for everyone. The more someone spends on other items, the more free items they pick.
| Spend on other items | You pick | Worth up to |
|---|---|---|
| $65 or more | 1 free item | $16.99 |
| $80 or more | 2 free items | $33.98 |
| $120 or more | 3 free items | $50.97 |
| $200 or more | 5 free items | $84.95 |
The picks come from the free picks page: 27 items, from $9.49 to $16.99. That is every WiO food that is not frozen and costs $16.99 or less, every peanut butter flavor and every muffin included. The picks page shows the full list.
| On the free list (27) | Price |
|---|---|
| Breads and buns | |
| Multi-Grain Wheat Bread | $16.99 |
| White Bread | $16.99 |
| Hamburger Buns | $13.39 |
| Hotdog Buns | $13.39 |
| Wheat Dinner Rolls | $13.49 |
| White Dinner Rolls | $13.49 |
| Butter Flake Croissants, 4-pack | $16.99 |
| Tortillas and chips | |
| Flour Tortillas, 8" | $9.49 |
| Flour Tortillas, 12" | $16.99 |
| Tortilla Chips, 8 oz | $9.99 |
| Peanut butter | |
| Creamy Peanut Butter | $13.79 |
| Crunchy Peanut Butter | $13.99 |
| Chocolate Peanut Butter | $13.99 |
| Salted Caramel Peanut Butter | $14.19 |
| Cinnamon Crumble Peanut Butter | $13.99 |
| Muffins, 4-packs | |
| Double Chocolate Chip Muffins | $14.49 |
| Lemon Crumble Muffins | $14.49 |
| Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Muffins | $14.49 |
| Carrot Cake Muffins | $14.49 |
| Orange Cranberry Muffins | $15.49 |
| Cinnamon Crumble Muffins | $15.49 |
| Muffin Variety: Carrot, Cranberry, Lemon, Cinnamon | $15.49 |
| Muffin Selection: Cranberry, Pumpkin, Chocolate, Cinnamon | $15.49 |
| Cookies, 6-packs | |
| Chocolate Chip Cookies | $13.39 |
| Snickerdoodle Cookies | $13.39 |
| Peanut Butter Cookies | $13.39 |
| Sugar Cookies | $13.39 |
How it works for the shopper. Returning customers only, meaning anyone who has ordered from us before. There is no code. The shopper adds the picks to the cart on top of their other items. The cart shows the picks at full price; they turn free at checkout once the shopper enters the email they ordered with. The emails say this in plain words, right under the offer.
The free picks themselves, subscription items and bundles do not count toward the spend. When the cart holds more free-list items than the step allows, the store makes the cheapest of them the free ones, so the emails suggest leaving a little room over the step.
The 10%, 15% and 20% checkout discounts were switched off on Saturday, November 7, and stay off. The free picks are the only offer.
3. Who gets what
One audience: people who have bought from wiodiet.com before. The numbers are today's estimates.
Sunday's email about 38,800 people
Everyone who has bought from wiodiet.com before and can receive email.
Monday and Tuesday morning about 37,100 before orders come in
The same people, minus anyone who has ordered since Sunday. The weekly-email test group (below) gets Sunday's email only, so it drops out here too.
Tuesday, 7:00pm builds during the sale
People who clicked one of the sale emails and have not ordered. Its size depends on the clicks from Sunday to Tuesday.
The two texts about 6,080 people
Past buyers who have opted in to texts, Sunday and Tuesday at 5:00pm, with the same people left out as for the emails. No text goes to anyone who has ordered during the sale. Sunday's text also skips anyone who has already clicked Sunday's email.
Left out, or Sunday only
- Active subscribers, about 2,270, are left out. The sale is for one-time orders.
- The weekly-email test group, about 1,770, gets Sunday's email only. No Monday or Tuesday email, no text.
- The people who got the October 31 re-order email, 1,664, get no sale email and no text.
4. What we need from you
Two things, Jason and Sebastian
- Which serving should the chips card show? The card's serving line says 10 chips (28 g), but the panel numbers on it, 250 calories and 38 g of carbs, describe a larger serving. Jason, which serving should the card show? We can swap the card before Sunday 9am if you answer tonight; otherwise it goes as is.
The card in the emails now - A last look at the four emails and two texts below, tonight if you can. Reply on the thread with anything that looks wrong.
5. The emails, ready for your look
In send order. Each frame is the email exactly as built, with its subject and preview text above it.
What changed from Jason's text.
- The dates moved to Sunday to Tuesday, with a hard end at midnight Mountain time on Tuesday.
- The offer table and the button moved to the top of each email, in the first phone screen.
- Subjects and headlines name the food, not the percent.
- The $200 box email and the biology essay are saved for after the sale.
- The free list is the 27 items in section 2: every WiO food that is not frozen and costs $16.99 or less.
- The line about the everyday discount tiers coming back is out, since those discounts are now off.
Every changed line is on a full list; ask and we will send it.
Email 2: “You can't eat 30% off”
Email 3: Last day
Email 4: Final hours
6. The texts
Each text exactly as written, with the picture that goes with it. On the phone the link shows shortened, and the opt-out line appears in the standard wording of the texting tool.
Sunday, November 8, 5:00pm
Text 1
The message
WiO: Jason here. New MetaBloc formula, and the biggest free-food sale we've ever run: up to 42.5% of your order back in food you pick. Returning customers first. Ends Tue midnight MT. https://wiodiet.com/collections/free-treat-picks?utm_source=klaviyo&utm_medium=sms&utm_campaign=SMS-PreBF-1108-T1&utm_term=freepicks&utm_content=sms_link Reply STOP to opt out.
Tuesday, November 10, 5:00pm
Text 2
The message
WiO: Final hours. Fill the box and add your free picks: $80 gets 2 free items, $200 gets 5. Ends tonight, midnight MT. https://wiodiet.com/collections/free-treat-picks?utm_source=klaviyo&utm_medium=sms&utm_campaign=SMS-PreBF-1110-T2&utm_term=freepicks&utm_content=sms_link Reply STOP to opt out.
7. What's next
Black Friday follows, for everyone. Dates to come.