Tuesday, December 19, 2006

AM Inbox: Transitioning to e-gift cards and stores

RetailEmail.Blogspot monitors the email marketing campaigns of nearly 100 of the top online retailers. Here are highlights from our inbox this morning:

Target, 12/19 — No time? No problem. Kiss your to-buy list 'Good-Bye.'
Most retailers have now made the shift from free standard shipping to some kind of expedited shipping offer. And now we're seeing the next shift: to promoting e-cards and stores. In this email, Target cleanly lays out the three options shoppers have at this point.



Ralph Lauren, 12/18 — Just in Time for the Holidays - The Online Gift Certificate
Ralph Lauren decided to play up e-cards as the primary topic of this email. They're the first major retailer that I've seen do so. Cooking.com also highlighted e-gift cards in a Dec. 18 email (Get It by Christmas with $9.99 Express Shipping), but they did so with a small secondary box. Dick's Sporting Goods also mentioned e-gift cards in a Dec. 18 email (3 1/2 Days Left to Shop for Delivery by December 22nd).



Sports Authority, 12/18 — There's Still Time! Guaranteed Holiday Delivery!
To help its customers visualize the time remaining on the various shipping options, Sports Authority included this color-coded calendar in an email yesterday. While plenty of retailers have included charts that list the cutoff dates, this is the first that I've noticed that includes a calendar. Visual-thinkers, rejoice!



SUBJECTIVITY SCANNER:
ShopPBS, 12/19 — Free Overnight Delivery
Overstock, 12/18 — FREE EXPRESS SHIPPING - 15,000 gifts you can get by Christmas
AllPosters, 12/18 — 48 Hours Only: 20% Off + FREE UPGRADE to 2-Day Shipping
Art.com, 12/18 — 48 Hours Only: 20% Off + FREE UPGRADE to 2-Day Shipping
Coach, 12/18 — Free Shipping Upgrade: Get it there on time
Snap-On Tools, 12/18 — Last Minute Snap-on Gift Ideas, 10% Off!
Petsmart, 12/18 — Free Shipping Plus Gift Cards for Last Minute
Orvis, 12/18 — Last chance. Christmas Delivery. Order by Dec. 22
Gap, 12/18 — Today is the Last Day to Ship Your Gifts
REI, 12/18 — $20 Coupon Savings - Last Day for Holiday Delivery!
Old Navy, 12/18 — 1 Day Left To Shop for 12/24 Delivery, Plus Free Shipping!
RedEnvelope, 12/18 — Still time to get it under their tree.
FTD, 12/18 — Ho Ho Ho - Save 40%
TigerDirect, 12/18 — Stocking Stuffers: 8mp Camera $139...Smartphone $89...1gb MP3 $9

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1 Comments:

Anonymous Anonymous said...

I noticed you stopped commenting about the Bloomingdale's emails. However, Bloomingdale's also sent out an email yesterday about their gift cards as well as e-gift cards. The subject line was: It's Easy To Give The Perfect Gift With Our Gift Card

10:30 AM  

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