Reportlet: The Rise of the Preview Pane Banner

The increasing use of preview panes to view emails has changed how marketers design their messages, putting great emphasis on getting the primary call-to-action above the fold. The retailers that I track have been steadily improving in regards to this design imperative. Along with this improvement, during the first half of this year there’s been a growing trend of using what I call “preview pane banners”—which are banners that typically appear right beneath the header and promote something other than the primary call-to-action. Whereas in the past these secondary message banners would have appeared after the primary message, where they would have fallen below the fold and gone unseen by many subscribers, they’re now appearing before the primary message to increase their visibility.

Preview pane banners allow marketers to squeeze an additional call-to-action into the preview pane while taking away only a little viewable space away from the primary message. Judging by the uptake of this design tactic, many retailers are finding the trade-off worthwhile. During the second quarter (April-June), 50% of major online retailers used a preview pane banner in at least one email. These banners ranged from a slender 26 pixels in height up to a beefy 180 pixels, with an average in the neighborhood of 65 pixels.

This 13-page reportlet goes on to discuss the various content strategies for preview pane banners and provides 19 examples of creatives from retailers.

Visit the eec’s Whitepaper Room to download “The Rise of the Preview Pane Banner,” which is free or discounted for eec members and available for a nominal charge to non-members. Not a member? Learn more about becoming a member of the Email Experience Council.

Other reportlets available:
7 Tactics for Driving Traffic to Stores with Email
Sender Line Branding Tactics in Retail Emails
Incentives Aren't Just for Conversions Anymore
When and How to Say You’re Sorry
Holiday Retail Email Volume Soars
Retail Email Year-End Trends for 2007
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