AM Inbox: Setting expectations for email-a-day campaigns

The Retail Email Blog monitors the email marketing campaigns of more than 100 top online retailers. Here are highlights from my inbox this morning:

Neiman Marcus, 11/29 — DAY 3 Surprise: Up for a game of CHANCE?
Neiman Marcus, 11/28 — Day 2 Surprise? A SCRUMPTIOUS GIFT with purchase‏
Neiman Marcus, 11/27 — Day 1 SURPRISE: Rack in the POINTS!‏
There’s no doubt that Black Friday through Cyber Monday are four critical days for retailers. Neiman Marcus ties these days together with a 4-day email campaign that sets clear expectations for when folks will receive emails and adds a little urgency by showing that some deals have already expired. Since a fair number of retailers will be starting their “12 Days of Christmas” campaigns tomorrow, I’ll be curious to see how they do at setting clear expectations of how many and when subscribers will receive emails.

The other interesting thing about these Neiman Marcus emails is their use of all-caps in their subject lines. While you definitely want to be careful of overusing all-caps, capitalization in general is worth experimenting with. Using initial capitalization on prepositions (in, with, etc.) and articles (a, the) can make subject lines harder to scan, for instance.



Northern Tool, 11/27 — Enter To Win A Toy CAT Backhoe Tractor‏
With ISPs paying more attention to how engaged your subscribers are, I expect that we’ll see more click-to-enter sweepstakes like this one from Northern Tool. We may also see an open-to-enter sweepstakes.



SUBJECTIVITY SCANNER: Select noteworthy subject lines
Toys “R” Us, 11/28 — Zhu Zhu Alert! Plus Bonus Deals of the Day, Sun. Nov. 29th!‏
HP, 11/29 — HP's Cyber Monday Sale Starts Now!
Macy’s, 11/29 — Cyber Monday starts today! Get Free Shipping at $75!
Petco, 11/29 — PETCO Cyber Monday Savings A Day Early + FREE Shipping!
Home Depot, 11/29 — Shop Cyber Monday Savings Now!
J&R, 11/28 — CYBER MONDAY SALE: Amazing Online Deals Good Thru Monday Only!‏
Walgreens, 11/28 — Pre-Cyber Monday Deals + $15 Off & FREE Shipping‏
Kohl’s, 11/29 — Cyber Monday Preview + Get $10 Kohl's Cash for every $50 spent.‏
Target, 11/29 — Sneak peek: Cyber Monday preview and other great deals.
TigerDirect, 11/29 — Final Chance at Pink Friday Deals...Sneak Peak at CyberMonday SALE‏
Sears, 11/29 — Exclusive Online Only Cyber Monday deals start Tonight at 8 pm‏
Dick’s Sporting Goods, 11/29 — Shop Our Circular and Save Big + Your Cyber Monday Offer!
Sportsman’s Guide, 11/29 — Cyber Monday E-mail Deals & Coupon from The Guide‏
Kmart, 11/29 — Cyber Monday Sale‏
Musician’s Friend, 11/29 — Musician's Friend: Cyber Monday – Get Up To 15% Off Almost Anything! Details Inside‏
Overstock, 11/27 — Black Friday - 10% Off Your Entire Order‏
JCPenney, 11/27 — Black Friday Is Here + Free Shipping!
Blair, 11/27 — Black Friday Special: 25% off everything‏
Sports Authority, 11/27 — Black Friday Doorbusters - 5am to 3pm! Save up to 75% Off Original Prices!
PC Connection, 11/27 — Black Friday Exclusives Now Available – Get Incredible Savings Today Only!
Diamond.com, 11/27 — Black Friday Blowout Sale - Up to 75% Off‏
Linens ’n Things, 11/27 — Black Friday Extra 20% Off plus Doorbusters!
Avon, 11/27 — AVON's Black Friday Shopping Event & FREE Shipping Spree‏
Home Depot, 11/27 — Exclusive Black Friday Savings - While Supplies Last‏
Buy.com, 11/27 — Alert: Black Friday Blowout‏
Toys “R” Us, 11/27 — WOW! Black Friday Doorbusters extended until 10pm Fri. Nov. 27th!
SmartBargains, 11/27 — NEW Black Friday Doorbusters! 6 HRS ONLY
1-800-Flowers.com, 11/27 — This Black Friday, get Free Shipping or No Service Charge‏
HP, 11/27 — Email Exclusive - Unreal Black Friday Deals!‏
Newegg, 11/27 — TODAY ONLY - Newegg's ULTRA-SECRET Black Friday Deals!‏
Dell, 11/27 — 24 Hours to Save! Don't Miss the Black Friday Sale.
Crutchfield, 11/29 — Last chance for Black Friday specials - sale ends at Midnight EST 11/30‏
Apple, 11/27 — The one-day Apple shopping event. Today only.
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Week-End Trends: Deliverability issues fixed, volume soars 24%

Email activity and promotional trends during the past week:

The Retail Email Index: The average weekly promotional email volume sent by top online retailers to each of their subscribers rose 24% to 3.5 emails during the week ending Nov. 27, 2009. It’s up 40% from where it was four weeks ago and it’s up 9% year-over-year (moving 4-week average versus comparable 4-week moving average last year).

After experiencing significant deliverability problems two weeks ago, retailers were able to get their emails delivered last week. So it’s probably better to view this past week’s increases as occurring over the past two weeks—meaning that this past week’s volume increase probably would have been in the 12% to 15% range had retailers not had deliverability issues two weeks ago.



The Retail Email Participation Rate: Friday was the most popular day to send retail emails last week. In fact, it was the most popular day of the year to date—although it will surely be challenged by Cyber Monday and perhaps the day after Christmas.



The Retail Email Seasonality Meter: While Thanksgiving references were on par with last year, Black Friday references this year were well above past years. More details to come...



Selling Seasons on the Horizon:
Cyber Monday (11/30): Cyber Monday Sees Record Retail Email Volume
Christmas (12/25): Retail Email Guide to the Holiday Season, Christmas 2008 Season Finale
New Year’s (1/1): New Year’s 2009 Season Finale
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AM Inbox: Inboxes stuffed with Thanksgiving season's greetings

>>Retail Email Guide to Multichannel Engagement: Download this free 28-page report.
The Retail Email Blog monitors the email marketing campaigns of more than 100 top online retailers. Here are highlights from my inbox this morning:

Macy’s, 11/25 — Happy Thanksgiving from Macy's!‏
Thanksgiving season’s greetings emails were suddenly back in vogue this year. In addition to this one from Macy’s that leveraged the brand equity of their parade, other retailers that sent season’s greeting included the Company Store, Drs. Foster & Smith, Lillian Vernon, Overstock and Ralph Lauren—and there were a number of quasi-season’s greetings as you can see from some of the subject lines in the Subjectivity Scanner below. Considering the hard push on Black Friday this year, I’m a little surprised to see so many retailers take a soft-sell approach like this. Perhaps it helps break up the Black Friday drumbeating.



Urban Outfitters, 11/25 — Free Shipping Starts Now!
Urban Outfitters’ email messaging is decidedly simple. They’re not ones to try to shoehorn multiple or complex messages into their emails. Instead they take simple messages and apply their unique and creative point of view to them. This email is a great example of taking the most mundane retail email message—Free Shipping—and elevating it through fantastic creative.



J&R, 11/25 — BLACK FRIDAY SALE PREVIEW - The Biggest Deals of the Year!
In contrast to Urban Outfitters, J&R packs a lot of calls-to-action into their emails. This email is no exception. In honor of Black Friday, they turn their logo black and include a great branding line beside it. But the most interesting component of the email is at the very bottom where they promote in-store pickup as a way of avoiding lines. That’s powerful messaging for what is one of the craziest days of the year to shop, yet J&R is the only retail I’ve seen promote their in-store pickup program in this way.



SUBJECTIVITY SCANNER: Select noteworthy subject lines
Kmart, 11/25 — Blue Friday: Samsung SL40 12.2MP Digital Camera $50 Off‏
TigerDirect, 11/25 — Early PINK FRIDAY Deals: New 3gb HDMI Laptop $399...22" 1080p LCD $129...37" HDTV $399...50-pack DVD-R $7.99‏
Harry & David, 11/25 — Black Friday Extreme Deals Start TODAY! Shop early for best selection.
Walgreens, 11/25 — Black Friday Deals Start Online Now‏
Costco, 11/25 — Samsung TVs Up to $400 OFF Plus Black Friday Starts NOW!
Newegg, 11/25 — BLACK FRIDAY STARTS NOW. Hurry - Newegg's biggest sale of the year is on!
OfficeMax, 11/25 — Sneak Peek at our Black Friday Ad + Start Shopping Online Thanksgiving Day‏
‏Harry & David, 11/26 — SAVE Today - Black Friday is Early!
B&H, 11/26 — Black Friday Begins Now! B&H Specials Through Cyber Monday‏
Sears, 11/25 — Over 599 Black Friday Now Doorbusters - Friday 4 am - 12 pm‏
Kohl’s, 11/26 — 300+ Early Bird Specials! Stores open at 4AM!
Toys “R” Us, 11/26 — Black Friday Preview! Over 120 Doorbusters. Stores open at midnight tonight!‏
Office Depot, 11/26 — Start shopping at 6am this Black Friday!
Toys “R” Us, 11/25 — Stores Open at Midnight Thanksgiving Evening, Preview Over 120 Doorbusters & Deals Today!
Sam’s Club, 11/25 — Don't wait till Friday; shop online Thanksgiving Day for Members-Only Savings!
Saks Fifth Avenue, 11/26 — Thanksgiving Sale Online Only: Up to 60% off‏
Sports Authority, 11/25 — Thanksgiving Day Only - 25% Off Your Order - Starts at Midnight!‏
Home Depot, 11/26 — Thanksgiving Day Specials – Shop Online, While Supplies Last!
Wal-Mart, 11/26 — Get Thanksgiving Day Online Specials + Preview Friday's In-Store Savings‏
Overstock, 11/26 — Happy Thanksgiving‏
Ralph Lauren, 11/26 — Happy Thanksgiving From Ralph Lauren‏
Lillian Vernon, 11/26 — Happy Thanksgiving from Lillian Vernon‏
JC Whitney, 11/26 — Happy Thanksgiving 15% Off Every Order - Ends Today!‏
Disney Store, 11/26 — Happy Thanksgiving! Holiday Savings Start Today‏
The Company Store, 11/26 — Happy Thanksgiving to our Friends & Family + 20% Off‏
Petco, 11/26 — PETCO Happy Thanksgiving! Friends & Family Online & In-Store!‏
Norm Thompson, 11/26 — 20% off today + a coupon for 20% later. Happy Thanksgiving!
Nike Store, 11/26 — Our Athletes' Holiday Favorites.
Nordstrom, 11/25 — The Wow Factor: Holiday Dresses that Dazzle‏
Musician’s Friend, 11/25 — Musician's Friend: Announcing Our 2009 Rock 'n' Roll Santa - And His Elf!
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AM Inbox: Black Friday messaging double 2008 level

>>Retail Email Guide to Multichannel Engagement: Download this free 28-page report.

The Retail Email Blog monitors the email marketing campaigns of more than 100 top online retailers. Here are highlights from my inbox this morning:

Newegg, 11/24 — BLACK FRIDAY DEAL LEAK - Only 1 DAY until our biggest sale of the year begins!
So far this year, Black Friday messaging is at more than twice the 2008 level. The rise is probably due to an increase in management awareness of email, the pressure to have a decent holiday season, and increasing awareness that email can drive significant store traffic. There have been lots of Black Friday previews, like this one from Newegg. This email builds further anticipation by telling subscribers to expect a “special announcement” in their next email.



And here’s the main piece of animation in this email (the “Black Friday Starts Early This Year!” also strobes a little):



Walgreens, 11/24 — Our Stores Are Open Thanksgiving Day + 50% Off Toys‏
While most retailers’ stores are closed, Walgreens is open on Thanksgiving. They wisely use email to raise awareness of this. Plus, they’re offering steep discounts on toys to make their stores even more attractive.



Neiman Marcus, 11/24 — Break away in Oscar de la Renta Blouses + Free online shipping at ANY PRICE‏
Smart use of animation can definitely help break through the clutter of holiday inboxes. This Neiman Marcus email does this effectively with its huge 3-frame animation. The messaging stays the same across every frame, which protects the message in case images are blocked by Outlook 2007. Having a detail shot as the background for the model shot is very nice.



SUBJECTIVITY SCANNER: Select noteworthy subject lines
NFLshop, 11/24 — Help U.S. soldiers overseas and save at NFLShop.com‏
Apple, 11/24 — This Friday: Our biggest shopping event of the year.
Sony, 11/24 — Pre-Black Friday Deals SAVE $1,450‏
TigerDirect, 11/24 — Black Friday Pre-Release: 26" HDTV $199...HP Mini Netbook $219...Samsung 40" $597...2TB HD $149...$29 Digital Frame‏
Lane Bryant, 11/24 — 40% Off Thanksgiving Sale Starts Today‏
Victoria’s Secret, 11/24 — WHAT'S SEXY NOW: Naughty & Nice‏
J. Crew, 11/24 — Our giftable, collectible art tees...plus FREE SHIPPING‏
Cooking.com, 11/24 — Must-Have Holiday Baking Tools + Favorite Holiday Recipes‏
Costco, 11/24 — Hot holiday offers at your local Costco wireless kiosk.
Avon, 11/24 — Holiday Luxuries for Less -Avon's Ultimate Gift Set + FREE Shipping‏
Diamond.com, 11/24 — Save 25% on Hottest Holiday Gems Plus Free Shipping‏
Montgomery Ward, 11/24 — Holiday Shopping’s a Breeze with Wards Credit‏
J&R, 11/24 — Gear Up For the Holidays: Musical Instruments Savings!
Urban Outfitters, 11/24 — Beat the Rush!
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AM Inbox: Greater focus on payment options this holiday season

>>Retail Email Guide to Multichannel Engagement: Download this free 28-page report.

The Retail Email Blog monitors the email marketing campaigns of more than 100 top online retailers. Here are highlights from my inbox this morning:

Harry & David, 11/23 — 5 Ways Harry & David Makes Holiday Shopping a Pleasure (Really!)
There’s been a clear increase in messaging about payment options, from layaway to credit card deals to delayed payments. This Harry & David email mentions Bill Me Later as one of the top five reason to shop with them, in addition to stressing lower-price product options.



Home Depot, 11/23 — Shop Top 10 Holiday Must-Haves Today‏
Replacing their “search” link and “Great Online Deals” button, Home Depot has added an AddThis-powered SWYN link to their header. Back in July when I collected SWYN usage numbers for the FTAF vs. SWYN reportlet, only 12% of major online retailers were using it. That number is up significantly since then, perhaps up around 20%.



Dell, 11/23 — Limited Time Offer: Instant Savings on FastTrack Systems‏
With ISPs factoring in engagement metrics when deciding to deliver, junk or block mail, polls like the one in this Dell email will become more important as a tactic to generate clicks and opens. Dell’s implementation not only drives clicks in the current email, but the landing page drives interest in the next email by saying: “Thanks for taking our survey. We love hearing from you! Stay tuned for the results in next week's email.”



SUBJECTIVITY SCANNER: Select noteworthy subject lines
Toys “R” Us, 11/23 — Now Open In A Mall Near You, Toys"R"Us Holiday Express!
Sports Authority, 11/23 — Thanksgiving Day Sale Preview + Save $25 off Your Purchase Now!‏
TigerDirect, 11/23 — Thanksgiving Week Specials Start Now!‏
Diamond.com, 11/23 — Thanksgiving Day Sale - 50% Off Plus Free Shipping‏
Cooking.com, 11/23 — Faster Thanksgiving Recipes: Turkeys, Desserts & More‏
Walgreens, 11/23 — Sneak a Peek at Black Friday Deals‏
Newegg, 11/23 — Our Pre-Black Friday Sale starts now!
Wal-Mart, 11/23 — Sneak Preview: Friday's Incredible In-Store Specials‏
Hallmark, 11/23 — Get your dog on a Hallmark card!
NFLshop, 11/23 — Free Shipping on All New York Giants Orders Over $75 + Great Gift Ideas‏
GameStop, 11/23 — Put on your holiday game face!
Crate & Barrel, 11/23 — Time to hang our whimsical handmade ornaments. Free Shipping details.‏
Orvis, 11/23 — Shop from home - Orvis makes it easy! Plus, FREE shipping.‏
Frederick’s of Hollywood, 11/23 — Tease the season— Take $10 off your $50 order.‏
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Bird Watching: How could CAN-SPAM be improved?

If you’re not on Twitter yet, here are the kinds of conversations that you’re missing:

@EmailKarma >> If you could change 1 thing in CAN-SPAM what would it be? ex: Opt-out to opt-in? 10 days to 3 days?

@LorenMcDonald >> RT @EmailKarma: If U could change 1 thing in CAN-SPAM what would it be? ex: Opt-out to opt-in? 10 days to 3 days? (LM: hmm, opt in probably)

@RetailEmailBlog >> @EmailKarma I think consumer expectations and ISP policies go far beyond what CAN-SPAM stipulates at this point.

@spamfighter666 >> RT @EmailKarma: If you could change 1 thing in CAN-SPAM what would it be? ex: Opt-out to opt-in? 10 days to 3 days?

@EmailKarma >> @RetailEmailBlog Exactly why it needs to be updated... to many people using the low bar as an excuse for bad practices.

@EmailInstitute >> RT@LorenMcDonald RT @EmailKarma: If U could change 1 thing in CAN-SPAM what would it be? ex: Opt-out to opt-in? 10 days to 3 days?

@justinpremick >> @EmailKarma it doesn't really affect what i do as a sender for reasons @RetailEmailBlog states. as a consumer? i'd say opt-in.

@LorenMcDonald >> @EmailKarma @RetailEmailBlog Actually govt doesn't even enforce most of existing basics of CAN-SPAM (e.g., affirmative consent)

@sharonmostyn >> RT @LorenMcDonald: RT @EmailKarma: If U could change 1 thing in CAN-SPAM what would it be? (LM: hmm, opt in probably) #emailmarketing

@jordancohenpr >> RT @EmailKarma If you could change 1 thing in CAN-SPAM what would it be? (JC: I'd make it apply to politicians! http://bit.ly/7rthDC )

@RetailEmailBlog >> @EmailKarma Is it reasonable to think the gov't would take the time to update CAN-SPAM? I don't see that happening anytime in next 5 years.

@jordancohenpr >> RT @RetailEmailBlog @EmailKarma-not only not in the next 5 years; I'd say "Never". Too many WAY more important things going on on the Hill

@RetailEmailBlog >> @jordancohenpr I wanted to leave the door open, but you're probably right that CAN-SPAM will never be revisited legislatively.

@eAmLaSiAlC >> RT @RetailEmailBlog: @EmailKarma Is it reasonable to think the gov't would take the time to update CAN-SPAM? I don't see that happening ...

@EmailKarma >> @RetailEmailBlog @jordancohenpr Anything is possible :D

@shannonholato >> RT @EmailKarma @RetailEmailBlog @jordancohenpr Anything is possible :D (SH: The power of positive thinking...)

Want to join the conversation? Just reply to @RetailEmailBlog to chime in.
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AM Inbox: The re-emergence of video gifs?

>>Retail Email Guide to Multichannel Engagement: Download this free 28-page report.

The Retail Email Blog monitors the email marketing campaigns of more than 100 top online retailers. Here are highlights from my inbox this morning:

Oriental Trading, 11/20 — Create easy homemade gifts. Save $10 + shipping is FREE‏
After not seeing any video gifs used in retail emails for months, this month I’ve now seen four—the one in this Oriental Trading email and three in Costco emails. I was starting to write video gifs off as dead, but perhaps adoption has just been really slow. I heard from one ESP that the tests that they’d done hadn’t shown a significant increase in clicks. That’s in line with what we’ve see, but we’ve seen a very significant lift in conversions. So if your video gif tests don’t measure down to conversions, then you may be missing the lift.



See the video gif in action.

Sephora, 11/21 — Sephora, 11/21 — 48 hours only: Sephora's ultimate makeup palette ships free‏
Similar to how eBags is engaging Twitter followers (see Nov. 16 AM Inbox ), but with a holiday twist, Sephora is granting one holiday wish each day that’s tweeted to them. Retailers are definitely getting smarter about how they engage customers on social networks. It’s all about sparking conversations.



Wal-Mart, 11/21 — New This Week: Amazing Online Specials, While Supplies Last‏
Wal-Mart has released an iPhone app that has several functions that help customers shop on the go and in stores. Right now the app is focused on electronics, but they plan on expanding it. As reported in the Retail Email Guide to Multichannel Engagement, about 7% of major online retailers have promoted an iPhone app in their emails.



SUBJECTIVITY SCANNER: Select noteworthy subject lines
Sears, 11/20 — Black Friday Now Doorbuster: $320 off LG 50” HDTV, plus extra 10% off
Kmart, 11/20 — This Friday and Saturday: Better Than Black Friday At Kmart.
RitzCamera, 11/20 — Pre-Black Friday Savings‏
J&R, — BLACK FRIDAY DEALS -- Every Weekend in November!
SmartBargains, 11/20 — ENDS AT MIDNIGHT Better Than Black Friday SALE
Kohl’s, 11/22 — Sneak Peek: Over 300 Early Birds this Friday!
Sam’s Club, 11/22 — Sneak preview: The Members-Only Day After Thanksgiving Event!
Avon, 11/20 — Pre-Thanksgiving Weekend Sale & Free Shipping Spree‏
Furniture.com, 11/20 — Our online-only Thanksgiving Event starts tomorrow!
HP, 11/22 — HP's Thanksgiving Savings Event Starts Now!
Sephora, 11/20 — Our #1 gift idea + new markdowns‏
Saks Fifth Avenue, 11/20 — Great Giftables‏
Neiman Marcus, 11/20 — 90 for 09: Our best gifts for the giving season‏
Harry & David, 11/22 — Gifts that Give Twice: Delight someone special, help children in need.‏
Macy’s, 11/22 — Entertaining? Save on holiday essentials + preview Thanksgiving Specials!
Williams-Sonoma, 11/22 — Fun Ideas for Holiday Baking: Personalized Message Cookies‏
J. Crew, 11/22 — What she really wants...(p.s. FREE SHIPPING ends tomorrow)
eBags, 11/21 — Holiday Kickoff Sale - Extra 20% Off sitewide‏
Dick’s Sporting Goods, 11/22 — Kick Off Your Holiday with Your Exclusive Offer + Free Shipping!‏
TigerDirect, 11/21 — Holiday Special: Butterball Oil-free Turkey Fryer now $89.99...Save Over 50%...Great Gift Idea‏
Sony, 11/21 — Sony gifts for everyone on your list‏
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Week-End Trends: Retail Email Index again indicates deliverability problems

Email activity and promotional trends during the past week:

The Retail Email Index: The average weekly promotional email volume sent by top online retailers to each of their subscribers rose 1% to 2.8 emails during the week ending Nov. 20, 2009. It’s up 9% from where it was four weeks ago and it’s up 7% year-over-year (moving 4-week average versus comparable 4-week moving average last year).

Just like it did a couple of weeks ago (see Nov. 7 Week-End Trends), the Retail Email Index is indicating significant deliverability problems among retailers. I’ve heard anecdotal evidence that some marketers are struggling with ISPs’ shift to using engagement metrics and domain-based reputation in their filtering algorithms.



The Retail Email Participation Rate: Tuesday was the most popular day to send retail emails last week. This week, Monday and Friday are likely to be the biggest volume days.



The Retail Email Seasonality Meter: Thanksgiving and Black Friday will be referenced a lot this week, but Cyber Monday won’t get messaged much until the following week.



Selling Seasons on the Horizon:
Thanksgiving (11/26): Thanksgiving 2008 Season Finale
Cyber Monday (11/30): Cyber Monday Sees Record Retail Email Volume
Christmas (12/25): Retail Email Guide to the Holiday Season, Christmas 2008 Season Finale
New Year’s (1/1): New Year’s 2009 Season Finale
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Ping Time: Preheaders, opt-out pages, frequency transparency, etc.

Our latest spin around the mediasphere turned up the following nuggets:

>>Stefan Pollard of Responsys offers some great and very current advice on how to optimize your preheader text. >>Follow the ping

>>Bryan Quilty of Email Marketing Voodoo discusses Shop It To Me’s opt-out page, which gives subscribers lots of options besides actually unsubscribing. >>Follow the ping

>>Jordan Jane at Email Responsibly discusses an interesting Zappos email that sets frequency expectations for the weeks ahead. >>Follow the ping

>>Dela Quist of Alchemy Worx encourages marketers to use a little search engine optimization to make their emails easy to find via inbox search functionality. >>Follow the search-optimized ping

>>In Smith-Harmon’s latest Email Insider column, Darrah MacLean, inspired by a run in with an electronic paper towel dispenser, talks about calls-to-action. >>Follow the ping
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AM Inbox: Shipping deadlines approaching

>>Retail Email Guide to Multichannel Engagement: Download this free 28-page report.

The Retail Email Blog monitors the email marketing campaigns of more than 100 top online retailers. Here are highlights from my inbox this morning:

Nike Store, 11/19 — Act Fast: Order Customized Gifts in Time for Holiday Delivery‏
While the end of guaranteed Christmas delivery with standard shipping is a little less than a month away for most retailers, there are a number of early shipping deadlines approaching. For instance, customized and monogrammed products often have earlier deadlines, as Nike promotes in this email. Oversized and heavy items also usually have earlier deadlines. Plus, this year Hanukkah started at sundown on Dec. 11 this year, so we’ll see some early deadlines for that too, as we’ve already seen from OfficeMax.



Costco, 11/19 — Create Your Ultimate Game Room and Preview Our Black Friday Offers!
Looking to build some buzz around their Black Friday deals, Costco promotes a preview of their offers in a preview pane banner. Overstock has included a similar banner in their emails recently.



HSN, 11/19 — Your Featured Products of the Week‏
Multichannel bars like the one in this HSN email are becoming increasingly common. Sometimes they’re combined with SWYN elements, as REI and others do. For more on multichannel tactics and strategies, check out the Retail Email Guide to Multichannel Engagement.



SUBJECTIVITY SCANNER: Select noteworthy subject lines
Harry & David, 11/19 — LAST DAY for FREE Standard Delivery* for Thanksgiving‏
1-800-Flowers.com, 11/19 — Save up to $10 on Thanksgiving Centerpieces‏
SmartBargains, 11/19 — EXTENDED 24 HOURS Better Thank Black Friday SALE
Eddie Bauer, 11/19 — Give the Gifts the Pros Use Free Shipping‏
Target, 11/19 — Ho ho home: Free shipping when you spend $50 on select holiday home updates.
Newegg, 11/19 — Home for the Holidays? $129.99 Sceptre 19" HDTV, $359.99 Panasonic 32" HDTV...
Ralph Lauren, 11/19 — Introducing The Ralph Lauren Custom Shop‏
Sam’s Club, 11/19 — Save this Season on Holiday Electronics at Sam's Club.
Macy’s, 11/19 — FREE SHIPPING + GREAT SAVINGS on festive looks for the whole family!
Northern Tool, 11/19 — Hundreds Of Gift Ideas On Sale + Free Gift Card‏
Hanna Andersson, 11/19 — Up To 40% Savings - The More The Merrier Sale!
Lillian Vernon, 11/19 — Exclusive Email Deal - 15% Off All Christmas Decor‏
Fingerhut, 11/19 — Fingerhut: Give High Quality Gifts this Holiday Season!‏
Ann Taylor, 11/19 — Shop Perfect Presents + 30% Off Your Entire Purchase‏
Abercrombie & Fitch, 11/19 — Now in stores for Christmas 2009‏
Neiman Marcus, 11/19 — FREE ONLINE GIFT WRAP through this weekend + Free online shipping at ANY PRICE‏
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Retail Email Guide to Multichannel Engagement: Executive Summary

Multichannel marketing is becoming an imperative as the number of channels has grown. And rather than weakening email marketing, the proliferation of channels has made the channel even more dynamic and powerful. At the same time, as the number of channels available to marketers has grown, a multichannel approach to marketing has become a more urgent best practice if a campaign is to have significant reach and impact.

“Cross-channel coordination with your email program is critical,” says Heather Blank, director of strategic services at Responsys. “Consumers are changing and so are their expectations. They expect highly relevant, coordinated information across all channels.”

The good news is that nearly 80% of marketers say they are executing them to some degree, according to MarketingSherpa—and all indications suggest that more marketers are adopting a multichannel approach and that their level of integration is deepening.

With the growing emphasis on multichannel marketing, email has emerged as a favorite channel. In addition to being the undisputed preferred channel for deals and promotions, it excels at raising awareness of and driving traffic to other channels, in part because it occupies a critical “gateway” position between traditional media like television and direct marketing and new media like social networks and online video. As an established, ubiquitous, and inexpensive channel, email is the ideal partner for most other channel initiatives.

In addition to making the case for using email as part of a strong multichannel marketing approach, this guide examines the ways that email marketing has been used to support other channels by the top online retailers. It highlights tactics and standout examples of retailers using email to promote social media, mobile, stores, direct mail, online, and TV and online video.

Other findings revealed in the guide include:

● Email has become a strong component of retailers’ efforts to grow their followings on Facebook and Twitter. As of July, more than 30% of major online retailers were running “join our community” efforts in their email campaigns.

● Mobile plays a small role in email marketing messaging currently, with less than 10% of retailers promoting SMS subscriptions, iPhone apps and mobile sites this calendar year.

● More than 15% of retailers link to their blog at least occasionally from their emails, using them as the landing page for articles and contests. However, most of those references are small and buried deep in retailers’ emails.

● In recent months a handful of retailers have woven together a number of channels as part of a single promotion. These are a model for the more tightly integrated campaigns that we’ll see used more often going forward.

Get the Full Report
>>Download the 28-page “Retail Email Guide to Multichannel Engagement” for free. (This is a direct download of the PDF. There are no forms to complete.)

Other reports available from Responsys:
Retail Email Guide to the Holiday Season
Many Retailers Not Optimizing Preheader Text
Retail Email Guide to the Holiday Season
FTAF vs. SWYN
Executive Series on Email Marketing: Installments 1-5
Email Design Look Book 2009
Email Navigation Differs Radically from Website Navigation
Soon Even More Emails Won't Be Optimized for Width
Retail Welcome Email Benchmark Study
…and you can find even more reports on Responsys' Downloads page.
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AM Inbox: Isolated microsite or subscriber profile builder?

The Retail Email Blog monitors the email marketing campaigns of more than 100 top online retailers. Here are highlights from my inbox this morning:

Neiman Marcus, 11/18 — STYLE RADAR tracks fashion as it happens‏
In this email, Neiman Marcus promotes their new Style Radar, which presents products that fit into various style categories. It’s hard not to see echoes of Spiegel’s style segmentation efforts (see Mar. 17, 2008 AM Inbox) in this, but I think Neiman Marcus has given it a fresh enough twist to make it their own, with their style and city categories. The big question now is whether these styles will stay isolated on the microsite or whether they’ll be integrated in subscribers’ profiles and used for segmentation and serving up dynamic content.



Bluefly, 11/18 — Haute for the Holidays...Glam NEW Looks Starting at 30% Off‏
This is my favorite holiday header so far. Normally, the animation has the fly doing a simple little loop over to the forward-to-a-friend link. Throwing in the little aerial snowflake is simple, eye-catching, seasonal, and secular. Delightful!



And here’s the animated portion of the header:



SUBJECTIVITY SCANNER: Select noteworthy subject lines
SmartBargains, 11/18 — An EXTRA 25% off EVERYTHING It's Better Than Black Friday!
Sears, 11/18 — May your Holidays be bright with these energy-efficient LED Christmas lights, now 33% off‏
Bed Bath & Beyond, 11/18 — Holiday Tips from Real Simple!
Finish Line, 11/18 — The Holiday's Hottest Shoe!---Get Free Shipping!
Frederick’s of Hollywood, 11/18 — Get glam holiday gifts, with a free gift for you.
Nordstrom, 11/18 — Holiday Dazzle: Find Your Perfect Look for Every Occasion‏
Orvis, 11/18 — FREE shipping - Find the perfect accessory for every man on your list.
Lillian Vernon, 11/18 — A Gift to Fit Anyone on Your List‏
Brookstone, 11/18 — FREE SHIPPING ON $90 Purchases--Shop Hot, New Gifts‏
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Season Finale: Breast Cancer Awareness Month 2009

A look back on seasonal trends, email activity and standout B2C marketing:

Start to finish: The first reference to Breast Cancer Awareness Month was on Sept. 8. The final reference was on Nov. 12.

The distribution curve: The biggest day for Breast Cancer Awareness Month emails was Monday, Oct. 5, followed by Thursday, Oct. 8. Retailers sent the majority of their Breast Cancer Awareness Month-themed emails after Oct. 11.



Year-over-year comparison: After Breast Cancer Awareness Month references fell 26% last year compared to 2007, this year references rebounded, increasing 60% over last year. This year, references exceeded 2007 levels by 18%, showing a renewed enthusiasm for marketing connected to this cause.

Noteworthy trend: Just as retailers have experimented with black background for Black Friday, they tried pink backgrounds to support their Breast Cancer Awareness Month messaging. For example, Dick’s Sporting Goods used this tactic in an Oct. 8 email with the subject line “Shop Our Pink Ribbon Collection, In-Store and Online‏.”



And Diamond.com used it in an Oct. 5 email with the subject line “Breast Cancer Awareness Month: Smile for a Cure and Save 20%.”



Standout subject lines:
Ralph Lauren, 10/1 — Show Your Support In Style: Our Latest Fashions From Pink Pony‏
Sports Authority, 10/4 — Make A Statement & Support Breast Cancer Awareness‏
Frederick’s of Hollywood, 10/7 — Get our Pink Ribbon Bra & Support Breast Cancer Awareness.

Read previous Breast Cancer Awareness Month Season Finales: 2008, 2007, 2006

Explore Breast Cancer Awareness Month tag.
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AM Inbox: The tradeoff between rendering and relevance

The Retail Email Blog monitors the email marketing campaigns of more than 100 top online retailers. Here are highlights from my inbox this morning:

Disney Store, 11/17 — Celebrate and Save Up to 40% on Holiday Decor + Deal of the Day‏
Staying relevant is extra critical during the holiday season. Every message and submessage matters. In this email, Disney includes a preview pane banner that promotes their Deal of the Day. The deal itself is rendered in HTML text so it shows up when images are blocked; plus it’s highlighted in the preheader text. However, subscribers who opened this email today rather than yesterday—and most probably did—saw an expired deal. While this might engender more urgency to open the next email so as not to miss the deal of the day, another tactic would be to use a single image for the preview pane banner, to use the same image source file for it in every email, and then update that image file every night with the current deal of the day. That way, regardless of when a subscriber opens the email, they’re seeing the current deal. That image could link to a designated landing page for all the deals of the day or to a URL that redirects folks to the right page. You trade off some rendering by using this tactic, but you’re increasing the relevance of the deals for roughly half your subscribers in most cases. It’s worth testing for sure.



Sephora, 11/17 — Gift Tip: Separate these sets into multiple gifts‏
This is some of the smartest messaging I’ve seen so far this holiday season. At a time when many consumers are still trying to stretch their dollars, this is sure to resonate.



Gap, 11/17 — Limited Time Only. 25% Off All Styles. Exclusively Online.‏
In addition to debuting their holiday header—adding some festive plaid to their logo—Gap also promotes their seasonal microsite, CheerFactory.com, which allows you to send holiday cheer in cheer form.



SUBJECTIVITY SCANNER: Select noteworthy subject lines
J&R, 11/17 — Housewares in Time for Thanksgiving!
1-800-Flowers.com, 11/17 — Save 20% on Thanksgiving gifts from Martha Stewart, starting at $39.95‏
Saks Fifth Avenue, 11/17 — Monogramming makes every gift better‏
Neiman Marcus, 11/17 — 90 of our TOP GIFTS for '09 + Free online shipping at ANY PRICE‏
Lillian Vernon, 11/17 — We're Giving You a Free Gift this Shopping Season‏
Harry & David, 11/17 — Holiday Gifts from $19.95, many with FREE Standard Delivery!
Victoria’s Secret, 11/17 — Have a Lacie Little Christmas + Get a Free Panty Cupcake! Details Inside.
L.L. Bean, 11/17 — FREE $10 Gift Card + The Gift with a Personal Touch‏
Abercrombie & Fitch, 11/17 — Give an A&F gift, Christmas 2009‏
ShopNBC, 11/17 — Today only If it's on-air, it's on sale‏
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AM Inbox: Reinforcing a social appeal

The Retail Email Blog monitors the email marketing campaigns of more than 100 top online retailers. Here are highlights from my inbox this morning:

Toys “R” Us, 11/16 — Only 10 Days Left to Shop Our BIG BOOK plus Become Our Fan on Facebook!
In yesterday’s AM Inbox, I talked about tactics used by Dick’s Sporting Goods and eBags to attract more Twitter followers and how one encouraged a much deeper connection than the other. This Toys “R” Us email gives us another example of using email to recruit social fans. What’s really interesting is that it builds on a previous appeal that they made in a Nov. 4 email (see Nov. 5 AM Inbox) that was very similar to the approach used by Dick’s Sporting Goods. But what they did this time was layer on more reasons to become a Facebook fan. While they still include a cause marketing angle, they’ve now added the ability to get information and to participate in the community by voting for deals and other items. This new appeal hits a lot more buttons than the previous one and is much more likely to attract engaged followers.



Lands’ End, 11/16 — Ends today: save 25% + Free Shipping for Friends & Family‏
This Lands’ End is a more sharable version of a previous friends and family promotion (see Sept. 28 AM Inbox ). While this email retains the multichannel fulfillment options of the previous version, it now includes a repeated message to share this deal with others and presents three options for sharing at the end of the primary message. When you have email content that you believe is highly shareworthy, bring your “share with your network” (SWYN) and “forward to a friend” functionality up into the body of the message. Don’t rely solely on SYWN and FTAF links that are at the bottom of the email.



SUBJECTIVITY SCANNER: Select noteworthy subject lines
Harry & David, 11/16 — Gobble. Gobble. Repeat.‏
J. Jill, 11/16 — To: You. From: Us. New markdowns & an extra 20% off select shoes!
Sam’s Club, 11/16 — You're Invited! Holiday Taste of Sam's Club. Sample before you serve.
Ralph Lauren, 11/16 — Perfect Holiday Sweaters, Coats And Accessories‏
Frederick’s of Hollywood, 11/16 — Be a holiday bombshell + a free gift.
Blue Nile, 11/16 — 10% Savings on Holiday Jewelry Gifts Ends Tuesday‏
JCPenney, 11/16 — Free Shipping During Our Holiday Home Sale!
HP, 11/16 — HP's Holiday Gift Guide is here!‏
Crate & Barrel, 11/16 — Santa's helpers are here with Free Shipping. See details...
Hanna Andersson, 11/16 — New Savings Up To 40% - Just In Time For Thanksgiving!‏
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AM Inbox: Social sign-up incentives - Lessons from email

The Retail Email Blog monitors the email marketing campaigns of more than 100 top online retailers. Here are highlights from my inbox this morning:

Dick’s Sporting Goods, 11/13 — Free Shipping on Purchases $49 or More - Limited Time Offer!‏
It’s interesting to see how retailers are applying incentives used routinely in email to grow their social efforts. For instance, sweepstakes are well known for being a poor source of quality email list growth because it attracts folks that would love a shot at winning something but have little interest in your emails. Similarly, Dick’s uses an incentive to grow their Twitter followers that has nothing to do with the content of their tweets and does nothing to encourage interaction. With the popularity of apps like TweetDeck and the advent of Twitter Lists, it’s easier than ever for people to follow brands and not actually see their tweets with any regularity. Dick’s may also find that many people unfollow them after their Nov. 30 deadline for their charity drive.



eBags, 11/13 — For Insiders Only: Double Deal‏
On the other hand, eBags’ Twitter growth tactic encourages conversation by giving folks a chance every week to win a bag by tweeting why they need one. Whether people follow eBags or not, when they tweet their reason for needing a bag to eBags, they’re exposing their followers to eBags and their weekly giveaway, which may in turn cause them to try to win a free bag. This is a great way to start a conversation that’s very germane to their brand.



Urban Outfitters, 11/13 — It's Finally Here...
A few retailers like Walgreens and Harry & David include information about your closest or preferred store in each of their emails. In this Urban Outfitters email announcing the availability of their holiday catalog, they include the location of the nearest three stores, giving the subscribers more than one option, recognizing that folks may favor one shopping strip, mall or area over another.



SUBJECTIVITY SCANNER: Select noteworthy subject lines
Macy’s, 11/15 — Rwanda baskets: Free Shipping, extra savings + a brand new site!
Crate & Barrel, 11/13 — Before you order the turkey...order the pan. Free Shipping...see details.
Kmart, 11/13 — Better than Black Friday Sale - Friday and Saturday‏
J&R, 11/13 — BLACK FRIDAY DEALS -- Every Weekend in November!
RitzCamera, 11/13 — Pre-Black Friday Savings plus Clearance Sale‏
The Company Store, 11/15 — Winter Sale + Holidays Are Near & The Guests Are Here!
Blair, 11/13 — It's the gift they'll use - and it comes with 2 bonuses!
Orvis, 11/13 — Give a cozy, relaxing gift. Orvis slippers - a holiday tradition.
Abercrombie & Fitch, 11/13 — Check out our rugged outerwear for Christmas 2009‏
Walgreens, 11/13 — Put Beauty Under the Tree + Free Shipping at $25‏
Petco, 11/15 — PETCO Up To 40% Off Holiday Travel Essentials + FREE Shipping!
Sports Authority, 11/13 — Gift Ideas for Everyone on Your List & 2 More Days to Save $25 Off $100!
Diamond.com, 11/13 — Christmas Special Sale - Save up to 76% Plus Free Shipping‏
Avon, 11/13 — Holiday Hits + FREE Eye Cream & FREE Shipping‏
Oriental Trading, 11/13 — Wrap up holiday fun for less. Get FREE Shipping‏
Coldwater Creek, 11/14 — Gift list? Take $30 off + Free Shipping (save Santa a trip!)‏
Lillian Vernon, 11/15 — Shop the Gift Giving Guide & Get Free Shipping‏
Neiman Marcus, 11/13 — A night you won't soon forget‏
Alibris, 11/13 — NOTE TO SELF: Use my $10 coupon before it expires‏
Furniture.com, 11/15 — Online only Veterans Day Event ends tomorrow!
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Week-End Trends: Retail email volume rises 11% as holiday messaging dominates

Email activity and promotional trends during the past week:

The Retail Email Index: The average weekly promotional email volume sent by top online retailers to each of their subscribers rose 11% to 2.8 emails during the week ending Nov. 13, 2009. It’s up 7% from where it was four weeks ago and it’s up 8% year-over-year (moving 4-week average versus comparable 4-week moving average last year).

It appears that most of the deliverability issues suffered by retailers last week have been resolved. But with email volumes just now starting their massive holiday ramp-up, it seems likely that retailers have not experienced the last of their deliverability issues this holiday season.



The Retail Email Participation Rate: Monday and Friday were the most popular days to send retail emails last week.



The Retail Email Seasonality Meter: If there was any doubt that the holiday email season was in full swing, at least half of all retail emails every day since last Sunday has referenced the holidays or Christmas.



Selling Seasons on the Horizon:
Thanksgiving (11/26): Thanksgiving 2008 Season Finale
Cyber Monday (11/30): Cyber Monday Sees Record Retail Email Volume
Christmas (12/25): Retail Email Guide to the Holiday Season, Christmas 2008 Season Finale
New Year’s (1/1): New Year’s 2009 Season Finale
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Ping Time: Individualized send times, Email Engagement Index, etc.

Our latest spin around the mediasphere turned up the following nuggets:

>>MarketingSherpa shares a case study involving Mint.com increasing opens and clicks by personalizing send times based on when individual subscribers tended to open their emails. >>Follow the ping

>>Pivotal Veracity releases their “Email Engagement Index Q1 - Q3 2009 - Vertical Market Benchmarks & Trends” report, which has great stats including how long on average it takes subscribers to open emails. >>Follow the ping

>>Melinda Plemel of Return Path runs down the highlights of Cox’s new postmaster page. >>Follow the ping

>>Anna Yeaman of Style Campaign tracked down the folks behind the innovative LocalsKnow.ca email campaign that had subscribers scrolling left, right, up and down to the ultimate call-to-action. >>Follow the ping all over Canada

>>Julie Waite of Bronto Software provides an excellent overview of the synergies between email and product reviews. >>Follow the ping

>>In my latest Email Insider column, I talk about how to avoid “back alley syndrome,” where you abandon subscribers on dead-end landing pages. >>Follow the ping
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AM Inbox: Every snowflake is unique

The Retail Email Blog monitors the email marketing campaigns of more than 100 top online retailers. Here are highlights from my inbox this morning:

Northern Tool, 11/12 — Free Gift Card + Over 2,300 Products On Sale‏
Last December, fellow Smith-Harmonites Lisa Harmon and Alex Madison wrote a fun blog post about all the different renderings of snowflakes in email creatives. One of my favorites last year was from Sony, which created snowflakes from electronics devices like cameras and candy like candy canes. So far this year, the tool-flakes in this Northern Tool email are at the top of my list of favorites. Plus, the bow made from the tie-down is genius. Delight lives in small details like these.



SUBJECTIVITY SCANNER: Select noteworthy subject lines
Walgreens, 11/12 — Give Thanks with 75 Prints for $9.99 + 20% OFF Photo Gifts‏
Ralph Lauren, 11/12 — The Perfect Gift: New Styles From The Create Your Own Collection‏
Sony, 11/12 — Give great gifts Popular Picks + FREE SHIPPING‏
Barnes & Noble, 11/12 — Save up to 45% in our Holiday Gift Guide‏
Lillian Vernon, 11/12 — Give Your Kids the Perfect Toy this Christmas!
Norm Thompson, 11/12 — Announcing our Holiday Sweepstakes!‏
Diamond.com, 11/12 — Save 20% on our White Diamond Christmas Collection Plus Free Shipping‏
Home Depot, 11/12 — Free Shipping for the Holidays!
Toys “R” Us, 11/12 — Get a Wii for Only $99.99 – 3 Days Only!
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Season Finale: Halloween 2009

A look back on seasonal trends, email activity and standout B2C marketing:

Start to finish: The first reference to Halloween was on Aug. 9—although there were some references that I consider outliers in July, June and April. The final reference was on Nov. 1.

The distribution curve: The biggest day for Halloween emails was Halloween itself, Oct. 31, followed by Sunday, Oct. 11. Retailers sent the majority of their Halloween-themed emails after Oct. 9.



Most interesting emails: In this Aug. 20 email with the subject line, “Halloween Hannas That Help Kids In Need!” Hanna Andersson uses cause marketing to promote their Halloween products. I don’t think I’ve ever seen a retailer pairing Halloween with a charity effort. Hanna Andersson also uses some clever wordsmithing to promote their “eek-o-friendly” Halloween sleepwear.



The animated gif used by Harry & David in this Oct. 23 email is my favorite of the Halloween season. It’s eye-catching, fun, on-brand and supports the message of the email.



After explaining the origin of Christmas in July this summer (see July 27 AM Inbox), Overstock explains the origin of the Jack O’Lantern in this Oct. 23 email. Everyone loves fun facts like this. Overstock’s “At Home with the ‘O’” is a great, fun segment that definitely makes me scroll down into the email to read it.



In this Sept. 29 email, Drs. Foster & Smith partner a pet costume promotion with some helpful information about getting animals used to costumes and about keeping pets safely away from visiting trick-or-treaters. For shoppers concerned that their pets may not like wearing a costume, the article and video content may put them at ease enough to make a purchase.



Noteworthy trend: Several retailers added a “Halloween” link to their navigation bar, including Drs. Foster & Smith, Kohl’s and Oriental Trading. While many retailers add special links to their nav bars during the holidays, they haven’t traditionally done that for other holidays.

Multichannel tactics: Sephora tries to lure subscribers into their stores with free Halloween makeup lessons in this Oct. 17 email.



Email 2.0 angle: In this Oct. 8 email, Sam’s Club promotes their Pumpkin Patch, which posts the pictures of the best pumpkin carvings submitted by customers.



Standout subject lines:
Bluefly, 10/31 — O-M-Ghoul! EXTRA 25% OFF All Sale Items – Today Only!
Lillian Vernon, 9/9 — Exclusive Costume Ideas for Boils and Ghouls‏
Lillian Vernon, 8/28 — Costumes are Flying Off the Shelves - Get Yours & 15% Off!‏
Oriental Trading, 9/11 — Monster-sized savings: 20% off ANY order‏
Lillian Vernon, 9/23 — Scared You Won't Find a Great Costume? Find Yours & More, Plus 15% Off‏
Williams-Sonoma, 10/14 — Under $20: No-Bake Halloween Haunted House Kit‏

Read previous Halloween Season Finales: 2008, 2007, 2006

Explore Halloween tag.
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AM Inbox: HP changes their email template again

The Retail Email Blog monitors the email marketing campaigns of more than 100 top online retailers. Here are highlights from my inbox this morning:

HPshopping, 11/11 — Email Exclusive: Two Great Deals for the Holidays‏
HP has changed their email template again—or perhaps I’m just seeing a few different test versions. The latest version pulls the logo back out of the body of the email and into its traditional position in the upper left-hand corner. HP shortens up their navigation bar and runs it to the right of the logo along with their preheader text, which was already right-justified in their previous design. The new nav bar is also black, versus the old gray, and it drops the carets that preceded the text in the nav buttons. The same stylistic changes were made to the administrative bar at the bottom of the email. You can see the past two designs in the Oct. 22 AM Inbox. Here’s the latest design:



Sports Authority, 11/11 — 1 Day Sale: 15% Off Your Order - Online or In Store!
I was never very impressed by Sports Authority’s email redesign back in April (see Apr. 27 AM Inbox ), but the template seems to be getting worse. The banner featuring departments toward the bottom of the email has always had background images that make the links difficult to read, but now the links are creeping up into the subheads. It’s really sloppy design and surely doesn’t make a great brand impression.



SUBJECTIVITY SCANNER: Select noteworthy subject lines
Sephora, 11/11 — New: Gifts that ship free‏
Eddie Bauer, 11/11 — Free Shipping for the Holidays‏
Fingerhut, 11/11 — Fingerhut: FREE Holiday Gift with $50 Product Order!
Diamond.com, 11/11 — Sneak Peek - Christmas Gift Guide - Save 20% Plus Free Shipping‏
Disney Store, 11/11 — A Special Holiday Gift for Disney Friends and Family!
Abercrombie & Fitch, 11/11 — Now in stores for Christmas 2009‏
J. Crew, 11/11 — Introducing our holiday sale + FREE SHIPPING‏
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