My latest spin around the mediasphere turned up the following nuggets:
>>Morgan Stewart of ExactTarget explains how silos hurt consumers’ email experience, while not doing brands any favors either. >>Follow the ping
>>Anna Yeaman of Style Campaign assembles horizontally scrolling emails from 10 brands and offers advice on how to execute this design well. >>Follow the ping
>>Larry Chase interviews web analytics expert Bryan Eisenberg about creating effective calls-to-action. >>Follow this call-to-action (hat tip to Linda Bustos of GetElastic)
>>Loren McDonald of Silverpop highlights the key findings of their research on shopping cart abandonment emails. >>Follow the ping
>>Liz Lynch of e-Dialog shares an example of how Borders uses purchase data to add personalized recommendations to their promotional emails. >>Follow the ping
>>Raleigh Briggs of Smith-Harmon shares her favorite Earth Day email. >>Follow the ping
>>Dylan Boyd of eROI talks about the iPad and what it means for email marketing. >>Follow the ping
>>Mark Brownlow of Email Marketing Reports updates his email marketing search engine, OnlineMarketing.info, notably adding over 200 Twitter accounts to the search universe. >>Follow the ping
>>In my latest Email Insider column, I share the results of our “Email Feud” survey and talk about the things that surprised or didn’t surprise me about them. >>Follow the ping
_____________________
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Friday, April 30, 2010
AM Inbox: Facebook as email landing page
Animated Gif Usage Surging: Download this free 9-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:
Linens ’n Things, 4/29 — Email Exclusive: Top Secret Sale!
While still a very niche strategy, I’m seeing Facebook increasingly used as a landing page for email content. Contests are by far the most popular to host on Facebook, but I’ve also seen previews of apparel collections and in this email, Linens ’n Things uses it as the landing page for the reveal of what appears to be a mystery deal promotion. While the promo code is revealed on the landing page, the actual offer isn’t, which will likely lead to lots of abandonment. It’s hard enough to get one click, but requiring two or more clicks to discover what the offer is will surely frustrate some subscribers.
Gap, 4/29 — Last Day to Save 15% on Your Online Purchase
As a continuation of their declining rewards campaign from earlier this week (see Apr. 28 AM Inbox), Gap sent this email, which doesn’t mention the 20% savings that could have been had if subscribers had acted more quickly. Presumably some subscribers will have seen the other email (before or after the deal expired) so there’s no reason to rub it in their face that they missed out on an additional 5% off. I’m often of two minds on this, since reminding folks that had they been more responsive they’d have had a better deal is a good way to generate urgency. At the same time, you don’t want to frustrate those subscribers who just aren’t in a position to open your emails on the day you send them. If they feel that they’re often missing out on the best deals because they’re not quick enough, they may ask themselves if being a subscriber is really worth it.
Spiegel, 4/29 — TODAY ONLY! EXTRA 25% OFF any Stylist Advice outfit!
In the wake of launching their online Signature Style Magazine (see Apr. 27 AM Inbox), Spiegel has redesigned their header and navigation bar, adding a “The Magazine” nav link. To make room for the new link, they cut their “Sale” link and shortened “Signature Luxury Fabric Collections” to just “Signature Collections.” In addition to those nav link changes, they added a rule on the top and bottom of the nav bar and sunk the “g” in their logo behind it. Classy-looking.
SUBJECTIVITY SCANNER: Select noteworthy subject lines
Walgreens, 4/29 — There's Still Time for Mom: 33% OFF Prints and Photo Gifts | Offer Extended
J&R, 4/29 — Mother's Day is May 9. . . Get a Gift for the Modern Mom!
Diamond.com, 4/29 — Top 10 Gifts For Mother's Day PLUS Free Shipping
eBags, 4/29 — Mother's Day Sale - 4 Days Only
Newegg, 4/29 — Gift Ideas for Mother's Day: $349.99 Acer 3GB RAM Laptop, $167.00 Garmin 4.3" GPS...
Sam’s Club, 4/29 — Amazing savings on gifts for Mom
Costco, 4/29 — Navigate Your Way to Great Mother's Day Gift Ideas PLUS More Exclusive Online Savings!
Sears, 4/29 — Coming Soon! Meet Dr. Rey at your local Sears!
_____________________
SEARCH... Recent Posts / By Selling Season / By Topic / By Retailer / Monthly Archive
The Retail Email Blog monitors the email marketing campaigns of more than 100 top online retailers. Here are highlights from my inbox this morning:
Linens ’n Things, 4/29 — Email Exclusive: Top Secret Sale!
While still a very niche strategy, I’m seeing Facebook increasingly used as a landing page for email content. Contests are by far the most popular to host on Facebook, but I’ve also seen previews of apparel collections and in this email, Linens ’n Things uses it as the landing page for the reveal of what appears to be a mystery deal promotion. While the promo code is revealed on the landing page, the actual offer isn’t, which will likely lead to lots of abandonment. It’s hard enough to get one click, but requiring two or more clicks to discover what the offer is will surely frustrate some subscribers.
Gap, 4/29 — Last Day to Save 15% on Your Online Purchase
As a continuation of their declining rewards campaign from earlier this week (see Apr. 28 AM Inbox), Gap sent this email, which doesn’t mention the 20% savings that could have been had if subscribers had acted more quickly. Presumably some subscribers will have seen the other email (before or after the deal expired) so there’s no reason to rub it in their face that they missed out on an additional 5% off. I’m often of two minds on this, since reminding folks that had they been more responsive they’d have had a better deal is a good way to generate urgency. At the same time, you don’t want to frustrate those subscribers who just aren’t in a position to open your emails on the day you send them. If they feel that they’re often missing out on the best deals because they’re not quick enough, they may ask themselves if being a subscriber is really worth it.
Spiegel, 4/29 — TODAY ONLY! EXTRA 25% OFF any Stylist Advice outfit!
In the wake of launching their online Signature Style Magazine (see Apr. 27 AM Inbox), Spiegel has redesigned their header and navigation bar, adding a “The Magazine” nav link. To make room for the new link, they cut their “Sale” link and shortened “Signature Luxury Fabric Collections” to just “Signature Collections.” In addition to those nav link changes, they added a rule on the top and bottom of the nav bar and sunk the “g” in their logo behind it. Classy-looking.
SUBJECTIVITY SCANNER: Select noteworthy subject lines
Walgreens, 4/29 — There's Still Time for Mom: 33% OFF Prints and Photo Gifts | Offer Extended
J&R, 4/29 — Mother's Day is May 9. . . Get a Gift for the Modern Mom!
Diamond.com, 4/29 — Top 10 Gifts For Mother's Day PLUS Free Shipping
eBags, 4/29 — Mother's Day Sale - 4 Days Only
Newegg, 4/29 — Gift Ideas for Mother's Day: $349.99 Acer 3GB RAM Laptop, $167.00 Garmin 4.3" GPS...
Sam’s Club, 4/29 — Amazing savings on gifts for Mom
Costco, 4/29 — Navigate Your Way to Great Mother's Day Gift Ideas PLUS More Exclusive Online Savings!
Sears, 4/29 — Coming Soon! Meet Dr. Rey at your local Sears!
_____________________
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Thursday, April 29, 2010
Animated Gif Usage Surging: Executive Summary
Animated gifs, which flip through two or more images to create motion or present additional information, are experiencing a resurgence of popularity after falling out of fashion several years ago. Among the major online retailers tracked by the Retail Email Blog, animated gif usage was up 35% in March compared to March 2009. Plus, nearly 40% of retailers have used an animated gif in at least one email during the past 12 months.
This free 9-page report discusses the three major limitations of animated gifs, deliverability concerns, and outlines a number of animated gif tactics used by major retailers.
>>Download “Animated Gif Usage Surging” for free. (This is a direct download of the PDF. There are no forms to complete.)
Other reports available from Responsys:
Retail Email Unsubscribe Benchmark Study
Majority of Retailers Fail Hotmail-Firefox Rendering Test
Retail Email Year-End Trends for 2009
Retail Email Guide to Multichannel Engagement
Many Retailers Not Optimizing Preheader Text
FTAF vs. SWYN
Email Navigation Differs Radically from Website Navigation
…and you can find even more reports on Responsys' Downloads page.
_____________________
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This free 9-page report discusses the three major limitations of animated gifs, deliverability concerns, and outlines a number of animated gif tactics used by major retailers.
>>Download “Animated Gif Usage Surging” for free. (This is a direct download of the PDF. There are no forms to complete.)
Other reports available from Responsys:
Retail Email Unsubscribe Benchmark Study
Majority of Retailers Fail Hotmail-Firefox Rendering Test
Retail Email Year-End Trends for 2009
Retail Email Guide to Multichannel Engagement
Many Retailers Not Optimizing Preheader Text
FTAF vs. SWYN
Email Navigation Differs Radically from Website Navigation
…and you can find even more reports on Responsys' Downloads page.
_____________________
SEARCH... Recent Posts / By Selling Season / By Topic / By Retailer / Monthly Archive
AM Inbox: Brookstone's new email template
The Retail Email Blog monitors the email marketing campaigns of more than 100 top online retailers. Here are highlights from my inbox this morning:
Brookstone, 4/28 — SNEAK PEEK: a picture frame that scans and saves old photos… plus FREE SHIPPING
It’s unclear is this is a complete template redesign or just a new postcard-style template for shorter messages, but this new template makes a few big changes: First, the most obvious change is that the header is integrated into the body copy message. While some brands like Neiman Marcus integrate their logo into the body creative, they keep their navigation bars separate (see Mar. 5 AM Inbox). Off the top of my head, I’m hard pressed to think of a brand that does their nav bar this way. Second, they drop their tag line, which allows them to reduce the height of their header to 50 pixels from 70 in the old design. And third, while the new nav bar links look like HTML text, they’re not, so they don’t show up when images are blocked. The previous design used HTML text for the nav links. Here’s the new design:
And here’s the old design from an Apr. 16 email:
And you can see the redesign they did last year in the July 13 AM Inbox.
SUBJECTIVITY SCANNER: Select noteworthy subject lines
Diamond.com, 4/28 — 5 Great Gift Ideas For Mom, Plus Free Shipping
Coach, 4/28 — Gifts Mom will love and shipping is on us
Cabela’s, 4/28 — Mother's Day - thank her with a gift from Cabela's
Art.com, 4/28 — Your Coupon Ends Tomorrow - Show Mom you care!
Sports Authority, 4/28 — Experience the Greater Outdoors With New Gear From Columbia
Eddie Bauer, 4/28 — NEW! Outerwear For Every Summer Adventure
Finish Line, 4/28 — Free Shipping On Sandals By Nike, Polo, The North Face & More!
Sears, 4/28 — Try Before You Buy: Lawn & Garden Demo This Saturday
_____________________
SEARCH... Recent Posts / By Selling Season / By Topic / By Retailer / Monthly Archive
Brookstone, 4/28 — SNEAK PEEK: a picture frame that scans and saves old photos… plus FREE SHIPPING
It’s unclear is this is a complete template redesign or just a new postcard-style template for shorter messages, but this new template makes a few big changes: First, the most obvious change is that the header is integrated into the body copy message. While some brands like Neiman Marcus integrate their logo into the body creative, they keep their navigation bars separate (see Mar. 5 AM Inbox). Off the top of my head, I’m hard pressed to think of a brand that does their nav bar this way. Second, they drop their tag line, which allows them to reduce the height of their header to 50 pixels from 70 in the old design. And third, while the new nav bar links look like HTML text, they’re not, so they don’t show up when images are blocked. The previous design used HTML text for the nav links. Here’s the new design:
And here’s the old design from an Apr. 16 email:
And you can see the redesign they did last year in the July 13 AM Inbox.
SUBJECTIVITY SCANNER: Select noteworthy subject lines
Diamond.com, 4/28 — 5 Great Gift Ideas For Mom, Plus Free Shipping
Coach, 4/28 — Gifts Mom will love and shipping is on us
Cabela’s, 4/28 — Mother's Day - thank her with a gift from Cabela's
Art.com, 4/28 — Your Coupon Ends Tomorrow - Show Mom you care!
Sports Authority, 4/28 — Experience the Greater Outdoors With New Gear From Columbia
Eddie Bauer, 4/28 — NEW! Outerwear For Every Summer Adventure
Finish Line, 4/28 — Free Shipping On Sandals By Nike, Polo, The North Face & More!
Sears, 4/28 — Try Before You Buy: Lawn & Garden Demo This Saturday
_____________________
SEARCH... Recent Posts / By Selling Season / By Topic / By Retailer / Monthly Archive
Wednesday, April 28, 2010
AM Inbox: Rewarding quick-openers
The Retail Email Blog monitors the email marketing campaigns of more than 100 top online retailers. Here are highlights from my inbox this morning:
Gap, 4/27 — Today Only! 20% Off Your Online Purchase
With the average email recipient taking around 24 hours to open an email, according to Pivotal Veracity, most of your subscribers won’t see a 24-hour deal in time to take advantage of it unless they’re given ample warning. In this email, Gap responds to this reality by giving recipients that are quick to open their emails the maximum discount. But those who don’t see the email until the following day are only able to take advantage of a lesser deal, as so on. It’s an interesting tactic for creating urgency for future campaigns.
Cooking.com, 4/27 — Last-Chance: Get it there for Mother's Day
As a former editor, I’m a stickler for hyphenation. In the 2009 Oopsy Hall of Fame, I point out numerous hyphen omissions. Well, here’s a rare case of an unnecessary hyphen: “Last Chance” should be hyphen-free, since it’s not modifying a noun. For example, if they had promoted “Last-Chance Deals,” it would need a hyphen.
SUBJECTIVITY SCANNER: Select noteworthy subject lines
Williams-Sonoma, 4/27 — Perfect for Mom: Handmade Spring Wreaths
Saks Fifth Avenue, 4/27 — Mother's Day Gifts Under $150
Tiffany & Co. 4/27 — Mother's Day Gifts from Paloma Picasso
Linens ’n Things, 4/27 — Shop for Mom & Save 10% + Free Shipping!
Barnes & Noble, 4/27 — 30% Coupons Are Here - Get More For Your Money For Mom
Oriental Trading, 4/27 — Save $10 + get FREE shipping on patriotic fun
L.L. Bean, 4/27 — Flip-Flops Worth Raving about--in New Prints and Colors
_____________________
SEARCH... Recent Posts / By Selling Season / By Topic / By Retailer / Monthly Archive
Gap, 4/27 — Today Only! 20% Off Your Online Purchase
With the average email recipient taking around 24 hours to open an email, according to Pivotal Veracity, most of your subscribers won’t see a 24-hour deal in time to take advantage of it unless they’re given ample warning. In this email, Gap responds to this reality by giving recipients that are quick to open their emails the maximum discount. But those who don’t see the email until the following day are only able to take advantage of a lesser deal, as so on. It’s an interesting tactic for creating urgency for future campaigns.
Cooking.com, 4/27 — Last-Chance: Get it there for Mother's Day
As a former editor, I’m a stickler for hyphenation. In the 2009 Oopsy Hall of Fame, I point out numerous hyphen omissions. Well, here’s a rare case of an unnecessary hyphen: “Last Chance” should be hyphen-free, since it’s not modifying a noun. For example, if they had promoted “Last-Chance Deals,” it would need a hyphen.
SUBJECTIVITY SCANNER: Select noteworthy subject lines
Williams-Sonoma, 4/27 — Perfect for Mom: Handmade Spring Wreaths
Saks Fifth Avenue, 4/27 — Mother's Day Gifts Under $150
Tiffany & Co. 4/27 — Mother's Day Gifts from Paloma Picasso
Linens ’n Things, 4/27 — Shop for Mom & Save 10% + Free Shipping!
Barnes & Noble, 4/27 — 30% Coupons Are Here - Get More For Your Money For Mom
Oriental Trading, 4/27 — Save $10 + get FREE shipping on patriotic fun
L.L. Bean, 4/27 — Flip-Flops Worth Raving about--in New Prints and Colors
_____________________
SEARCH... Recent Posts / By Selling Season / By Topic / By Retailer / Monthly Archive
Tuesday, April 27, 2010
AM Inbox: The age of quasi-editorial content
The Retail Email Blog monitors the email marketing campaigns of more than 100 top online retailers. Here are highlights from my inbox this morning:
Spiegel, 4/26 — Introducing SIGNATURE STYLE MAGAZINE - a whole new way to shop!
In my Email Insider column today, I expressed surprise that email marketers weren’t more bullish on the ability of editorial content to boost subscriber engagement. I feel that perhaps part of the lack of enthusiasm arises from how different folks define “editorial content.” I feel that even small nuggets of information or giving a product promotion and editorial frame, like Neiman Marcus as done on occasion (see Feb. 24 AM Inbox), count as editorial content. We’ve definitely entered an age of quasi-editorial content. Spiegel’s launch of an online, shopping-focused Signature Style Magazine is a perfect example of this. There’s some newsiness and education here, but the main goal is a promotional/sales one. In this new age, it’s less about the end and all about the voice and approach that’s used to get customers to that end.
Lane Bryant, 4/26 — Last Day To Save Up To 50% Off Sitewide
It’s been awhile since I’ve seen a retailer promoting a “too hot for TV” commercial—or in this case at least too hot for Fox and ABC. A little controversy, a little sex, and Lane Bryant will probably get some mileage out this commercial. Bluefly web-hosted steamy “director’s cut” versions of their TV commercials like this one a few years ago and I thought it was very smart considering the racy brand image they were trying to cultivate.
SUBJECTIVITY SCANNER: Select noteworthy subject lines
Norm Thompson, 4/26 — "My only regret is that I didn't buy one sooner!" Get the bag she loves.
Crate & Barrel, 4/26 — Stripe it bright for Cinco de Mayo
Harry & David, 4/26 — Mother's Day gifts she'll tell everyone about + Offer Inside
Neiman Marcus, 4/26 — Need a gift for Mom? DAVID YURMAN has just the thing
Walgreens, 4/26 — Gift Ideas Just for Mom | Get a $10 Credit
1-800-Flowers.com, 4/26 — Celebrate Mom with Roses, $19.99 for a limited time only - Save 50%
NFLshop, 4/26 — Get Mom the Perfect Gift - Custom Jerseys, Jewelry, & More!
Macy’s, 4/26 — Free Shipping on perfect Mother's Day gifts!
Blue Nile, 4/26 — 10% Off Jewelry Gifts Any Mother Will Love + Free FedEx Shipping
Dell, 4/26 — We love these systems! (We think you'll love them, too)
J. Jill, 4/26 — Three ways to wear the linen tunic.
Coldwater Creek, 4/26 — We can't resist...25% off + FREE SHIPPING + The linen shirt we love!
_____________________
SEARCH... Recent Posts / By Selling Season / By Topic / By Retailer / Monthly Archive
Spiegel, 4/26 — Introducing SIGNATURE STYLE MAGAZINE - a whole new way to shop!
In my Email Insider column today, I expressed surprise that email marketers weren’t more bullish on the ability of editorial content to boost subscriber engagement. I feel that perhaps part of the lack of enthusiasm arises from how different folks define “editorial content.” I feel that even small nuggets of information or giving a product promotion and editorial frame, like Neiman Marcus as done on occasion (see Feb. 24 AM Inbox), count as editorial content. We’ve definitely entered an age of quasi-editorial content. Spiegel’s launch of an online, shopping-focused Signature Style Magazine is a perfect example of this. There’s some newsiness and education here, but the main goal is a promotional/sales one. In this new age, it’s less about the end and all about the voice and approach that’s used to get customers to that end.
Lane Bryant, 4/26 — Last Day To Save Up To 50% Off Sitewide
It’s been awhile since I’ve seen a retailer promoting a “too hot for TV” commercial—or in this case at least too hot for Fox and ABC. A little controversy, a little sex, and Lane Bryant will probably get some mileage out this commercial. Bluefly web-hosted steamy “director’s cut” versions of their TV commercials like this one a few years ago and I thought it was very smart considering the racy brand image they were trying to cultivate.
SUBJECTIVITY SCANNER: Select noteworthy subject lines
Norm Thompson, 4/26 — "My only regret is that I didn't buy one sooner!" Get the bag she loves.
Crate & Barrel, 4/26 — Stripe it bright for Cinco de Mayo
Harry & David, 4/26 — Mother's Day gifts she'll tell everyone about + Offer Inside
Neiman Marcus, 4/26 — Need a gift for Mom? DAVID YURMAN has just the thing
Walgreens, 4/26 — Gift Ideas Just for Mom | Get a $10 Credit
1-800-Flowers.com, 4/26 — Celebrate Mom with Roses, $19.99 for a limited time only - Save 50%
NFLshop, 4/26 — Get Mom the Perfect Gift - Custom Jerseys, Jewelry, & More!
Macy’s, 4/26 — Free Shipping on perfect Mother's Day gifts!
Blue Nile, 4/26 — 10% Off Jewelry Gifts Any Mother Will Love + Free FedEx Shipping
Dell, 4/26 — We love these systems! (We think you'll love them, too)
J. Jill, 4/26 — Three ways to wear the linen tunic.
Coldwater Creek, 4/26 — We can't resist...25% off + FREE SHIPPING + The linen shirt we love!
_____________________
SEARCH... Recent Posts / By Selling Season / By Topic / By Retailer / Monthly Archive
Monday, April 26, 2010
AM Inbox: First reference to Memorial Day
The Retail Email Blog monitors the email marketing campaigns of more than 100 top online retailers. Here are highlights from my inbox this morning:
Lillian Vernon, 4/25 — Great Value, 350+ Items Under $20 in the New Catalog!
I’m going to call this the first reference to Memorial Day, even though the catalog itself talks more about the 4th of July. For ideas and inspiration to help you plan your Memorial Day campaigns, check out the Memorial Day 2009 Season Finale
Sam’s Club, 4/23 — How should we give $4 million? Vote today
Getting your customers involved is almost always a good idea, but this email goes a step further and gets the supporters of eight nonprofits involved. Sam’s Club has committed to divvying up $4 million between the charities based on how their customers vote. Given that, the first thing each of those nonprofits is going to do is email their supporters to tell them about what Sam’s Club is doing and asking them to go and vote—everyday. That’s a lot of brand impressions.
Chadwick’s, 4/24 — Special Coupon for Your Friends & You Too!
We’ll gradually see more of these emails that give subscribers something to share with their friends and family and reward them for doing so. This email is similar to the one that Petco sent last fall (see Aug. 24 AM Inbox).
Lane Bryant, 4/23 — Great Deals - This Week In Stores
This Lane Bryant email is a new format that focuses on stores with a straight-forward, easy-to-scan list of deals.
SUBJECTIVITY SCANNER: Select noteworthy subject lines
Coach, 4/23 — Meet Julia (and think: Mother's Day!)
Spiegel, 4/25 — Mother's Day is almost here! Perfect Gifts plus Special Gift Card offer!
Disney Store, 4/25 — Share a Touch of Magic with Mom!
Apple, 4/25 — Say Happy Mother's Day with an engraved iPod touch.
Tiffany & Co. 4/23 — Beautiful Mother's Day Gifts from Tiffany & Co.
Coldwater Creek, 4/23 — Celebrate Moms! Take 25% off + FREE SHIPPING
Art.com, 4/24 — Your Coupon Inside - Show Mom you care!
HP, 4/25 — Shop the NEW HP Spring Line for Mother's Day
eBags, 4/25 — Mother's Day Markdowns: Up 70% Off + Free Shipping
Oriental Trading, 4/23 — Celebrate your grad’s success. Save 20%
Sears, 4/23 — Try Before You Buy: Lawn & Garden Demo This Saturday
Target, 4/25 — Welcome Summer Patio Sale: Save big on select outdoor updates.
Bass Pro Shops, 4/25 — $5 Shipping for you - Top 5 finish for McMurray
Barnes & Noble, 4/23 — NOOK: Our Award-Winning eReader Now With Games & Read In Store
Hallmark, 4/25 — SAVE BIG: 30% off Personalized Partyware from Hallmark
Finish Line, 4/23 — You Can Only Get It Here! The Exclusive Nike Air Max+ 2010!
_____________________
SEARCH... Recent Posts / By Selling Season / By Topic / By Retailer / Monthly Archive
Lillian Vernon, 4/25 — Great Value, 350+ Items Under $20 in the New Catalog!
I’m going to call this the first reference to Memorial Day, even though the catalog itself talks more about the 4th of July. For ideas and inspiration to help you plan your Memorial Day campaigns, check out the Memorial Day 2009 Season Finale
Sam’s Club, 4/23 — How should we give $4 million? Vote today
Getting your customers involved is almost always a good idea, but this email goes a step further and gets the supporters of eight nonprofits involved. Sam’s Club has committed to divvying up $4 million between the charities based on how their customers vote. Given that, the first thing each of those nonprofits is going to do is email their supporters to tell them about what Sam’s Club is doing and asking them to go and vote—everyday. That’s a lot of brand impressions.
Chadwick’s, 4/24 — Special Coupon for Your Friends & You Too!
We’ll gradually see more of these emails that give subscribers something to share with their friends and family and reward them for doing so. This email is similar to the one that Petco sent last fall (see Aug. 24 AM Inbox).
Lane Bryant, 4/23 — Great Deals - This Week In Stores
This Lane Bryant email is a new format that focuses on stores with a straight-forward, easy-to-scan list of deals.
SUBJECTIVITY SCANNER: Select noteworthy subject lines
Coach, 4/23 — Meet Julia (and think: Mother's Day!)
Spiegel, 4/25 — Mother's Day is almost here! Perfect Gifts plus Special Gift Card offer!
Disney Store, 4/25 — Share a Touch of Magic with Mom!
Apple, 4/25 — Say Happy Mother's Day with an engraved iPod touch.
Tiffany & Co. 4/23 — Beautiful Mother's Day Gifts from Tiffany & Co.
Coldwater Creek, 4/23 — Celebrate Moms! Take 25% off + FREE SHIPPING
Art.com, 4/24 — Your Coupon Inside - Show Mom you care!
HP, 4/25 — Shop the NEW HP Spring Line for Mother's Day
eBags, 4/25 — Mother's Day Markdowns: Up 70% Off + Free Shipping
Oriental Trading, 4/23 — Celebrate your grad’s success. Save 20%
Sears, 4/23 — Try Before You Buy: Lawn & Garden Demo This Saturday
Target, 4/25 — Welcome Summer Patio Sale: Save big on select outdoor updates.
Bass Pro Shops, 4/25 — $5 Shipping for you - Top 5 finish for McMurray
Barnes & Noble, 4/23 — NOOK: Our Award-Winning eReader Now With Games & Read In Store
Hallmark, 4/25 — SAVE BIG: 30% off Personalized Partyware from Hallmark
Finish Line, 4/23 — You Can Only Get It Here! The Exclusive Nike Air Max+ 2010!
_____________________
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Sunday, April 25, 2010
Week-End Trends: Earth Day gives boost to email volumes
Email activity and promotional trends during the past week:
The Retail Email Index: Top online retailers sent each of their subscribers 2.7 promotional emails on average during the week ending Apr. 23, 2010. That’s up 5% week-over-week, down 1% from where it was four weeks ago, and up 12% year-over-year.
The Retail Email Participation Rate: Thursday, which was Earth Day, was the most popular day to send retail emails last week.
The Retail Email Seasonality Meter: While the percentage of retail emails with Earth Day messaging was just shy of 8%, the percentage with some sort of eco-friendly messaging was greater than 12%, so the influence of Earth Day is understated if you just look at explicit Earth Day messaging last week. Meanwhile, Mother’s Day messaging continues to climb to a peak late this week or early next week.
Selling Seasons on the Horizon:
Mother’s Day (5/9): Mother’s Day 2009 Season Finale
Graduation (May-June): Graduation 2009 Season Finale
Memorial Day (5/31): Memorial Day 2009 Season Finale
Father’s Day (6/20): Father’s Day 2009 Season Finale
_____________________
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The Retail Email Index: Top online retailers sent each of their subscribers 2.7 promotional emails on average during the week ending Apr. 23, 2010. That’s up 5% week-over-week, down 1% from where it was four weeks ago, and up 12% year-over-year.
The Retail Email Participation Rate: Thursday, which was Earth Day, was the most popular day to send retail emails last week.
The Retail Email Seasonality Meter: While the percentage of retail emails with Earth Day messaging was just shy of 8%, the percentage with some sort of eco-friendly messaging was greater than 12%, so the influence of Earth Day is understated if you just look at explicit Earth Day messaging last week. Meanwhile, Mother’s Day messaging continues to climb to a peak late this week or early next week.
Selling Seasons on the Horizon:
Mother’s Day (5/9): Mother’s Day 2009 Season Finale
Graduation (May-June): Graduation 2009 Season Finale
Memorial Day (5/31): Memorial Day 2009 Season Finale
Father’s Day (6/20): Father’s Day 2009 Season Finale
_____________________
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Friday, April 23, 2010
Ping Time: Apple's triggered emails, CSS3 support, etc.
My latest spin around the mediasphere turned up the following nuggets:
>>Linda Bustos of GetElastic discusses how Apple uses cookie information to send highly relevant triggered emails. >>Follow the ping
>>Ros Hodgekiss of Campaign Monitor shares testing that they did to see which email clients support CSS3. >>Follow the ping
>>Internet Retailer reports the results of the E-tailing Group says in its 9th Annual Merchant Survey, including that 79% of retailers plan to send more targeted e-mails to customers to improve their web sales. >>Follow the ping
>>Ezra Fischer of Return Path shows how misleading stats can be about the rise of social media and how it’s overtaking email usage. >>Follow the ping
>>Chris Wheeler breaks down what all the parts of an email header code mean. >>Follow the ping
>>Stephanie Miller of Return Path reports on what Yahoo and Hotmail said about the future of email inboxes at the Email Insider Summit. >>Follow the ping to Florida
>>And for some fun, check out Andrew Kordek’s “Email Slob” interview with James Nandu Savimbi, the son of the late foreign currency minister of Angola. >>Follow the ping
>>In Smith-Harmon’s latest Email Insider column, Alex Madison and Lisa Harmon explain how to create a top-notch order confirmation email. >>Follow the ping
_____________________
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>>Linda Bustos of GetElastic discusses how Apple uses cookie information to send highly relevant triggered emails. >>Follow the ping
>>Ros Hodgekiss of Campaign Monitor shares testing that they did to see which email clients support CSS3. >>Follow the ping
>>Internet Retailer reports the results of the E-tailing Group says in its 9th Annual Merchant Survey, including that 79% of retailers plan to send more targeted e-mails to customers to improve their web sales. >>Follow the ping
>>Ezra Fischer of Return Path shows how misleading stats can be about the rise of social media and how it’s overtaking email usage. >>Follow the ping
>>Chris Wheeler breaks down what all the parts of an email header code mean. >>Follow the ping
>>Stephanie Miller of Return Path reports on what Yahoo and Hotmail said about the future of email inboxes at the Email Insider Summit. >>Follow the ping to Florida
>>And for some fun, check out Andrew Kordek’s “Email Slob” interview with James Nandu Savimbi, the son of the late foreign currency minister of Angola. >>Follow the ping
>>In Smith-Harmon’s latest Email Insider column, Alex Madison and Lisa Harmon explain how to create a top-notch order confirmation email. >>Follow the ping
_____________________
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AM Inbox: Time is running out...
The Retail Email Blog monitors the email marketing campaigns of more than 100 top online retailers. Here are highlights from my inbox this morning:
NFLshop, 4/22 — 2010 Draft Sale: 3 Special Offers – Make Your Selection Now
Unique discount codes are usually served up at the time that an email is opened. NFLshop uses this same tactic to serve up the number of days, hours and minutes until their sale ends so that it’s accurate at the time of open. The time element is cookie-based, so the time left displayed in the email doesn’t refresh unless you clear your cache or use a different browser. Still, this is a good tactic for generating urgency in a really specific way. Here’s what the email looked like yesterday when I opened it:
SUBJECTIVITY SCANNER: Select noteworthy subject lines
Northern Tool, 4/22 — Find Alternative Energy Solutions + Save 10% On NPower
Buy.com, 4/22 — Shop Green and Save: Citizen Eco-Drive Ladies Watch $154.99, 4Pk Green AA Batteries $5.99, GreenDrive 1TB $79.99 AR, Energy-Saving Surge Protector $29.49,..
Sears, 4/22 — Earth Day Savings: 3 Days To Save 30% On Energy Star
Sam’s Club, 4/22 — Earth Day savings at Sam's Club
The Company Store, 4/22 — Celebrate the Planet: 15% Off Green Earth + Free Delivery
Disney Store, 4/22 — Celebrate Earth Day the Disney Way!
Sports Authority, 4/22 — Today Only, 15% Off Order + Shop Our Eco-Friendly Collection
Toys “R” Us, 4/22 — Wow! Get 2 Free Black & Decker AutoSwitches – a $59.98 Value!
Fingerhut, 4/22 — Fingerhut: Get Mom the Perfect Gift with the Gift Finder!
Diamond.com, 4/22 — Great Gifts For Mom - Free Gift Plus Free Shipping
Banana Republic, 4/22 — Save 20% + Man's best friend: A Banana Republic suit
_____________________
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NFLshop, 4/22 — 2010 Draft Sale: 3 Special Offers – Make Your Selection Now
Unique discount codes are usually served up at the time that an email is opened. NFLshop uses this same tactic to serve up the number of days, hours and minutes until their sale ends so that it’s accurate at the time of open. The time element is cookie-based, so the time left displayed in the email doesn’t refresh unless you clear your cache or use a different browser. Still, this is a good tactic for generating urgency in a really specific way. Here’s what the email looked like yesterday when I opened it:
SUBJECTIVITY SCANNER: Select noteworthy subject lines
Northern Tool, 4/22 — Find Alternative Energy Solutions + Save 10% On NPower
Buy.com, 4/22 — Shop Green and Save: Citizen Eco-Drive Ladies Watch $154.99, 4Pk Green AA Batteries $5.99, GreenDrive 1TB $79.99 AR, Energy-Saving Surge Protector $29.49,..
Sears, 4/22 — Earth Day Savings: 3 Days To Save 30% On Energy Star
Sam’s Club, 4/22 — Earth Day savings at Sam's Club
The Company Store, 4/22 — Celebrate the Planet: 15% Off Green Earth + Free Delivery
Disney Store, 4/22 — Celebrate Earth Day the Disney Way!
Sports Authority, 4/22 — Today Only, 15% Off Order + Shop Our Eco-Friendly Collection
Toys “R” Us, 4/22 — Wow! Get 2 Free Black & Decker AutoSwitches – a $59.98 Value!
Fingerhut, 4/22 — Fingerhut: Get Mom the Perfect Gift with the Gift Finder!
Diamond.com, 4/22 — Great Gifts For Mom - Free Gift Plus Free Shipping
Banana Republic, 4/22 — Save 20% + Man's best friend: A Banana Republic suit
_____________________
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Thursday, April 22, 2010
AM Inbox: The danger of having multiple email templates
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, 4/21 — Go Green! Celebrate Earth Day with Outdoor Activities.
At Smith-Harmon, we tend to design single, very flexible templates for clients. Having a single template makes it easier to update fine print and to replicate any design or coding improvements. Here, Toys “R” Us demonstrates the danger of having several templates. For this Earth Day email, they abandoned their usual template, which they’d recently updated to be optimized for viewing in Hotmail using Firefox, thereby avoiding the rendering issues discussed in our Majority of Retailers Fail Hotmail-Firefox Rendering Test report. This template isn’t optimized for Hotmail-Firefox, so there are many image gaps throughout the design. Also, the body text is left-justified in Hotmail-Firefox, but is centered in Hotmail-Internet Explorer, which is more difficult to read and makes the bulleted section of text awkward. But those two rendering issues are trivial compared to the fact that this template renders their preheader text and administrative text in white text on a white background—which makes their opt-out language and mailing address invisible, a violation of CAN-SPAM. And using “click here” for all of their administrative links—rather than more descriptive links like “unsubscribe”—certainly didn’t help their cause.
Here’s the email in Hotmail-Internet Explorer (left) and in Hotmail-Firefox:
Harry & David catalog insert
I often talk about using email to promote other channels, but Harry & David has given me a good opportunity to talk about using other channels to promote email. In this case, they sent me a Mother’s Day catalog that had an insert in it incenting customers to sign up for email. The insert offers them $5 off their order, but it also does a great job of succinctly explaining the ongoing benefits of receiving their emails. The insert is well-designed, with a clear hierarchy of information and easy-to-scan bullets.
Here’s a scan of the insert with the catalog cover in the background for size perspective:
Spiegel, 4/21 — The Ultimate Washed Linen! Only at Spiegel, shop styles from $17!
Spiegel sold gift cards at a 20% discount during the 2008 holiday season and Old Navy did the same last holiday season. Now Spiegel is using this tactic again and is even offering 25% off gift cards worth more than $100. Clearly targeting gift-buyers for Mother’s Day, it’s an interesting tactic that gives a discount to the gift-buyer, while still giving the gift recipient an opportunity to redeem the gift card on sale items. It’s a margin hit to be sure, but I imagine this is an appealing and unique offer.
SUBJECTIVITY SCANNER: Select noteworthy subject lines
1-800-Flowers.com, 4/21 — Hurry, Admin Professionals Day is today! Gifts start at $29.99
Crutchfield, 4/21 — Want to go green? We can help.
J&R, 4/21 — Save the Planet and Some Money. . . Go Green This Earth Day!
Fingerhut, 4/21 — Fingerhut: FREE Gift with Your Garden + Patio Order!
Barnes & Noble, 4/21 — Love Mom and Love to Save? Get 50% Off the Perfect Mother's Day Gift!
Costco, 4/21 — Celebrate Mom! Mother's Day Bouquet $59.99 Delivered and More Perfect Gift Ideas.
Williams-Sonoma, 4/21 — A Great Gift for Mom: New & Exclusive Calphalon 3 Piece Set
Bass Pro Shops, 4/21 — Mother's Day Gift Ideas
Diamond.com, 4/21 — Pearls Made For Mom - 72 Hours Sale
Bed Bath & Beyond, 4/21 — Something for every mom…
Frederick’s of Hollywood, 4/21 — The sexiest things you'll take off this summer + free shipping.
_____________________
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Toys “R” Us, 4/21 — Go Green! Celebrate Earth Day with Outdoor Activities.
At Smith-Harmon, we tend to design single, very flexible templates for clients. Having a single template makes it easier to update fine print and to replicate any design or coding improvements. Here, Toys “R” Us demonstrates the danger of having several templates. For this Earth Day email, they abandoned their usual template, which they’d recently updated to be optimized for viewing in Hotmail using Firefox, thereby avoiding the rendering issues discussed in our Majority of Retailers Fail Hotmail-Firefox Rendering Test report. This template isn’t optimized for Hotmail-Firefox, so there are many image gaps throughout the design. Also, the body text is left-justified in Hotmail-Firefox, but is centered in Hotmail-Internet Explorer, which is more difficult to read and makes the bulleted section of text awkward. But those two rendering issues are trivial compared to the fact that this template renders their preheader text and administrative text in white text on a white background—which makes their opt-out language and mailing address invisible, a violation of CAN-SPAM. And using “click here” for all of their administrative links—rather than more descriptive links like “unsubscribe”—certainly didn’t help their cause.
Here’s the email in Hotmail-Internet Explorer (left) and in Hotmail-Firefox:
Harry & David catalog insert
I often talk about using email to promote other channels, but Harry & David has given me a good opportunity to talk about using other channels to promote email. In this case, they sent me a Mother’s Day catalog that had an insert in it incenting customers to sign up for email. The insert offers them $5 off their order, but it also does a great job of succinctly explaining the ongoing benefits of receiving their emails. The insert is well-designed, with a clear hierarchy of information and easy-to-scan bullets.
Here’s a scan of the insert with the catalog cover in the background for size perspective:
Spiegel, 4/21 — The Ultimate Washed Linen! Only at Spiegel, shop styles from $17!
Spiegel sold gift cards at a 20% discount during the 2008 holiday season and Old Navy did the same last holiday season. Now Spiegel is using this tactic again and is even offering 25% off gift cards worth more than $100. Clearly targeting gift-buyers for Mother’s Day, it’s an interesting tactic that gives a discount to the gift-buyer, while still giving the gift recipient an opportunity to redeem the gift card on sale items. It’s a margin hit to be sure, but I imagine this is an appealing and unique offer.
SUBJECTIVITY SCANNER: Select noteworthy subject lines
1-800-Flowers.com, 4/21 — Hurry, Admin Professionals Day is today! Gifts start at $29.99
Crutchfield, 4/21 — Want to go green? We can help.
J&R, 4/21 — Save the Planet and Some Money. . . Go Green This Earth Day!
Fingerhut, 4/21 — Fingerhut: FREE Gift with Your Garden + Patio Order!
Barnes & Noble, 4/21 — Love Mom and Love to Save? Get 50% Off the Perfect Mother's Day Gift!
Costco, 4/21 — Celebrate Mom! Mother's Day Bouquet $59.99 Delivered and More Perfect Gift Ideas.
Williams-Sonoma, 4/21 — A Great Gift for Mom: New & Exclusive Calphalon 3 Piece Set
Bass Pro Shops, 4/21 — Mother's Day Gift Ideas
Diamond.com, 4/21 — Pearls Made For Mom - 72 Hours Sale
Bed Bath & Beyond, 4/21 — Something for every mom…
Frederick’s of Hollywood, 4/21 — The sexiest things you'll take off this summer + free shipping.
_____________________
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Wednesday, April 21, 2010
AM Inbox: Cannabis and beer and Earth Day
The Retail Email Blog monitors the email marketing campaigns of more than 100 top online retailers. Here are highlights from my inbox this morning:
Urban Outfitters, 4/20 — Home Grown
As a marketer I really appreciate how Urban Outfitters works a beer reference and visual allusions to cannabis into this eco-friendly message as a way of getting their readers’ attention. The BYOB—Bring Your Own Bag—reference is a particularly clever hook for their green charity effort. They show a real understanding of what makes their customers tick.
Dell, 4/20 — Spring savings! Select PC's starting at $349
I’m not a big fan of bribing folks to become a Facebook fan or Twitter follower—just like I’m not a fan of sweepstakes to build email lists—but the charity approach that Dell takes in this email seems to rise a bit above simple bribery since the landing page includes information on year-round green initiatives at Dell. It’s good branding, even if it doesn’t lead to engaged Facebook fans.
TigerDirect, 4/20 — VIP Deals: Windows 7 PC $229...TomTom GPS $59...$89 Samsung Blu-ray Player...1.5TB Hard Drive $99...4GB USB $6.99...$9 Router
In the Retail Email Unsubscribe Benchmark Study we revealed that 18% of top online retailers include a subscribe link in their emails to help sign-up people who had the email forwarded to them from a friend. In this email, TigerDirect includes a sign-up link directly under the hero section, realizing that more subscribers are likely to forward email-only deals.
SUBJECTIVITY SCANNER: Select noteworthy subject lines
Barnes & Noble, 4/20 — 30% Coupons Are Here. Go Green and Save Green on Our Earth Day Collection!
Linens ’n Things, 4/20 — Earth Friendly Savings: 20% Off One Item!
Cooking.com, 4/20 — Our Top 10 Gift Ideas for Mom
Sears, 4/20 — This Week Only: Savings for Lawn & Garden, Mother's Day & More
Neiman Marcus, 4/20 — Need a new perspective? See what's becoming clear on InSite
_____________________
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Urban Outfitters, 4/20 — Home Grown
As a marketer I really appreciate how Urban Outfitters works a beer reference and visual allusions to cannabis into this eco-friendly message as a way of getting their readers’ attention. The BYOB—Bring Your Own Bag—reference is a particularly clever hook for their green charity effort. They show a real understanding of what makes their customers tick.
Dell, 4/20 — Spring savings! Select PC's starting at $349
I’m not a big fan of bribing folks to become a Facebook fan or Twitter follower—just like I’m not a fan of sweepstakes to build email lists—but the charity approach that Dell takes in this email seems to rise a bit above simple bribery since the landing page includes information on year-round green initiatives at Dell. It’s good branding, even if it doesn’t lead to engaged Facebook fans.
TigerDirect, 4/20 — VIP Deals: Windows 7 PC $229...TomTom GPS $59...$89 Samsung Blu-ray Player...1.5TB Hard Drive $99...4GB USB $6.99...$9 Router
In the Retail Email Unsubscribe Benchmark Study we revealed that 18% of top online retailers include a subscribe link in their emails to help sign-up people who had the email forwarded to them from a friend. In this email, TigerDirect includes a sign-up link directly under the hero section, realizing that more subscribers are likely to forward email-only deals.
SUBJECTIVITY SCANNER: Select noteworthy subject lines
Barnes & Noble, 4/20 — 30% Coupons Are Here. Go Green and Save Green on Our Earth Day Collection!
Linens ’n Things, 4/20 — Earth Friendly Savings: 20% Off One Item!
Cooking.com, 4/20 — Our Top 10 Gift Ideas for Mom
Sears, 4/20 — This Week Only: Savings for Lawn & Garden, Mother's Day & More
Neiman Marcus, 4/20 — Need a new perspective? See what's becoming clear on InSite
_____________________
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Tuesday, April 20, 2010
AM Inbox: Employee of the month
The Retail Email Blog monitors the email marketing campaigns of more than 100 top online retailers. Here are highlights from my inbox this morning:
Urban Outfitters, 4/19 — What's New? Over 200 Things!
Perhaps it’s just me, but nothing makes a company seem small and approachable than bringing staffers forward as Urban Outfitters does in this email where they highlight the employee of the month, complete with an interview and product picks. It’s similar to what Backcountry does when they hire new people (see Jan. 22 AM Inbox). It definitely says something when you’re confident enough to laud your employees publicly like this.
OfficeMax, 4/19 — 2-Day Online-Only Deals + Look for New Deals Every 2 Days
Office Max has launched a series of 2-day deals that’s similar to, but less frequent than Newegg’s Shell Shocker deals (see Apr. 5 AM Inbox). While the slower pace is less urgent and gives customers fewer products to choose from, having more time to take advantage of deals may work better for OfficeMax’s subscribers.
SUBJECTIVITY SCANNER: Select noteworthy subject lines
Sam’s Club, 4/19 — Solutions for a more sustainable home
Walgreens, 4/19 — 22% Off Our Earth Day Shop + Save on Contacts, Photo & More
Harry & David, 4/19 — Secure your Place as Mom's Favorite + Enter our Sweepstakes + Offer Inside
Bluefly, 4/19 — Snag Spring's Must-Have T-Shirt Trends: Embellishments, Pockets, Graphics & more!
Orvis, 4/19 — The universal answer to summer weather.
Bed Bath & Beyond, 4/19 — Check out our new e-circular...
Sony, 4/19 — Bring 3D Home | NEW 3D Home Theater Systems + Free Shipping
_____________________
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Urban Outfitters, 4/19 — What's New? Over 200 Things!
Perhaps it’s just me, but nothing makes a company seem small and approachable than bringing staffers forward as Urban Outfitters does in this email where they highlight the employee of the month, complete with an interview and product picks. It’s similar to what Backcountry does when they hire new people (see Jan. 22 AM Inbox). It definitely says something when you’re confident enough to laud your employees publicly like this.
OfficeMax, 4/19 — 2-Day Online-Only Deals + Look for New Deals Every 2 Days
Office Max has launched a series of 2-day deals that’s similar to, but less frequent than Newegg’s Shell Shocker deals (see Apr. 5 AM Inbox). While the slower pace is less urgent and gives customers fewer products to choose from, having more time to take advantage of deals may work better for OfficeMax’s subscribers.
SUBJECTIVITY SCANNER: Select noteworthy subject lines
Sam’s Club, 4/19 — Solutions for a more sustainable home
Walgreens, 4/19 — 22% Off Our Earth Day Shop + Save on Contacts, Photo & More
Harry & David, 4/19 — Secure your Place as Mom's Favorite + Enter our Sweepstakes + Offer Inside
Bluefly, 4/19 — Snag Spring's Must-Have T-Shirt Trends: Embellishments, Pockets, Graphics & more!
Orvis, 4/19 — The universal answer to summer weather.
Bed Bath & Beyond, 4/19 — Check out our new e-circular...
Sony, 4/19 — Bring 3D Home | NEW 3D Home Theater Systems + Free Shipping
_____________________
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Monday, April 19, 2010
AM Inbox: Promoting mature social communities
The Retail Email Blog monitors the email marketing campaigns of more than 100 top online retailers. Here are highlights from my inbox this morning:
Sephora, 4/16 — What are you waiting for?
In my Email Insider column last week I double-dog dared folks to include tweets in their emails. So I was excited to see Sephora include posts from Discussions on their Facebook page in this email dedicated to promoting their Facebook page. This is a sign of the maturity of their social program: At first you likely have to entice customers with incentives to get them to join your social community, but after the community is built up you can simply promote the activity of the community itself. Hopefully we’ll be seeing more emails that take this approach going forward.
Toys “R” Us, 4/18 — Save All Week on Gym Sets, Sporting Goods, Games, DVDs, Netbooks and More!
In this preview pane banner, Toys “R” Us takes a similar approach to Sephora, celebrating a community member as a way of promoting their Facebook page. For many brands, the ultimate lure of their social community is the community members and activity.
Bloomingdale’s, 4/16 — We've Gone Tote-Ally Green!
In connection with Earth Day, Bloomingdale’s is running a contest to have their customers design a new reusable tote. The winner’s tote will be put into production and sold on Bloomingdales.com. Holidays like Earth Day are about community action, so it’s good to see Bloomingdale’s running a contest that brings people together.
JCPenney, 4/16 — FREE SHIPPING Now--Extra 20% Off Later!
Particularly during the Thanksgiving Day to Cyber Monday stretch, there are lots of multi-part promotions that are active on different days. The use of side tabs that break the grid in this email is an interesting design tactic for calling out the different time availability of these offers.
SUBJECTIVITY SCANNER: Select noteworthy subject lines
Office Depot, 4/16 — Discover Smart Ways to Go Green and Save Green + $10 Coupon
Diamond.com, 4/16 — Open Vault - Let Yourself Be Tempted
Kohl’s, 4/18 — Celebrate Mom. Visit our Mother's Day Gift Shop for great ideas!
Spiegel, 4/16 — MOTHER'S DAY! Perfect gifts by Signature Style PLUS Gift Card Savings
Linens ’n Things, 4/17 — Hurry, 2 Days Left to Enjoy Post Tax Day Savings!
REI, 4/16 — And the Award Goes to...
Cooking, 4/17 — Isn't it time you had one too?
Spiegel, 4/17 — NEW Reality Dressing! See how you can look Fabulous at Every Age!
Sony, 4/16 — PRE-ORDER TODAY | Introducing 2 NEW Reader Ericsson Phones
_____________________
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Sephora, 4/16 — What are you waiting for?
In my Email Insider column last week I double-dog dared folks to include tweets in their emails. So I was excited to see Sephora include posts from Discussions on their Facebook page in this email dedicated to promoting their Facebook page. This is a sign of the maturity of their social program: At first you likely have to entice customers with incentives to get them to join your social community, but after the community is built up you can simply promote the activity of the community itself. Hopefully we’ll be seeing more emails that take this approach going forward.
Toys “R” Us, 4/18 — Save All Week on Gym Sets, Sporting Goods, Games, DVDs, Netbooks and More!
In this preview pane banner, Toys “R” Us takes a similar approach to Sephora, celebrating a community member as a way of promoting their Facebook page. For many brands, the ultimate lure of their social community is the community members and activity.
Bloomingdale’s, 4/16 — We've Gone Tote-Ally Green!
In connection with Earth Day, Bloomingdale’s is running a contest to have their customers design a new reusable tote. The winner’s tote will be put into production and sold on Bloomingdales.com. Holidays like Earth Day are about community action, so it’s good to see Bloomingdale’s running a contest that brings people together.
JCPenney, 4/16 — FREE SHIPPING Now--Extra 20% Off Later!
Particularly during the Thanksgiving Day to Cyber Monday stretch, there are lots of multi-part promotions that are active on different days. The use of side tabs that break the grid in this email is an interesting design tactic for calling out the different time availability of these offers.
SUBJECTIVITY SCANNER: Select noteworthy subject lines
Office Depot, 4/16 — Discover Smart Ways to Go Green and Save Green + $10 Coupon
Diamond.com, 4/16 — Open Vault - Let Yourself Be Tempted
Kohl’s, 4/18 — Celebrate Mom. Visit our Mother's Day Gift Shop for great ideas!
Spiegel, 4/16 — MOTHER'S DAY! Perfect gifts by Signature Style PLUS Gift Card Savings
Linens ’n Things, 4/17 — Hurry, 2 Days Left to Enjoy Post Tax Day Savings!
REI, 4/16 — And the Award Goes to...
Cooking, 4/17 — Isn't it time you had one too?
Spiegel, 4/17 — NEW Reality Dressing! See how you can look Fabulous at Every Age!
Sony, 4/16 — PRE-ORDER TODAY | Introducing 2 NEW Reader Ericsson Phones
_____________________
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Sunday, April 18, 2010
Week-End Trends: Tax Day fails to provide lift
Email activity and promotional trends during the past week:
The Retail Email Index: Top online retailers sent each of their subscribers 2.6 promotional emails on average during the week ending Apr. 16, 2010. That’s down 2% week-over-week, down 7% from where it was four weeks ago, and up 12% year-over-year.
The Retail Email Participation Rate: Friday was the most popular day to send retail emails last week.
The Retail Email Seasonality Meter: In past years, especially when tax rebates were given to help stimulate the economy, Tax Day was one of the most popular retail email days of the year outside of the November and December. However, this year it wasn’t even the most popular retail email day of the week.
Selling Seasons on the Horizon:
Earth Day (4/22): Earth Day 2009 Season Finale
Mother’s Day (5/9): Mother’s Day 2009 Season Finale
Memorial Day (5/31): Memorial Day 2009 Season Finale
Father’s Day (6/20): Father’s Day 2009 Season Finale
_____________________
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The Retail Email Index: Top online retailers sent each of their subscribers 2.6 promotional emails on average during the week ending Apr. 16, 2010. That’s down 2% week-over-week, down 7% from where it was four weeks ago, and up 12% year-over-year.
The Retail Email Participation Rate: Friday was the most popular day to send retail emails last week.
The Retail Email Seasonality Meter: In past years, especially when tax rebates were given to help stimulate the economy, Tax Day was one of the most popular retail email days of the year outside of the November and December. However, this year it wasn’t even the most popular retail email day of the week.
Selling Seasons on the Horizon:
Earth Day (4/22): Earth Day 2009 Season Finale
Mother’s Day (5/9): Mother’s Day 2009 Season Finale
Memorial Day (5/31): Memorial Day 2009 Season Finale
Father’s Day (6/20): Father’s Day 2009 Season Finale
_____________________
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Friday, April 16, 2010
Ping Time: More double-dog dares, SWYN concerns, etc.
My latest spin around the mediasphere turned up the following nuggets:
>>Inspired by my Email Insider column this week, the Email Strategy team at Bronto Software has some more double-dog dares for you. >>Follow the ping
>>Mark Brownlow of Email Marketing Reports also shares some counter-intuitive ideas to consider. >>Follow the ping
>>Derek Harding of Innovyx provides discusses some areas of concern about share-with-your-network (SWYN) functionality. >>Follow the ping
>>Campaign Monitor determines the maximum height of images that Outlook with display. >>Follow the ping
>>In my latest Email Insider column, I double-dog dare you to try some out-of-the-box email marketing tactics. >>Follow the ping
_____________________
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>>Inspired by my Email Insider column this week, the Email Strategy team at Bronto Software has some more double-dog dares for you. >>Follow the ping
>>Mark Brownlow of Email Marketing Reports also shares some counter-intuitive ideas to consider. >>Follow the ping
>>Derek Harding of Innovyx provides discusses some areas of concern about share-with-your-network (SWYN) functionality. >>Follow the ping
>>Campaign Monitor determines the maximum height of images that Outlook with display. >>Follow the ping
>>In my latest Email Insider column, I double-dog dare you to try some out-of-the-box email marketing tactics. >>Follow the ping
_____________________
SEARCH... Recent Posts / By Selling Season / By Topic / By Retailer / Monthly Archive
AM Inbox: Tax Day recap
The Retail Email Blog monitors the email marketing campaigns of more than 100 top online retailers. Here are highlights from my inbox this morning:
Spiegel, 4/15 — TODAY ONLY! Give yourself a (tax) break! TAKE 15% OFF Mix & Match Swim Separates ALREADY REDUCED UP TO 40%!
With Americans set to receive refunds around Tax Day each year, it has become an occasion for email marketers to try to coax subscribers to pay with some of their tax refund. According to a Bankrate.com survey, 54% of Americans anticipate getting or have already received a tax refund, although the vast majority plan to use it to pay down debt and not to go shopping. In past years, Tax Day had been one of the most popular retail email days of the year outside of November and December. This year only 43% of major online retailers sent one or more emails on Tax Day, which isn’t very impressive.
That said, a number of retailers, including Spiegel, sent a Tax Day sale email (see other Tax Day subject lines in the Subjectivity Scanner below). The Tax Day element is pretty much limited to the subject line here, but I really liked how this email presents swimsuit colors and styles. It has the feel of a “build your own swimsuit” function, which is very engaging.
The Company Store, 4/15 — 20% Off! Taxes are due, here's our break to you.
This is a more traditional Tax Day sale email, with the Company Store extending the sale across both its brand, The Company Store and Company Kids.
SUBJECTIVITY SCANNER: Select noteworthy subject lines
Kmart, 4/15 — Tax Day the Kmart Way - Save Online on Almost Everything
TigerDirect, 4/15 — Exclusive Tax Relief Deals: 26" HDTV $199...4GB HDMI Laptop $399...4GB USB $7...Canon HD Camcorder $399...N Router $29...See Them All
Lane Bryant, 4/15 — Tax Relief: $20 Off Your $40 Order
Linens ’n Things, 4/15 — Email Exclusive: Extra Tax Relief Today Only!
DisneyStore, 4/15 — The Names Are on Us! Free Personalization from Disney
Eddie Bauer, 4/15 — New Chino Styles For Summer!
Diamond.com, 4/15 — Get $50 Gift Card from Restaurant.com when you spend $150 or Over
_____________________
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Spiegel, 4/15 — TODAY ONLY! Give yourself a (tax) break! TAKE 15% OFF Mix & Match Swim Separates ALREADY REDUCED UP TO 40%!
With Americans set to receive refunds around Tax Day each year, it has become an occasion for email marketers to try to coax subscribers to pay with some of their tax refund. According to a Bankrate.com survey, 54% of Americans anticipate getting or have already received a tax refund, although the vast majority plan to use it to pay down debt and not to go shopping. In past years, Tax Day had been one of the most popular retail email days of the year outside of November and December. This year only 43% of major online retailers sent one or more emails on Tax Day, which isn’t very impressive.
That said, a number of retailers, including Spiegel, sent a Tax Day sale email (see other Tax Day subject lines in the Subjectivity Scanner below). The Tax Day element is pretty much limited to the subject line here, but I really liked how this email presents swimsuit colors and styles. It has the feel of a “build your own swimsuit” function, which is very engaging.
The Company Store, 4/15 — 20% Off! Taxes are due, here's our break to you.
This is a more traditional Tax Day sale email, with the Company Store extending the sale across both its brand, The Company Store and Company Kids.
SUBJECTIVITY SCANNER: Select noteworthy subject lines
Kmart, 4/15 — Tax Day the Kmart Way - Save Online on Almost Everything
TigerDirect, 4/15 — Exclusive Tax Relief Deals: 26" HDTV $199...4GB HDMI Laptop $399...4GB USB $7...Canon HD Camcorder $399...N Router $29...See Them All
Lane Bryant, 4/15 — Tax Relief: $20 Off Your $40 Order
Linens ’n Things, 4/15 — Email Exclusive: Extra Tax Relief Today Only!
DisneyStore, 4/15 — The Names Are on Us! Free Personalization from Disney
Eddie Bauer, 4/15 — New Chino Styles For Summer!
Diamond.com, 4/15 — Get $50 Gift Card from Restaurant.com when you spend $150 or Over
_____________________
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Thursday, April 15, 2010
AM Inbox: The 'fill in the blank' tactic
The Retail Email Blog monitors the email marketing campaigns of more than 100 top online retailers. Here are highlights from my inbox this morning:
Sephora, 4/14 — 15% off this week only - stock up for The Skincare Challenge
Back in February, Liz Lynch of Email Precisely shared an email from Sephora that had a unique way of handling when it doesn’t have the data necessary to send personalized product recommendations—it leaves it blank or uses grayed out pictures of generic products. The message is clear: Give us more information and we’ll be able to fill in those blanks with customized recommendations.
To a lesser degree, Sephora uses that same tactic in this email, which includes a “your beauty profile” with “none on file” listed for the “skin type” and “skin concerns.” The coupon toward the bottom also includes a blank where my Beauty Insider account number would go. Do you have opportunities to use this “fill in the blank” tactic to show subscribers what they’re missing by not joining your loyalty program, completing their profile or updating their preferences?
TigerDirect, 4/14 — chadwhite@url.url, Did You Know You Can Get an Extra $20 Off...
Experts say that repeating a call-to-action increases the response, but TigerDirect may be overdoing it in this email. The “$20 off purchases of $100 or more…” message is repeated five times throughout this email, in addition to being teased in the subject line.
Target, 4/14 — Use coupons? We just made it easier to save.
Target has launched a new coupon center that allows you to easily sort through the available coupons and select which ones you want to print. Although the font size on the bullet points here are pretty small, the overall messaging about the new coupon center is clear. To check it out, go to Target.com click on “Coupon” in the vertical menu on the left.
SUBJECTIVITY SCANNER: Select noteworthy subject lines
Lillian Vernon, 4/14 — Show Mom Your Love & Save with $3.99 Shipping on Any Order
Saks Fifth Avenue, 4/14 — Mother's Day Gifts: Personalized and more
Diamond.com, 4/14 — Gifts Mom Will Love - Up To 71% on Retail PLUS Free Shipping
Ralph Lauren, 4/14 — Update Your Warm-Weather Wardrobe
Orvis, 4/14 — We're warming up with 40 NEW products for summer.
Neiman Marcus, 4/14 — Our Exclusive LBD video + Your gift with purchase
Disney Store, 4/14 — Enter the MARVEL Universe!
_____________________
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Sephora, 4/14 — 15% off this week only - stock up for The Skincare Challenge
Back in February, Liz Lynch of Email Precisely shared an email from Sephora that had a unique way of handling when it doesn’t have the data necessary to send personalized product recommendations—it leaves it blank or uses grayed out pictures of generic products. The message is clear: Give us more information and we’ll be able to fill in those blanks with customized recommendations.
To a lesser degree, Sephora uses that same tactic in this email, which includes a “your beauty profile” with “none on file” listed for the “skin type” and “skin concerns.” The coupon toward the bottom also includes a blank where my Beauty Insider account number would go. Do you have opportunities to use this “fill in the blank” tactic to show subscribers what they’re missing by not joining your loyalty program, completing their profile or updating their preferences?
TigerDirect, 4/14 — chadwhite@url.url, Did You Know You Can Get an Extra $20 Off...
Experts say that repeating a call-to-action increases the response, but TigerDirect may be overdoing it in this email. The “$20 off purchases of $100 or more…” message is repeated five times throughout this email, in addition to being teased in the subject line.
Target, 4/14 — Use coupons? We just made it easier to save.
Target has launched a new coupon center that allows you to easily sort through the available coupons and select which ones you want to print. Although the font size on the bullet points here are pretty small, the overall messaging about the new coupon center is clear. To check it out, go to Target.com click on “Coupon” in the vertical menu on the left.
SUBJECTIVITY SCANNER: Select noteworthy subject lines
Lillian Vernon, 4/14 — Show Mom Your Love & Save with $3.99 Shipping on Any Order
Saks Fifth Avenue, 4/14 — Mother's Day Gifts: Personalized and more
Diamond.com, 4/14 — Gifts Mom Will Love - Up To 71% on Retail PLUS Free Shipping
Ralph Lauren, 4/14 — Update Your Warm-Weather Wardrobe
Orvis, 4/14 — We're warming up with 40 NEW products for summer.
Neiman Marcus, 4/14 — Our Exclusive LBD video + Your gift with purchase
Disney Store, 4/14 — Enter the MARVEL Universe!
_____________________
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Wednesday, April 14, 2010
AM Inbox: 3 Earth Day tactics
The Retail Email Blog monitors the email marketing campaigns of more than 100 top online retailers. Here are highlights from my inbox this morning:
Cooking.com, 4/13 — Earth Day is April 22nd - Environmentally Friendly Kitchenware
Retailers have been a little slower to promote Earth Day and eco-friendly products this year than in the past two years, but from now until Apr. 22 we should see this messaging pick up. This Cooking.com email takes a very product-oriented approach, with only a small mention of how their packing peanuts are biodegradable. Promoting eco-friendly products and pointing out company behavior that’s green are two major tactics around Earth Day messaging. The third is working with green charities. For instance, Avon is working with Hello Green Tomorrow to raise money to plant trees.
JCPenney, 4/13 — 5 HOURS ONLY! Save an extra 15% off online, 11am-4pm CDT
With this email, JCPenney has added a “Sign up for mobile coupons” link to their navigation bar. In addition to signing up for SMS deals, the landing page includes information on how to download an Android app and iPhone from JCPenney. Considering Android’s rapidly growing market share, I’m pretty surprised that retailers aren’t building and promoting Android apps more vigorously—which is to say that thus far retailers seem to be totally missing the boat.
SUBJECTIVITY SCANNER: Select noteworthy subject lines
The Company Store, 4/13 — Pamper Yourself & the Planet
Newegg, 4/13 — This week: 100+ EggXclusive Deals! Save on Green Products, Adobe CS5 pre-order...
Victoria’s Secret, 4/13 — There's No Better Time To Get Naked.
Williams-Sonoma, 4/13 — New Limited-Edition Scent + Perfect Mother's Day Gift
Harry & David, 4/12 — First Look at NEW Gifts for Mother's Day + Offer Inside
Diamond.com, 4/12 — Early Bird Exclusive - 2 Days Only - Top 5 Picks For Mom
Norm Thompson, 4/12 — Which colors look best on you? Shop our spring palette.
L.L. Bean, 4/13 — Summer-Ready Tees, Priced Right + FREE $10 Gift Card
Ann Taylor, 4/12 — The Difference Is In The Details: Shop Our Spring Collection
Fingerhut, 4/12 — Fingerhut: Get Out + PLAY with Great Outdoor Products!
Banana Republic, 4/13 — The new Heritage styles have arrived
TigerDirect, 4/12 — Tiger Cyber Monday: Vizio 1080p HDTV $349...50pk DVD-R $7.99...$229 Win 7 PC...$24 N Router...4GB Gateway Laptop $409
Lane Bryant, 4/12 — Last Day For Free Jeans
J&R, 4/13 — Record Store Day: Huge Savings, Free Performances, and In-store Giveaways!
_____________________
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Cooking.com, 4/13 — Earth Day is April 22nd - Environmentally Friendly Kitchenware
Retailers have been a little slower to promote Earth Day and eco-friendly products this year than in the past two years, but from now until Apr. 22 we should see this messaging pick up. This Cooking.com email takes a very product-oriented approach, with only a small mention of how their packing peanuts are biodegradable. Promoting eco-friendly products and pointing out company behavior that’s green are two major tactics around Earth Day messaging. The third is working with green charities. For instance, Avon is working with Hello Green Tomorrow to raise money to plant trees.
JCPenney, 4/13 — 5 HOURS ONLY! Save an extra 15% off online, 11am-4pm CDT
With this email, JCPenney has added a “Sign up for mobile coupons” link to their navigation bar. In addition to signing up for SMS deals, the landing page includes information on how to download an Android app and iPhone from JCPenney. Considering Android’s rapidly growing market share, I’m pretty surprised that retailers aren’t building and promoting Android apps more vigorously—which is to say that thus far retailers seem to be totally missing the boat.
SUBJECTIVITY SCANNER: Select noteworthy subject lines
The Company Store, 4/13 — Pamper Yourself & the Planet
Newegg, 4/13 — This week: 100+ EggXclusive Deals! Save on Green Products, Adobe CS5 pre-order...
Victoria’s Secret, 4/13 — There's No Better Time To Get Naked.
Williams-Sonoma, 4/13 — New Limited-Edition Scent + Perfect Mother's Day Gift
Harry & David, 4/12 — First Look at NEW Gifts for Mother's Day + Offer Inside
Diamond.com, 4/12 — Early Bird Exclusive - 2 Days Only - Top 5 Picks For Mom
Norm Thompson, 4/12 — Which colors look best on you? Shop our spring palette.
L.L. Bean, 4/13 — Summer-Ready Tees, Priced Right + FREE $10 Gift Card
Ann Taylor, 4/12 — The Difference Is In The Details: Shop Our Spring Collection
Fingerhut, 4/12 — Fingerhut: Get Out + PLAY with Great Outdoor Products!
Banana Republic, 4/13 — The new Heritage styles have arrived
TigerDirect, 4/12 — Tiger Cyber Monday: Vizio 1080p HDTV $349...50pk DVD-R $7.99...$229 Win 7 PC...$24 N Router...4GB Gateway Laptop $409
Lane Bryant, 4/12 — Last Day For Free Jeans
J&R, 4/13 — Record Store Day: Huge Savings, Free Performances, and In-store Giveaways!
_____________________
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Tuesday, April 13, 2010
Season Finale: Valentine's Day 2010
A look back on seasonal trends, email activity and standout B2C marketing:
Start to finish: The first reference to Valentine’s Day was on Jan. 5. The final reference was on Feb. 18.
The distribution curve: The biggest day for Valentine’s Day emails was Monday, Feb. 8, followed by Monday, Feb. 1. Retailers sent the majority of their Valentine’s Day-themed emails after Feb. 1.
Most interesting emails: Going after Valentine’s Day redos, Fingerhut sent a Feb. 16 email with the subject line “Fingerhut: In the Doghouse? It’s Not Too Late to Find Gifts for Your Valentine.” It’s a refreshing approach that may connect with guys whose gals seemed less than enthused with their gifts.
With the subject line “Sounds like love. Give iPod this Valentine's Day,” this Jan. 31 Apple email continues the tradition of products into the shape of a heart. The red and purple hues, along with the reflections in the silver casing, are really striking and the twisting shape is really dynamic.
Nothing says, “Till death do us part” than…live ammo? Well, Bass Pro Shops certainly got my attention with this Feb. 12 email with the creative arrangement of ammo and an arrow.
Once again building on their photography credentials, Urban Outfitters reveals the results of their Modern Lovers photo contest in this Feb. 14 email with the subject line “Happy Valentine's Day!” What could be more Valentine’s Day than celebrating pictures of happy couples?
Missed Opportunity: In a Feb. 13 Coach email, this banner linked to their homepage instead of to the promised content. More clicks = more abandonment.
Standout call-to-action: 1-800-Flowers.com’s Feb. 3 email does a great job of conveying urgency with a “Lock it in now” call-to-action.
Standout subject lines:
Victoria’s Secret, 1/19 — Need a Little Valentine's Va-Va-Voom? Two New Corset Bras in Stores & Online.
Frederick’s of Hollywood, 1/25 — Be provocative in pink. Shop Valentine's Day with free shipping.
Victoria’s Secret, 1/25 — Fierce at Heart: Unleashed & Untamed. Get Wild this Valentine’s Day.
Disney Store, 1/27 — Say I Love You the Disney Way!
1-800-Flowers.com, 2/5 — Free Roses, Free Shipping, Free Chocolates & Vase...
Harry & David, 2/8 — Red Roses + FREE Delivery = a Sweetheart Deal for Valentine's Day!
Read previous Valentine’s Day Season Finales: 2009, 2008, 2007
Explore Valentine’s Day tag.
_____________________
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Start to finish: The first reference to Valentine’s Day was on Jan. 5. The final reference was on Feb. 18.
The distribution curve: The biggest day for Valentine’s Day emails was Monday, Feb. 8, followed by Monday, Feb. 1. Retailers sent the majority of their Valentine’s Day-themed emails after Feb. 1.
Most interesting emails: Going after Valentine’s Day redos, Fingerhut sent a Feb. 16 email with the subject line “Fingerhut: In the Doghouse? It’s Not Too Late to Find Gifts for Your Valentine.” It’s a refreshing approach that may connect with guys whose gals seemed less than enthused with their gifts.
With the subject line “Sounds like love. Give iPod this Valentine's Day,” this Jan. 31 Apple email continues the tradition of products into the shape of a heart. The red and purple hues, along with the reflections in the silver casing, are really striking and the twisting shape is really dynamic.
Nothing says, “Till death do us part” than…live ammo? Well, Bass Pro Shops certainly got my attention with this Feb. 12 email with the creative arrangement of ammo and an arrow.
Once again building on their photography credentials, Urban Outfitters reveals the results of their Modern Lovers photo contest in this Feb. 14 email with the subject line “Happy Valentine's Day!” What could be more Valentine’s Day than celebrating pictures of happy couples?
Missed Opportunity: In a Feb. 13 Coach email, this banner linked to their homepage instead of to the promised content. More clicks = more abandonment.
Standout call-to-action: 1-800-Flowers.com’s Feb. 3 email does a great job of conveying urgency with a “Lock it in now” call-to-action.
Standout subject lines:
Victoria’s Secret, 1/19 — Need a Little Valentine's Va-Va-Voom? Two New Corset Bras in Stores & Online.
Frederick’s of Hollywood, 1/25 — Be provocative in pink. Shop Valentine's Day with free shipping.
Victoria’s Secret, 1/25 — Fierce at Heart: Unleashed & Untamed. Get Wild this Valentine’s Day.
Disney Store, 1/27 — Say I Love You the Disney Way!
1-800-Flowers.com, 2/5 — Free Roses, Free Shipping, Free Chocolates & Vase...
Harry & David, 2/8 — Red Roses + FREE Delivery = a Sweetheart Deal for Valentine's Day!
Read previous Valentine’s Day Season Finales: 2009, 2008, 2007
Explore Valentine’s Day tag.
_____________________
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Monday, April 12, 2010
AM Inbox: Breaking the grid
The Retail Email Blog monitors the email marketing campaigns of more than 100 top online retailers. Here are highlights from my inbox this morning:
HP, 4/11 — Your HP Home & Home Office Store Deals - Week of April 11, 2010
With echoes of their Monsters vs. Aliens campaign last year (see Mar. 31, 2009 AM Inbox), HP has begun what I’m assuming will be a series of Shrek Forever After emails. As with the Monsters campaign, HP is breaking the grid with Shrek’s right arm and foot to help grab subscribers’ attention. Building the message grid out of tattered pieces of paper is a nice design touch as well.
Do you have opportunities to break the grid on your email designs? It’s an underused tactic that can break the monotony of boxy email after boxy email.
J&R, 4/9 — Weekend Sale -- Biggest Saving of the Week!
I know I’ve mentioned it before, but I really like how J&R is using their header for branding purposes with little statements that always end with “since 1971.” This time they give a nod to New York City crime (which is way down in the past two decades). J&R shows that they have a sense of humor while also signaling to the core customer that they know New York. These brand statements change all the time and it’s one of the first things I look at when I open the email. A few other retailers like Northern Tool, which also uses brand statements, and Disney Store, which uses Disney factoids and quotes, also use their header area for branding purposes and to add to the dynamism of their emails. It’s valuable real estate, but with these retailers I find it adds a real freshness to their emails.
SUBJECTIVITY SCANNER: Select noteworthy subject lines
Jim McCann, 4/9 — See our President on "Undercover Boss" -- and shop his personal picks!
Ralph Lauren, 4/9 — The Perfect Gifts For Mom
Diamond.com, 4/9 — Exclusive Sneak Preview - Mother's Day Gift Guide
Office Depot, 4/9 — Get Ready: Trade-In Deals, 100% Back + $10 Coupon. Details Inside.
Petco, 4/11 — PETCO | Take A Break From Taxes And Save + FREE Shipping!
Coldwater Creek, 4/9 — It's here...Our New Catalog with $30 off + Free Shipping!
Lillian Vernon, 4/11 — Shop the New Catalog & Save with Free Shipping!
Sears, 4/9 — We're Giving You Our Employee Discount | Friday & Saturday Only!
Old Navy, 4/11 — Trend Alert! See What You Should Be Wearing This Summer
J. Jill, 4/9 — The sweater you need for spring. 15% off new styles & $5 off select tees!
Macy’s, 4/9 — Introducing j Jones New York: Free Shipping + bonus tote!
The Company Store, 4/11 — New Cottage Home Collection + 15% Off
Wal-Mart, 4/11 — New at Walmart: Introducing LG Electronics
Spiegel, 4/10 — The Look Oprah Loves Under $100, Now in our ONE-DAY PRIVATE DRESS SALE!
_____________________
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HP, 4/11 — Your HP Home & Home Office Store Deals - Week of April 11, 2010
With echoes of their Monsters vs. Aliens campaign last year (see Mar. 31, 2009 AM Inbox), HP has begun what I’m assuming will be a series of Shrek Forever After emails. As with the Monsters campaign, HP is breaking the grid with Shrek’s right arm and foot to help grab subscribers’ attention. Building the message grid out of tattered pieces of paper is a nice design touch as well.
Do you have opportunities to break the grid on your email designs? It’s an underused tactic that can break the monotony of boxy email after boxy email.
J&R, 4/9 — Weekend Sale -- Biggest Saving of the Week!
I know I’ve mentioned it before, but I really like how J&R is using their header for branding purposes with little statements that always end with “since 1971.” This time they give a nod to New York City crime (which is way down in the past two decades). J&R shows that they have a sense of humor while also signaling to the core customer that they know New York. These brand statements change all the time and it’s one of the first things I look at when I open the email. A few other retailers like Northern Tool, which also uses brand statements, and Disney Store, which uses Disney factoids and quotes, also use their header area for branding purposes and to add to the dynamism of their emails. It’s valuable real estate, but with these retailers I find it adds a real freshness to their emails.
SUBJECTIVITY SCANNER: Select noteworthy subject lines
Jim McCann, 4/9 — See our President on "Undercover Boss" -- and shop his personal picks!
Ralph Lauren, 4/9 — The Perfect Gifts For Mom
Diamond.com, 4/9 — Exclusive Sneak Preview - Mother's Day Gift Guide
Office Depot, 4/9 — Get Ready: Trade-In Deals, 100% Back + $10 Coupon. Details Inside.
Petco, 4/11 — PETCO | Take A Break From Taxes And Save + FREE Shipping!
Coldwater Creek, 4/9 — It's here...Our New Catalog with $30 off + Free Shipping!
Lillian Vernon, 4/11 — Shop the New Catalog & Save with Free Shipping!
Sears, 4/9 — We're Giving You Our Employee Discount | Friday & Saturday Only!
Old Navy, 4/11 — Trend Alert! See What You Should Be Wearing This Summer
J. Jill, 4/9 — The sweater you need for spring. 15% off new styles & $5 off select tees!
Macy’s, 4/9 — Introducing j Jones New York: Free Shipping + bonus tote!
The Company Store, 4/11 — New Cottage Home Collection + 15% Off
Wal-Mart, 4/11 — New at Walmart: Introducing LG Electronics
Spiegel, 4/10 — The Look Oprah Loves Under $100, Now in our ONE-DAY PRIVATE DRESS SALE!
_____________________
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Sunday, April 11, 2010
Week-End Trends: Volume rebound to begin with Tax Day refunds
Email activity and promotional trends during the past week:
The Retail Email Index: Top online retailers sent each of their subscribers 2.7 promotional emails on average during the week ending Apr. 9, 2010. That’s down 3% week-over-week, up 5% from where it was four weeks ago, and up 20% year-over-year.
The Retail Email Participation Rate: Thursday was the most popular day to send retail emails last week.
The Retail Email Seasonality Meter: There will be a small spike in Tax Day messaging this Wednesday and Thursday, as retailers try to convince consumers to spend their tax refunds with them. Earth Day messaging should get on the board this week, as Mother’s Day messaging continues to lead all seasonal messaging.
Selling Seasons on the Horizon:
Earth Day (4/22): Earth Day 2009 Season Finale
Mother’s Day (5/9): Mother’s Day 2009 Season Finale
Memorial Day (5/31): Memorial Day 2009 Season Finale
_____________________
SEARCH... Recent Posts / By Selling Season / By Topic / By Retailer / Monthly Archive
The Retail Email Index: Top online retailers sent each of their subscribers 2.7 promotional emails on average during the week ending Apr. 9, 2010. That’s down 3% week-over-week, up 5% from where it was four weeks ago, and up 20% year-over-year.
The Retail Email Participation Rate: Thursday was the most popular day to send retail emails last week.
The Retail Email Seasonality Meter: There will be a small spike in Tax Day messaging this Wednesday and Thursday, as retailers try to convince consumers to spend their tax refunds with them. Earth Day messaging should get on the board this week, as Mother’s Day messaging continues to lead all seasonal messaging.
Selling Seasons on the Horizon:
Earth Day (4/22): Earth Day 2009 Season Finale
Mother’s Day (5/9): Mother’s Day 2009 Season Finale
Memorial Day (5/31): Memorial Day 2009 Season Finale
_____________________
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