AM Inbox: '12 Days of Christmas' campaigns begin

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

Lane Bryant, 11/29 — Celebrate Day 1 of 12 Days of Deals - BOGO Free Sitewide + Free Shipping!‏
Although Dec. 1 is a more popular start date for “12 Days of Christmas” campaigns, Cyber Monday has also been a kick-off date for one or two retailers. This year Lane Bryant is kicking off their “12 Days” campaign on Cyber Monday. For more on “X Days of Christmas” campaigns, check out the 2010 Retail Email Guide to the Holiday Season.



Brookstone, 11/29 — INSIDE: $25 off + $25 off = $50 in Savings‏
Retailers’ Cyber Monday campaigns were pretty straight-forward this year: deeply discounted deals. Brookstone was one of the few retailers to put any kind of wrinkle in their promotion. Besides a subject line that stood out from the pack, they used their Cyber Monday campaign to try to bring subscribers back to shop again later in the holiday season. That said, consumers looking for a great deal without any delayed rewards may have moved on to the next email in their inbox.

To glimpse the tactics of other retailers on Cyber Monday, check out an extra long edition of the Subjectivity Scanner below.



SUBJECTIVITY SCANNER: Select noteworthy subject lines
HP, 11/28 — HP's Best Deals of the Season: Cyber Monday Starts Now‏
Macy’s, 11/28 — Cyber Monday starts early! Get Free Shipping at $75!‏
Lillian Vernon, 11/28 — Get a Sneak Peak at Our Best Deal of the Year!
Petco, 11/28 — Cyber Monday Savings! 20-50% Sitewide + FREE Shipping!
GameStop, 11/28 — Cyber Monday at GameStop. Avoid the crowds, stay warm, save big!
Norm Thompson, 11/28 — Beat the Cyber Monday crowd - SAVE 25% TODAY!
PC Connection, 11/28 — Cyber Monday Sale! Monday, Nov.29! 1 Day Only!‏
Toys “R” Us, 11/28 — R Biggest Cyber Monday Sale Ever! Save up to 60% on Hot Toys! Starts Midnight Tonight!
Brookstone, 11/29 — Cyber Monday. . Save up to $180 on JVC and Kodak!
ShopNBC, 11/29 — Huge Cyber Monday offers, today only!
Newegg, 11/29 — 24-HOUR CYBER MONDAY DEALS: The holiday savings continue with FRESH BARGAINS!
JCPenney, 11/29 — CYBER MONDAY: Up To 75% Off! Click Till You Drop‏
TigerDirect, 11/29 — 24 Hour Cyber Monday Sale!
OfficeMax, 11/29 — Cyber Monday Online Event + Enjoy Free Shipping‏
Kmart, 11/29 — Cyber Monday Savings + Free Shipping and 5X Points‏
Target, 11/29 — Your e-mail exclusive Cyber Monday steals are here!
Disney Store, 11/29 — Take Up to 25% Off! Cyber Monday Magic!
Toys “R” Us, 11/29 — Save Big Right Now! R Biggest Cyber Monday Sale Ever! Save up to 60% on Top Selling Toys!
Walgreens, 11/29 — Week Long Cyber Monday Sale! EXTRA $20, $15 or $5 OFF Your Order 25% OFF Contact Lenses‏
Musician’s Friend, 11/29 — Musician's Friend: Save Up To 15% Today Only Cyber Monday Event‏
Overstock, 11/29 — CYBER MONDAY - LAST DAY 10% OFF‏
Home Depot, 11/29 — Cyber Monday One Day Only Savings + Last Day for Free Shipping‏
Linens ’n Things, 11/29 — Cyber Monday Savings! Cybusters, Coupons & more!
JC Whitney, 11/29 — Cyber Monday - Last Day For Free Shipping On All Orders‏
J&R, 11/29 — Cyber Monday. . . The Season's Best Deals Online + Free Shipping!
Saks Fifth Avenue, 11/29 — Cyber Monday Designer Sale: Up to 40% Off Online Only‏
Norm Thompson, 11/29 — 25% OFF ALL ORDERS...thanks to Cyber Monday.
Avon, 11/29 — CYBER MONDAY - Free Ship on ANY Order‏
Sports Authority, 11/29 — It’s Here - Cyber Monday Sale - 20% Off - Today Only‏
B&H, 11/29 — Cyber Monday Specials + Roundups on Pro DSLR's and Extreme Telephoto Lenses‏
Costco, 11/29 — 3 Days Only! New Online Only Offers for Cyber Monday Start Now!
Toys “R” Us, 11/29 — Cyber Sale Extended 'til 1PM Tues.! Plus, Deal of the Day: Save up to 45% on ALL Nerf Blasters, Tues., Nov. 30!‏
Alloy, 11/28 — ONE DAY ONLY: Free Shipping (no min. purchase)
J. Jill, 11/29 — Today Only! All orders ship free + 25% off everything!
Northern Tool, 11/29 — Monday Only! Save Up To 60% + Free Gift Card‏
Kohl’s, 11/29 — Online Exclusive: Extra 20% or 15% Off! Today Only.
Dick’s Sporting Goods, 11/29 — Take 25% Off a Single Item - 1 Day Only!‏
Fingerhut, 11/29 — Fingerhut: Get FREE Shipping on EVERYTHING - Today ONLY!‏
Bloomingdale’s, 11/29 — Online TODAY ONLY: $50 Off + Save 30-40%
Apple, 11/29 — Today only: Amazing gifts at special prices.
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AM Inbox: Black Friday check-ins

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, 11/25 — Join Our Scavenger Hunt! Grand Prize Winner Will Receive $1,500!
A new element to a few Black Friday messages this year was the promotion and rewarding of check-ins via Foursquare, Yelp and Facebook Places. Toys “R” Us entices shoppers to check in via any of those services with the promise of a “special offer.”



Sports Authority, 11/26 — Sports Authority - Black Friday Doorbuster Deals – All Day‏
Sports Authority brings the viral crowd behavior into the store by entering people who check in into a sweepstakes and then announcing winners over the PA in the store that they are in. Done well, that should encourage other store shoppers to also check in.



REI, 11/26 — REI Winter Sale Ends Monday‏
On a day that is the embodiment of consumerism, REI appealed to their shoppers’ philanthropic generosity to generate check-ins.



SUBJECTIVITY SCANNER: Select noteworthy subject lines
Overstock, 11/25 — Happy Thanksgiving‏
Brookstone, 11/25 — Happy Thanksgiving! (Shop now while the bird’s cooking)
Petco, 11/25 — Happy Thanksgiving! 20% Off Sitewide + FREE Shipping!‏
Bluefly, 11/25 — Happy Thanksgiving! Extra 25% off Already Reduced Items + Free Shipping‏
Walgreens, 11/25 — FREE 8x10 Collage Print + 70% OFF Desktop Calendars Happy Thanksgiving‏
Bloomingdale’s, 11/25 — Happy Thanksgiving! Save 20-40%
Norm Thompson, 11/25 — Shop today and SAVE 20%! Happy Thanksgiving!
Spiegel, 11/25 — HAPPY THANKSGIVING! Take An Extra 30% OFF Everything!‏
Wal-Mart, 11/25 — Shop Thanksgiving Day Online Specials Today & Plan Your Friday Store Visit‏
Sears, 11/25 — Thanksgiving Deals Start Today Online + $10 off Coupon‏
J&R, 11/25 — Black Friday Deals (1 of 4). . . The Savings Start Now!
Walgreens, 11/25 — 3 Day Black Friday Sale Starts Now + $10 Off $50 25% OFF Contact Lenses
B&H, 11/25 — Black Friday Specials Start Now + Roundups on Mid-Level DSLR's and "Fast Glass" Lenses‏
eBags, 11/25 — eBags Insider, Your Exclusive Black Friday Deal Starts Now‏
Macy’s, 11/25 — Black Friday Specials online now + Ship for Free every day!‏
OfficeMax, 11/25 — Shop Black Friday Deals Today + In-Store Coupons for Friday‏
Disney Store, 11/25 — Get 20% Off Sitewide & Shop Magical Friday Specials Today!‏
Harry & David, 11/25 — Black Friday deals all day long‏
Williams-Sonoma, 11/25 — SPECTACULAR DEALS Start Today - Save Up to $175‏
HP, 11/25 — HP Black Friday Best Customer Exclusive‏
Barnes & Noble, 11/25 — Tomorrow is Black Friday! Are You Ready? We Are.
Overstock, 11/27 — CYBER WEEKEND - 10% OFF COUPON‏
Office Depot, 11/27 — Preview Sunday's Insert - Start Shopping Cyber Monday Deals Nov. 29th at 7AM EST 4AM PST‏
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Week-End Trends: Black Friday messaging increased 67% YOY last week

Email activity and seasonal trends during the past week:

The Retail Email Index: Top online retailers sent each of their subscribers 4.1 promotional emails on average—just shy of an all-time record—during the week ending Nov. 26, 2010. That’s up 15% week-over-week, up 34% from where it was four weeks ago, and up 15% year-over-year.



The Retail Email Participation Rate: Friday, which was Black Friday, was the most popular day to send retail emails last week. While that wasn’t a surprise, the popularity of sending on Thanksgiving Day was to a degree. Because of the trend toward retailers promoting and making available their Black Friday deals on Thanksgiving, I had expected more volume on Thursday, but it definitely exceeded my expectations. There’s no doubt that Black Thursday is a trend that we’ll be seeing next year and beyond.



The Retail Email Seasonality Meter: The increase in Black Friday messaging this year is staggering. While last year only 19% of the emails during Thanksgiving week mentioned Black Friday, this year more than 31% did. That’s a 67% increase in year-over-year Black Friday messaging. Even so, the number of retailers sending promotional emails on Black Friday itself was unchanged from last year at 69%. Thanksgiving Day absorbed a significant portion of the increase in messaging.



Selling Seasons on the Horizon:
Christmas (12/25): Christmas 2009 Season Finale and the 2010 Retail Email Guide to the Holiday Season
New Year’s (1/1): New Year’s 2010 Season Finale
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AM Inbox: Black Wednesday

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

Omaha Steaks, 11/24 — Get Black Friday Savings NOW - FREE Shipping, 4 FREE Steaks, a FREE $10 Reward E-Card & 61% Savings‏
Omaha Steaks is among the retailers that have made Black Friday deals available early. A number of retailers are using white text on a black background for their Black Friday messaging. It can be very striking, but also a bit difficult to read. Omaha dials down the contrast by using a floral wallpaper-esque design behind the text.



Crutchfield, 11/24 — Exclusive one-day deals when you mention ''Black Wednesday''‏
Crutchfield puts a unique twist on their early Black Friday deals by making them only available by calling them. I assume this labor-intensive tactic gives their phone reps an opportunity to upsell customers and get them to sign up for loyalty programs, etc.



SUBJECTIVITY SCANNER: Select noteworthy subject lines
Oriental Trading, 11/24 — Black Friday starts today! FREE shipping - no minimum!
Newegg, 11/24 — BLACK FRIDAY STARTS NOW -- Newegg's biggest sale of the year is on!‏
Dick’s Sporting Goods, 11/24 — Don't Miss Out on Early Bird Deals - Your Black Friday Preview is Inside!
OfficeMax, 11/24 — Sneak Peek at Black Friday Ad‏
JCPenney, 11/24 — BLACK FRIDAY DEALS-Sneak A Peek!
Gap, 11/24 — Black Friday Deals! + FREE Shipping Every Day‏
Toys “R” Us, 11/24 — Over 150 Doorbusters start 10pm Thursday night! After Thanksgiving Sale Preview!
Staples, 11/24 — Black Friday Deals! Doors open at 6am.
Sears, 11/24 — Thanksgiving Day Doorbusters -- Online and In Store!!
Kmart, 11/24 — Kmart is Open Thanksgiving - Save an Extra 5 - 10% Online + Thousands of In-Store Deals‏
HSN, 11/24 — Thanksgifting Kickoff! Our Largest Free Shipping Event Ever
Eddie Bauer, 11/24 — Friday Only! Extra 40% Off EVERYTHING! In Store Exclusive‏
Williams-Sonoma, 11/24 — Our Gift to You: 3 Complimentary Bottles of Our Favorite Bubbly When You Join Our Wine Club‏
Montgomery Ward, 11/24 — Help for the Holiday Hostess‏
Dell, 11/24 — Free DROID INCREDIBLE BY HTC + $25 Dell Gift Card + Free Activation + Free Shipping!
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AM Inbox: Elves Unite against boring emails

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

Crate & Barrel, 11/23 — Free shipping on entire order* from our kids company!
At Smith-Harmon, one of our five Guiding Principles is delight. This Crate & Barrel emails from sister company The Land of Nod totally exemplifies the delight we aspire to bring to our clients’ subscribers. Besides the fun Elves Unite emblem, the email really showcases inspired copywriting. It’s short, fun and it stays in character all the way to the exclusions. The email also has a social media tie-in by including the ElvesUnite Twitter handle. They aren’t getting many followers, perhaps in part because they didn’t link to the Twitter stream.



TigerDirect, 11/23 — Pink Friday Pre-release: 15.6" 4GB HDMI Laptop $399...New 32" HDTV $269...24" ViewSonic LED $179...2TB Ext HD $99...$99 Color Laser‏
TigerDirect is one of the first to release “100% guaranteed” Black Friday deals. Expect many more on Thanksgiving Day.



J. Jill, 11/23 — Introducing the J. Jill e-gift card!
In this email, J. Jill announces the availability of their e-gift card, but at this point in the holiday season they might have been better off dedicating their primary message to something else and building awareness for their e-gift card offering through secondary messaging. After all, e-gift cards are most popular as a last-minute gift option, with email messaging most effective two to three days before Christmas.



SUBJECTIVITY SCANNER: Select noteworthy subject lines
Newegg, 11/23 — BLACK FRIDAY DEAL LEAK - Only 1 DAY until our biggest sale of the year begins!
Musician’s Friend, 11/23 — Musician's Friend: Early Black Friday Deals All Week Long!
JC Whitney, 11/23 — Get A Sneak Peek At Black Friday + Free Shipping!‏
Office Depot, 11/23 — Sneak Peek: Black Friday & Saturday Deals‏
Dick’s Sporting Goods, 11/23 — Take 20% Off a Single Item in Our Pre-Black Friday Savings Event!
Macy’s, 11/23 — Thanksgiving Sale: Black Friday Specials Preview + Free Shipping!
Eddie Bauer, 11/23 — Thanksgiving Sale 3 Days Only! Gifts From $9.99 - Beat the Black Friday Rush‏
REI, 11/23 — Winter Sale + Friday Early Birds Get a Free Gift Card at REI Stores‏
Williams-Sonoma, 11/23 — Holiday Gifts for Food Lovers - Croissants, Panini & More‏
Neiman Marcus, 11/23 — The Legend: 50 years of unforgettable HIS & HER gifts‏
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AM Inbox: Prep for Black Friday

>>Black Friday and Cyber Monday: See my predictions. I’ll report on what actually happened late next week.

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

Wal-Mart, 11/22 — Sneak-Preview Friday's In-Store Specials & Shop Online Specials Now‏
To help their shoppers find what they’re looking for and to help their store reps have fewer questions to field on Black Friday, Wal-Mart promotes store maps in this email to help subscribers plan their trip. About 16% of retail emails yesterday referenced Black Friday, up significantly from about 6% last year on the Monday before Black Friday. The percentage will only climb as we get closer to Friday, but it’s already clear that retailers are making Black Friday a much bigger topic in their promotional emails this year.



Apple, 11/22 — Friday only: A special shopping event.
While many retailers are promising steep discounts and providing sneak peeks at Black Friday deals, Apple serves up the vaguest, most blasé email I’ve ever seen about Black Friday. And the landing page is just as vague and uninspired. Unfortunately, other retailers have to work much harder than this to get consumers’ attention.



SUBJECTIVITY SCANNER: Select noteworthy subject lines
Williams-Sonoma, 11/22 — Save Up to $100 on Great Values + Last Day for Thanksgiving Delivery‏
Finish Line, 11/22 — Finish Line Black Friday Sneak Peek!
Walgreens, 11/22 — Black Friday Sneak Peek 25% OFF Contacts + 50% OFF Fragrances‏
Musician’s Friend, 11/22 — Musician's Friend: Black Friday Deals Start Today‏
Barnes & Noble, 11/22 — It's Black Friday Week! Get Started With These Great Offers.
TigerDirect, 11/22 — Pink Friday Week Starts Now!‏
Sam’s Club, 11/22 — Your sneak peek of the Members-only Day After Thanksgiving Event‏
Gap, 11/22 — Cyber Monday Comes Early! + FREE Shipping Every Day‏
Sears, 11/22 — Mystery Savings Pass + Cyber Monday Now Deals!
Nordstrom, 11/22 — Oprah's Favorite Things: Bra Fittings & The Latest Lingerie Free Shipping (Details Inside)‏
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AM Inbox: Let the real Black Friday messaging begin

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

Kohl’s, 11/21 — Sneak Peek: 400 Early Birds Available Online Thursday!
While Black Friday deals have been on tap for weeks, Kohl’s is one of the first to provide a sneak peek of genuine Black Friday deals, some of which they’re making available on Thanksgiving Day online. For retailers that aren’t opening their stores on Turkey Day, making at least some Black Friday deals available online a day early should be a fairly common occurrence this year.



Old Navy, 11/19 — Cozy Styles, Starting at $10 + FREE Shipping Every Day!
A number of large retailers including Sears and Toys “R” Us are going to be open this Thanksgiving Day, but Old Navy is the first to tell their subscribers.



Sears, 11/21 — Tonight Extra 5-10% Off + Free Shipping!
Free shipping is a sales driver but margin eroder. I like how Sears communicates in-store pickup as an appealing alternative to free shipping in this banner.



SUBJECTIVITY SCANNER: Select noteworthy subject lines
Crutchfield, 11/21 — Black Friday savings start today‏
Urban Outfitters, 11/20 — Black Friday: 50% Off Sale At Select Stores‏
Wal-Mart, 11/20 — Shop New Online Specials & Sneak a Peek at The Biggest Event of the Year‏
Walgreens, 11/21 — Sneak Peek Our 3 Day Black Friday Sale‏
Lane Bryant, 11/21 — Cyber Monday Savings Now - 50% Off Sitewide‏
Kmart, 11/19 — Better than Black Friday - Save on Team Sports Apparel, Games and More‏
Home Depot, 11/19 — Early Black Friday Savings - One Day Only‏
Fingerhut, 11/19 — Fingerhut: More Black Friday Deals Added – See What's NEW!
Sears, 11/19 — Black Friday Now! All Day Friday & Saturday!
TigerDirect, 11/19 — Early Black Friday...48 Hour Sale‏
Dell, 11/19 — Don't wait until Black Friday - deals starting at $399.99‏
RitzCamera, 11/19 — Final Pre-Black Friday Specials! Instant Savings & Clearance Deals!
J&R, 11/19 — Pre-Black Friday Weekend Sale -- Free Shipping On All Electronics!
Toys “R” us, 11/19 — "R" Biggest Christmas Ever Doorbusters! Fri. & Sat. Only!
Lillian Vernon, 11/19 — Impress Your Guests this Holiday Season‏
Bed Bath & Beyond, 11/19 — Entertaining ideas from Real Simple and Bed Bath & Beyond‏
Spiegel, 11/20 — OBSESSORIZE! The Season's New Statement Accessories!‏
Tiffany & Co., 11/21 — My True Love Gave to Me
Orvis, 11/19 — Personalize your gifts and receive FREE shipping.
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Week-End Trends: Black Friday references twice last year's level

Email activity and seasonal trends during the past week:

The Retail Email Index: Top online retailers sent each of their subscribers a new year-to-date high of 3.5 promotional emails on average during the week ending Nov. 19, 2010. That’s up 5% week-over-week, up 14% from where it was four weeks ago, and up 22% year-over-year.



The Retail Email Participation Rate: Friday was the most popular day to send retail emails last week, but note that volume on Sunday was larger than Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday.



The Retail Email Seasonality Meter: Black Friday messaging will skyrocket this week, most likely reaching well above last year’s level. During the past three weeks, references to Black Friday have been running twice what they were in 2009 as retailers have pushed “early Black Friday” deals that claim to be just as great as the deals that will be available this upcoming Friday.



Selling Seasons on the Horizon:
Thanksgiving (11/25): Thanksgiving 2009 Season Finale
Christmas (12/25): Christmas 2009 Season Finale and the 2010 Retail Email Guide to the Holiday Season
New Year’s (1/1): New Year’s 2010 Season Finale
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Ping Time: Facebook Messages, disin' permission, etc.

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

>>Tweet of the Week: @alexcwilliams: When someone uses the word "relevancy", make them elaborate.

>>David Daniels of the Relevancy Group aggregates lots of articles discussing/speculating about the impact of Facebook Messages. >>Follow the ping

>>Gretchen Scheiman of OgilvyOne asks if email marketers truly need permission to email people. >>Follow the ping to the most commented on Email Insider column ever

>>Loren McDonald of Silverpop discusses incorporating your customers’ voice into your emails. >>Follow the ping

>>Tom Sather of Return Path shares advice on how to avoid deliverability issues this holiday season. >>Follow the ping
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AM Inbox: Shipping programs bigger email topic this holiday season

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, 11/18 — Introducing Schedule To Save Recurring Delivery with Free Shipping‏
Shipping appears to be a much bigger topic of retailers’ email messages this holiday season, as in this Cooking.com email. From in-store pickup being promoted by Sports Authority (see Nov. 15 AM Inbox), GameStop (see Nov. 17 AM Inbox) and Kmart to TigerDirect and Williams-Sonoma launching free shipping programs a la Amazon Prime and Harry & David and Neiman Marcus promoting “buy now, ship later” programs to Eddie Bauer, J&R and others offering free shipping all holiday season, shipping is a much bigger selling point this year. Since shipping is a major friction point for online shoppers, the attention is extremely wise.



Bed Bath & Beyond, 11/18 — 50% off Mail-In Rebate on Oral-B. Limited time offer!
I love the hero image of this email! It’s engaging and is a great set-up for promoting tooth brushes. However, while overeating is certainly associated with Thanksgiving, eating candy is more closely associated with Halloween. It makes me think this email is about four weeks too late for maximum impact.



SUBJECTIVITY SCANNER: Select noteworthy subject lines
Williams-Sonoma, 11/18 — Shop Thanksgiving Time Savers: Turkey Gravy Base, Pumpkin Butter and More‏
Omaha Steaks, 11/18 — As seen on Good Morning America - Thanksgiving Dinners starting at just...
Harry & David, 11/18 — SAVE 25% - LAST DAY for Standard Delivery in time for Thanksgiving‏
Newegg, 11/18 — Pre-Black Friday CLEARANCE: Popular Hardware & Peripherals Under $100!
eBags, 11/18 — Extra 20% Off Sitewide + Holiday Doorbusters, Shipped Free‏
Dick’s Sporting Goods, 11/18 — Need a Gift Idea? Our Holiday Shop Can Help!
Brookstone, 11/18 — Make your iPad sing!
Nike Store, 11/18 — The Hoodie Goes High-Performance‏
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AM Inbox: The graying of Black Friday

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

Ross-Simons, 11/17 — How sweet it is...1-Day Doorbuster Starts Now!
Ross-Simons has joined Brookstone, SmartBargains, Staples and others in running a deal-a-day campaign. Typically these kinds of campaigns aren’t seen until late November or early December (depending on when Cyber Monday falls) when retailers start running their “X days of Christmas” campaigns. This is a new tactic this year that is certainly part of the “graying of Black Friday,” where Black Friday deals and pricing are becoming available earlier in the month.



Gap, 11/17 — Just in time for the holidays: ongoing Gap mobile offers‏
Mobile will certainly play a larger role this holiday season, although I’m not convinced SMS will. Even so, several major retailers including Gap have pitched their email subscribers on signing up for SMS messages. Gap’s program is odd in that they require you to register a Visa card. They bury that bit of information in the third tier of text in the email and there’s no Visa logo in the design to reinforce that requirement.



SUBJECTIVITY SCANNER: Select noteworthy subject lines
Cooking.com, 11/17 — Final Day to Save 15% on Thanksgiving Essentials‏
Lands’ End, 11/17 — 100s of Gift ideas with their name on it + FREE SHIPPING‏
Nordstrom, 11/17 — Under $200 Dresses for Your Party Season Free Holiday Shipping (Details Inside)
Williams-Sonoma, 11/17 — Bay Leaf Wreath: Festive Holiday Decorating‏
Costco, 11/17 — Celebrate the Holidays with Top Selling Dell Computers, Plus Other Great Gift Ideas at Costco.com!
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AM Inbox: Making a play for consumers' credit card points

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

RitzCamera, 11/16 — Shop With Your Amex Points!
Consumers may still be feeling poor this holiday season, but they may have “money” stashed away in the form of credit card points that they’ve forgotten about. RitzCamera goes after those dollars with this email that reminds the Amex cardholders among their subscribers that they can purchase from RitzCamera using their points. Several retailers have been pushing their private label credit cards lately, but RitzCamera’s approach is unique and different.



GameStop, 11/16 — Introducing a new way to shop.‏
In the wake of Sports Authority’s email on Sunday (see Nov. 15 AM Inbox), in-store pickup is getting some more love, with GameStop announcing PickUp@Store. This email does a nice job of explaining simply how the program works, while emphasizing that subscribers can cash in old games when they’re picking up orders in store.



SUBJECTIVITY SCANNER: Select noteworthy subject lines
Linens ’n Things, 11/16 — Pre-Thanksgiving Sale! Use Code GobbleUp‏
J&R, 11/16 — Free Shipping on All Electronics Through the Holidays. . . No Minimum Purchase Required!
Sierra Trading Post, 11/16 — EXTRA 20% OFF & FREE SHIPPING + EXTRA 20-25% OFF Pre-Black Friday Sale!
TigerDirect, 11/16 — Extra $700 Off HDTVs w/ Coupons + 10 More Early Black Friday Deals‏
Dell, 11/16 — Avoid the holiday crowds with easy 24/7 shopping‏
Oriental Trading, 11/16 — Shop like Santa, spend like Scrooge: free shipping + $10 off‏
Spiegel, 11/16 — CELEBRATE The Season In PARTY-PERFECT Style + Sitewide Savings!
Neiman Marcus, 11/16 — We're full of surprises! Our TOP 50 GIFTS for him & her‏
Coldwater Creek, 11/16 — Save up to $75 + The New Holiday Best Sellers are in!
Orvis, 11/16 — Free shipping - Give the gift of warmth with luxurious Orvis slippers.
OfficeMax, 11/16 — New at OfficeMax + Thanksgiving Day Sweepstakes‏
Sports Authority, 11/16 — The Mercury May Be Dropping...But Sports Authority Has You Covered!
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AM Inbox: Cooking.com's Thanksgiving Scavenger Hunt

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, 11/15 — Enter to Win $500 in Our Thanksgiving Scavenger Hunt!
Cooking.com is looking to engage subscribers on Twitter and Facebook with a scavenger hunt. The design looks eerily similar to campaign Petco ran this summer (see Aug. 16 AM Inbox), which itself was surely inspired by Buy.com Tweet n Seek game (see June 25, 2009 AM Inbox). I’ve been openly skeptical of big, involved social media campaigns like this during the holiday season when consumers are so time-pressed. Perhaps this campaign will just get in under the wire before the real crush of holiday shopping descends on everyone.



Eddie Bauer, 11/15 — Free Shipping, No Min. + Holiday Wish #3: Plaid Tidings‏
I love how Eddie Bauer has been using their preheader message to hammer home their “Free Shipping All Holiday Long” message ever since they announced it last week (see Nov. 9 AM Inbox).



SUBJECTIVITY SCANNER: Select noteworthy subject lines
Urban Outfitters, 11/15 — Only Available at UO: 12 Days Of Dresses‏
Toys “R” Us, 11/15 — Discover the World of FAO Schwarz! Now at Toys"R"Us!‏
Sam’s Club, 11/15 — You're invited! The Holiday Taste of Sam's Club starts Nov. 19‏
J. Crew, 11/15 — A holiday jump-start: EXTRA 30% OFF holiday sale (plus, FREE SHIPPING)‏
Blue Nile, 11/15 — ENDS TUESDAY: 10% Off When You Shop Early for Holiday Gifts‏
Nike Store, 11/15 — Get Started on Your Holiday Shopping Now‏
Northern Tool, 11/15 — Great Gift Idea w/ Free Shipping + Free Gift Card‏
Fingerhut, 11/15 — Fingerhut: FREE Shipping – Use the Gift Finder to Find the Perfect Gift!
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AM Inbox: First Cyber Monday reference of the holiday season

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

Sears, 11/13 — Cyber Monday NOW specials from Sears‏
Sears gives us our first reference to Cyber Monday, but like most of the references to Black Friday, Sears isn’t referring to the actual day (Nov. 29). For insights and inspiration to help plan your Cyber Monday campaigns, check out Black Friday and Cyber Monday Set Retail Email Volume Records.



Sports Authority, 11/14 — Black Friday Pre-Sale! -In Store Only- Skip The Lines and Pick Up On 11/26!
Sports Authority has a novel approach to generating Black Friday sales before the date while also generating store traffic on the day: They’re allowing pre-orders for pick up in store on Black Friday. This is the first time I’ve seen a top online retailer used this tactic.



SUBJECTIVITY SCANNER: Select noteworthy subject lines
Harry & David, 11/12 — Spend less time preparing, more time celebrating with tasty gifts and delicious spreads. Plus 25% off product purchase.
Cooking.com, 11/12 — One Week Only! Save 15% on Thanksgiving Essentials‏
RitzCamera, 11/12 — Pre-Black Friday Specials plus Adobe Rebates and Trade-In Bonus!‏
Sportsman’s Guide, 11/12 — Black Friday Specials and More Money Saving Events…From The Guide‏
Kmart, 11/12 — 40% off Outerwear and More - It's Better than Black Friday‏
Office Depot, 11/12 — Spread Good Cheer With 50% Off Custom Holiday Cards - 2 Days Only + Sneak Peek Our 11/14 Ad‏
Coldwater Creek, 11/12 — 380 New Looks + FREE Shipping + $30 OFF. Start checking your list!‏
The Company Store, 11/14 — 20% Off Unique Gifts for Everyone on Your List‏
Lillian Vernon, 11/12 — Great Ideas in the Gift Giving Guide, Plus Free Shipping‏
Orvis, 11/12 — Easy holiday shopping with the Orvis Ultimate Gift Guide.
Oriental Trading, 11/12 — Penny-pinching Christmas party supplies shipped FREE‏
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Week-End Trends: Email volume begins its annual Christmas climb

CORRECTION: Due to a computational error, the year-over-year volume growth was mistakenly originally published as 31% instead of the actual 18%. Sorry for the mistake.

Email activity and seasonal trends during the past week:

The Retail Email Index: Top online retailers sent each of their subscribers a year-to-date high of 3.3 promotional emails on average during the week ending Nov. 12, 2010. That’s up 4% week-over-week, up 8% from where it was four weeks ago, and up 18% year-over-year.



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



The Retail Email Seasonality Meter: Several retailers are running “every Friday in November is Black Friday” campaigns, so Black Friday messaging is up over last year, but the true trend in Black Friday messaging won’t be clear until the week of Thanksgiving.



Selling Seasons on the Horizon:
Thanksgiving (11/25): Thanksgiving 2009 Season Finale
Christmas (12/25): Christmas 2009 Season Finale and the 2010 Retail Email Guide to the Holiday Season
New Year’s (1/1): New Year’s 2010 Season Finale
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Ping Time: Stefan Pollard Award, Facebook Titan, etc.

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

>>Tweet of the Week: @stylecampaign: Email apology for sending too many emails: http://bit.ly/bT2c1J

>>The Email Experience Council has opened up nominations for the Stefan Pollard Marketer of the Year Award. >>Follow the ping

>>David Daniels of the Relevancy Group discusses the impact that Facebook Titan will have on email marketers when the new email service goes live. >>Follow the ping

>>Stephanie Miller of Aprimo shares two approaches to getting started with segmentation. >>Follow the ping

>>Morgan Stewart of Trendline Interactive talks about inactive subscribers and the portion of your email list that’s actual dead people. >>Follow the dead people

>>Tiana Palmer of EmailDirect discusses typography in email design. >>Follow the ping

>>Caroline Smith of Bronto Software discusses optimizing email sign-up forms. >>Follow the ping

>>In my latest Email Insider column, I declare “best practices” dead and list six Ethical Imperatives that every email marketer should follow. >>Follow the ping
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AM Inbox: No two snowflakes should be alike

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, 11/11 — Get an Extra 20% Off Sitewide & Free Shipping - Our gift to You!
Take a close look at the snowflakes in this email and you’ll see that the tips of the snowflakes are little Mickey Mouse logos. It reminded me of a blog post that our own Lisa Harmon and Alex Madison wrote a couple of years ago that looked how brands injected their own personality into the snowflakes they used in their email designs. The little touches truly do matter. A couple of my favorites include snowflakes from Bluefly (see Nov. 19 AM Inbox) and Northern Tool (see Nov. 13, 2008 AM Inbox).



Buy.com, 11/11 — Nook 3G/WiFi eReader $119.00, Lenovo IdeaPad $264.99, Darth Vader Robotic Arm $19.52 AR, Canon 14MP PowerShot $157.99 AR,...
Considering the growing importance of having engaged subscribers, I’m a fan of my colleague Amy Hamilton’s theory that ridiculous products get clicks. On that note, the “Darth Vader Robotic Arm” promoted in the subject line of this email certainly got my attention. I wasn’t considering buying it, but I was curious enough to click through. Unfortunately I was greeted by a message on the landing page that “this product is no longer sold at the Buy.com website,” which is a little bizarre considering that they just promoted it in their email.



SUBJECTIVITY SCANNER: Select noteworthy subject lines
Sports Authority, 11/11 — Sports Authority Salutes Our Veterans - 15% Off Your Purchase‏
J&R, 11/11 — Veterans Day Sale -- J&R Salutes Our Military and Everybody Saves!
Musician’s Friend, 11/11 — Musician's Friend: Save Up To $500 One-Day Only Salute To Veterans Coupon Code Inside‏
Linens ’n Things, 11/11 — Thanking All Veterans, Save 20% Off Your Order!‏
JCPenney, 11/11 — Veterans Day Sale: 50% Off Furniture & Mattresses!‏
TigerDirect, 11/11 — 48 Hour Veteran's Day Deals: LEDs, LCDs, TVs, Projectors, Photo Frame & More‏
Kmart, 11/11 — Today Only! Veterans Day Sale - Save an Extra 5 - 20%
OfficeMax, 11/11 — ElfYourself is Back – The North Pole’s Hottest Site‏
Macy’s, 11/11 — Create your letter to Santa & help make wishes come true!
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AM Inbox: Channel synching during the holidays

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

Overstock, 11/10 — VETERANS DAY SAVINGS‏
In a banner at the top of their emails, Overstock is promoting early access to their Black Friday deals for email subscribers, Facebook fans and Club O members. The landing page explains your options. I’m generally not a fan of synchronizing messaging across platforms, but during the holiday season—particularly around Black Friday and Cyber Monday—it makes the most sense because there’s such a high demand for deals and discounts and people have less time for the more conversational and engaging campaigns that you’d typically run on Facebook and Twitter. It’s also worth noting that Overstock debuted their holiday header in this email, adding snowflakes to their header background.



Banana Republic, 11/10 — You Asked, We Deliver: FREE Shipping Every Day!‏
Banana Republic has joined Eddie Bauer (see Nov. 9 AM Inbox) in saying upfront what their free shipping policy will be during the holiday season.



SUBJECTIVITY SCANNER: Select noteworthy subject lines
Williams-Sonoma, 11/10 — Under $20: Easy, Impressive Thanksgiving Pies‏
Office Depot, 11/10 — Gobble, Gobble - Enjoy a Butterball Coupon + Get 50% Back in Rewards!
Chadwick’s, 11/10 — What to wear this holiday season? We have it!‏
J. Jill, 11/10 — Free shipping + our holiday style guide!
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AM Inbox: Saks introduces product reviews

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

Saks Fifth Avenue, 11/9 — Now at Saks: Rate & Review your purchase‏
After getting over the shock that Saks didn’t already have this basic functionality, I think this email does a good job of outlining the steps needed to review a product. However, it almost completely lacks any reason to do so, which is critical when launching product reviews. While some retailers hold product review sweepstakes, others provide social rewards for reviewers, like Amazon and Backcountry.com do (see Nov. 8 AM Inbox). Since Saks’ program lacks a social element, a review sweepstakes would have been a good way to kick things off. Their program also appears to lack any user-content elements, such as the ability to upload pictures of yourself wearing a product. When product reviews are clearly in the 3.0 stage, Saks’ product is back at 1.0. I’ll be curious to see how the program evolves and how they leverage reviews in their email program.



JC Whitney, 11/9 — Happy Veteran's Day - Get 20% Off Your Order, 3 Days Only!‏
While “Veteran’s Day” and “Veterans’ Day” are acceptable, “Veterans Day” is the preferred spelling for this holiday, according to the U.S. government. That said, it’s pretty common to see those other spellings.

SUBJECTIVITY SCANNER: Select noteworthy subject lines
Toys “R” Us, 11/9 — Now Open! 600 Toys"R"Us Express Stores at Convenient Locations!
Dell, 11/9 — Enjoy stress-free holiday shopping‏
OfficeMax, 11/9 — We Couldn’t Wait – Great Deals for Early Holiday Shopping‏
J. Crew, 11/9 — Holiday sale is here: UP TO 40% OFF (& FREE SHIPPING)
Cooking.com, 11/9 — Preview Our Favorite Holiday Gifts for 2010‏
Williams-Sonoma, 11/9 — The Perfect Thanksgiving, Delivered to Your Door‏
Eddie Bauer, 11/9 — Veterans Day Sale On Now - Save Up To 60% - Fall's Best Deals‏
Coldwater Creek, 11/9 — $30 off + Meet winter's new VEST trend!‏
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AM Inbox: First holiday order deadlines approaching

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

Fingerhut, 11/8 — Fingerhut: Shop for Personalized Gifts + Order in Time for the Holidays!
Personalized gifts have some of the earliest order-by dates for holiday delivery. Monogramming, engraving and other personalized touches take extra time—although the 31 days of lead time stated in this Fingerhut email is at the extreme of what I’ve seen in the past. Personalized gift order-by dates are much more common in early December, creating some urgency earlier in the holiday season.



Eddie Bauer, 11/8 — Our Gift To You: Free Shipping All Holiday Long‏
Retailers have a love-hate relationship with free shipping, while consumers simply love it, especially during the holiday season. I like how Eddie Bauer has committed upfront to providing free shipping (with a $100+ purchase) all holiday season. That way consumers don’t have to wonder if there’s going to be free shipping on Cyber Monday but not the next day. It takes that factor out of the equation when they think about buying from Eddie Bauer.



SUBJECTIVITY SCANNER: Select noteworthy subject lines
Kohl’s, 11/8 — Save 20-50% & turn heads at the party.
Coldwater Creek, 11/8 — $30 off + Holiday Party Outfits... Cheers!
Wal-Mart, 11/8 — The Holidays Are Almost Here, So Get Your Home Ready and Save‏
Kmart, 11/8 — Save on Ornamentation and Décor + Tools, Toys and More on Sale‏
Williams-Sonoma, 11/8 — Save 15% on Everything You Need for Seasonal Entertaining‏
Barnes & Noble, 11/8 — Save up to 45% on the Perfect Gift for Everyone on Your List‏
Orvis, 11/8 — Top customer-rated gifts for everyone on your list.‏
Saks Fifth Avenue, 11/8 — Insider Gift Ideas‏
Walgreens, 11/8 — Shop Discreetly & Save on Personal Items Visit Our Holiday Shop + 20% OFF Contact Lenses‏
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AM Inbox: Geo-targeting and relevancy

>>SWYN, FTAF and Community Links: Download the 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:

RitzCamera, 11/6 — How To Photograph Autumn Color, Save On Our Most Popular Cameras!
There are many reasons to geo-target campaigns and dynamic content and the weather is certainly one of them. This RitzCamera email features content about how to photograph fall foliage—a topic that has completely missed its relevancy window here in New England. The peak of leaf peeping was weeks ago and here in Massachusetts we had ice on the ground this morning. It’s feeling decidedly more wintery than fall-like. The same principle can be applied to apparel promotions so that messaging hits folks when they’re most receptive, not when they’ve already made their purchases for the season.



Backcountry.com, 11/6 — Get Personal
Backcountry has a great voice and it really shines in this email—if you’re able to actually read the copy. The email starts with an uninviting block of text that runs from the right margin to the left margin. And then the descriptions supporting each of the calls-to-action are in small, all caps, light gray text that’s really hard to read. This is unfortunately an example of how good copywriting can be ruined by poor design.



SUBJECTIVITY SCANNER: Select noteworthy subject lines
SmartBargains, 11/7 — DAYLIGHT SAVINGS! Extra Hour to Save on Watches plus designer fashion coupon
eBags, 11/6 — Daylight Savings Super Sale: Extra 25% Off + Free Shipping‏
Chadwick’s, 11/5 — 30% off + $4.99 shipping! Your Daylight Savings Are Here!
Kmart, 11/5 — It's Better than Black Friday - Preschool Games starting at $3.99‏
J&R, 11/5 — Pre Black Friday Weekend Sale -- Biggest Savings of the Week!
Fingerhut, 11/5 — Fingerhut: Jump Start Your Black Friday Shopping TODAY!‏
Sears, 11/5 — Save 5-20% on all appliances, plus Black Friday NOW deals‏
HSN, 11/7 — Andrew Lessman Holiday Survival Kit & Flexpay
Oriental Trading, 11/5 — Ornaments as low as 20¢ each + FREE shipping‏
Avon, 11/6 — Load Up on Stocking Stuffers‏
Target, 11/7 — Great Holiday Toy Sale: Coupons, sale prices - oh what fun.‏
Ann Taylor, 11/7 — Enjoy Up To 30% Off & Look Party Perfect This Holiday!‏
Disney Store, 11/7 — Prepare for the Holidays with Enchanting Décor‏
Williams-Sonoma, 11/5 — Thanksgiving Tools: Our Top 5 Under $20‏
Cooking.com, 11/5 — Top 10 Thanksgiving Cake & Cookie Recipes‏
REI, 11/5 — It's Snow Time: Find New Skis, Boots, Parkas and more at REI Now‏
Sony, 11/6 — FREE Advance Screening of BURLESQUE plus FREE Movie Poster While Supplies Last‏
Toys “R” Us, 11/6 — We've Got'em FIRST! Justin Bieber figures in Stores Sunday! PLUS, Huge Deals of the Day Sun., Nov. 7‏
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Week-End Trends: Retail email volume hits new YTD high

Email activity and seasonal trends during the past week:

The Retail Email Index: Top online retailers sent each of their subscribers a new year-to-date high of 3.2 promotional emails on average during the week ending Nov. 5, 2010. That’s up 6% week-over-week, up 9% from where it was four weeks ago, and up 26% year-over-year.



The Retail Email Participation Rate: Tuesday was the most popular day to send retail emails last week.



The Retail Email Seasonality Meter: 75% of top online retailers have already begun their holiday email marketing campaigns, but if you were looking for another indicator that the holiday season is in full swing in email inboxes then you’ll get that confirmation this week when the majority of retail emails will include a references to Christmas or the holidays.



Selling Seasons on the Horizon:
Thanksgiving (11/25): Thanksgiving 2009 Season Finale
Christmas (12/25): Christmas 2009 Season Finale and the 2010 Retail Email Guide to the Holiday Season
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Ping Time: Smarter instead of more, European Email Marketing Conference, etc.

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

>>Tweet of the Week: @rorycarlyle: ... dis ... ag ... well ... huh ... :( RT @RetailEmailBlog: Is SPAM a bigger problem on Facebook and Twitter than it is in email inboxes?

>>Glenn Laudenslager of Reed Medical Education shares a fantastic example of how sending smarter emails, not more emails, can pay off. >>Follow the ping

>>Tamara Gielen of BeRelevant shares some takeaways from the European Email Marketing Conference. >>Follow the ping

>>Independent consultant Jeanne Jennings shares a testing case study. >>Follow the ping

>>Dylan Boyd of eROI discusses some of the brands with the best social emails. >>Follow the ping

>>Scott Cohen gives us another installment of his Email Snob series, with the latest interview of Ryan Phelan of Blue Hornet. >>Follow the ping
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AM Inbox: 3...2...1...Let countdown season begin

>>SWYN, FTAF and Community Links: Download the 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:

Williams-Sonoma, 11/4 — New Lower Pricing on Our Exclusive All-Clad Roaster‏
’Tis the season for countdowns. This Williams-Sonoma email is the first to have a countdown to Thanksgiving, but Christmas countdowns are just over the horizon. In general, we recommend counting down to the end of guaranteed delivery with standard shipping. That date is well ahead of the holiday and creates extra urgency. And when that date passes there’s still several days to promote expedited shipping and store shopping.

In this email you can also see the HTML text preview pane banner that Williams-Sonoma added to their design a few weeks ago. The banner’s text reinforces the subject line and preheader message. Typically preview pane banners stress a secondary message, so the way Williams-Sonoma is using it is a bit novel. The tactic certainly further hammers home the primary callt-to-action.



SUBJECTIVITY SCANNER: Select noteworthy subject lines
Nike Store, 11/4 — Run Reflective. Stay Visible as the Days Get Shorter and Darker.‏
Spiegel, 11/4 — REDBOOK GIFT PICKS For Sophisticated Style + Savings Offer!
Toys “R” Us, 11/4 — Toys for Tots! Join Shaq, Give Back PLUS Don't Miss Saturday's Christmas Kickoff with Geoffrey in our Stores!
Hanna Andersson, 11/4 — Bring Your List For 20% Off Nearly Everything!‏
Wal-Mart, 11/4 — Take Advantage of Early Savings to Plan Memorable Holiday Gatherings‏
Home Depot, 11/4 — Free Shipping on All Holiday Decor‏
J&R, 11/4 — Family Thanksgiving Dinner Plans? Great Deals on Kitchen Tools to Prepare your Feast‏
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AM Inbox: Wish list contests becoming more sophisticated

>>SWYN, FTAF and Community Links: Download the 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:

Neiman Marcus, 11/3 — The PRESENTS PERFECT Challenge + Win a $2500 NM Gift Card‏
Wish list sweepstakes that reward customers that create wish lists with an entry into a sweepstakes are not uncommon. But in the age of social media, wish list sweepstakes are becoming more community-oriented, as in this example from Neiman Marcus. In their Presents Perfect Challenge, two winners are decided by a panel of “Gift Specialists,” while a third is decided by the community. Having that community element is becoming standard in sweepstakes like this where customers create content. Here’s the email:



And here’s the landing page:



SUBJECTIVITY SCANNER: Select noteworthy subject lines
Bass Pro Shops, 11/3 — FREE Photo with Santa & More‏
Sportsman’s Guide, 11/3 — "Like Us" on Facebook... Sneak Previews of 'Black Friday' Doorbuster Deals!‏
Bluefly, 11/3 — Hello Holidays...Party-Perfect Cocktail Dresses‏
L.L. Bean, 11/3 — FREE Shipping on Balsam Wreaths + FREE $10 Gift Cards‏
Montgomery Ward, 11/3 — Create holiday magic at home with help from Wards‏
Disney Store, 11/3 — Get Free Personalization & Shipping on Your Entire Order!
Brookstone, 11/3 — Ready… Set… Shop Gifts by Price!
Cabela’s, 11/3 — Now's the time! Start your holiday shopping with Free Shipping.‏
Finish Line, 11/3 — We've Got the Gifts they Really Want!
J. Crew, 11/3 — A look we love (and why)
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AM Inbox: Election Day winner is Harry & David

>>SWYN, FTAF and Community Links: Download the 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:

Harry & David, 11/2 — Vote for your favorite Moose Munch Snack flavor! SAVE 20% with $50 purchase‏
Several major retailers—including Brookstone, Chadwick’s, Macy’s and TigerDirect—played off the midterm elections in their emails yesterday, but this Harry & David email stood out as head and shoulders above the others. They used the occasion to ask Moose Munch fans to vote for their favorite flavor. The campaign (1) exposes subscribers to all the flavors that they offer, (2) drives traffic to and awareness of their Facebook page, and (3) spurs action by tying engagement to a cause. Here’s the landing page on Facebook.



Newegg, 11/2 — IT STARTS NOW: Black Friday Deals all month long at Newegg!‏
Looking to juice gift-buying in November ahead of Black Friday, Newegg has declared this month “Black November.”



Neiman Marcus, 11/2 — Look Who's Here: Introducing LANVIN‏
Reminiscent of Bloomingdale’s “HO SALE” (see Oct. 17, 2008 AM Inbox), poor design in this Neiman Marcus email makes the headline look like “LOOK HO’S.” This design just seems senseless, especially coming from the smart folks at Neiman Marcus.



SUBJECTIVITY SCANNER: Select noteworthy subject lines
TigerDirect, 11/2 — 24 Hour Election Day Special! Deals End Midnight Tonight.
Brookstone, 11/2 — We voted…You win! Save $10 inside.
Chadwick’s, 11/2 — Don't forget to vote! You'll get any item FREE!
Macy’s, 11/2 — Ends tonight! Shop 2-day specials at the Election Day Sale!
Williams-Sonoma, 11/2 — A Year of FREE Shipping – Just in Time for Holiday Shopping‏
Oriental Trading, 11/2 — Save $10 on easy holiday crafts for kids + free shipping‏
Barnes & Noble, 11/2 — NOOKcolor: Reserve The Hottest Holiday Gift Today!‏
Lillian Vernon, 11/2 — Ship for Free on Amazing Ways to Entertain this Holiday Season‏
Macy’s, 11/2 — Ends tomorrow: Free Shipping on women's holiday fashion‏
ShopNBC, 11/2 — Holly Days are here 75 Hours of special gifts!‏
Blair, 11/2 — Happy holiday shopping! 99¢ per item shipping.‏
Petco, 11/2 — 20% Off Sitewide Pre-Holiday Sale + FREE Shipping!
Cooking.com, 11/2 — Top Turkey Roasters, Other Thanksgiving Essentials + Free Shipping‏
Ralph Lauren, 11/2 — Layer up: Shop New Outerwear‏
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