My latest spin around the mediasphere turned up the following nuggets:
>>Tweet of the Week: @KNLorenz: Just got auto-opted-in to a retailer's email program after buying from them through Amazon. I didn't even buy from them directly! Honestly?
>>InformationWeek reports that email marketing drove nearly four times more traffic to retailers’ websites as social media did, and more than twice as much traffic as search did. >>Follow the ping
>>Linda Bustos of GetElastic shares lots of examples of shopping cart abandonment emails and tips on how to optimize them. >>Did you forget to follow the ping?
>>Anna Yeaman of Style Campaign explains how dynamic time-based images work. >>Follow the ping
>>Jordie van Rijn of emailmonday has assembled a list of articles and resources around Hotmail’s new Active Views services. >>Follow the ping
>>And for a bit of holiday fun, check out this post from Mark Brownlow of Email Marketing Reports that imagines Santa as an email marketer. >>Follow the ping
>>In Smith-Harmon’s latest Email Insider column, Alex Madison and Lisa Harmon talk about featuring employees in emails. >>Follow the ping
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BROWSE... Archive / Post Categories / Selling Seasons / Topics Covered / Retailers Tracked
Thursday, December 30, 2010
AM Inbox: Post-holiday header refreshes
>>Tune in for Email Radio on Tuesday when Dylan Boyd of eROI and I discuss trends from the 2010 holiday season. Get the details.
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, 12/29 — 20% off sale ends Saturday!
In the days after Christmas, those retailers that used a holiday-themed header or navigation bar during November and December revert back to a non-seasonal header. It’s a good opportunity to question the links in your nav bar and the use of header space. Sephora changed their header starting with a Dec. 26 email, dropping the holiday flourishes and adding a link to their new social network, Beauty Talk, which they launched in late October (see Nov. 1 AM Inbox). There are also two links to Beauty Talk at the bottom of the email, so Sephora is clearly trying hard to drive traffic there. Here’s the new header…
And here’s the previous holiday header:
SUBJECTIVITY SCANNER: Select noteworthy subject lines
Dell, 12/29 — Get a great deal on the gift you really wanted - DROID X BY MOTOROLA
Sports Authority, 12/29 — New Year’s Sale Going On Now! Ring In The New Year With A New You - In-Store Only
Sears, 12/29 — Spectacular Savings - Storage, Appliances, Fitness and More!
Costco, 12/29 — Nutrisystem Starting At $259.99 At Costco.com, Start Losing Weight Now!
Nike Store, 12/29 — Conquer Cold-Weather Runs with These Essentials
_____________________
BROWSE... Archive / Post Categories / Selling Seasons / Topics Covered / Retailers Tracked
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, 12/29 — 20% off sale ends Saturday!
In the days after Christmas, those retailers that used a holiday-themed header or navigation bar during November and December revert back to a non-seasonal header. It’s a good opportunity to question the links in your nav bar and the use of header space. Sephora changed their header starting with a Dec. 26 email, dropping the holiday flourishes and adding a link to their new social network, Beauty Talk, which they launched in late October (see Nov. 1 AM Inbox). There are also two links to Beauty Talk at the bottom of the email, so Sephora is clearly trying hard to drive traffic there. Here’s the new header…
And here’s the previous holiday header:
SUBJECTIVITY SCANNER: Select noteworthy subject lines
Dell, 12/29 — Get a great deal on the gift you really wanted - DROID X BY MOTOROLA
Sports Authority, 12/29 — New Year’s Sale Going On Now! Ring In The New Year With A New You - In-Store Only
Sears, 12/29 — Spectacular Savings - Storage, Appliances, Fitness and More!
Costco, 12/29 — Nutrisystem Starting At $259.99 At Costco.com, Start Losing Weight Now!
Nike Store, 12/29 — Conquer Cold-Weather Runs with These Essentials
_____________________
BROWSE... Archive / Post Categories / Selling Seasons / Topics Covered / Retailers Tracked
Wednesday, December 29, 2010
AM Inbox: Back to school - spring edition
The Retail Email Blog monitors the email marketing campaigns of more than 100 top online retailers. Here are highlights from my inbox this morning:
Barnes & Noble, 12/28 — Now Treat Yourself. Save 50% in Our After Holiday Sale!
In early January every year there’s a little back-to-school season. Text books are a major component of messaging, as in this Barnes & Noble email, but other back-to-school favorites are usually pitched as well. Sometimes there are also some “back to work” themed emails that target professionals, trying to convince them to refresh their work apparel for a new year.
Old Navy, 12/28 — New Arrivals for the Family + FREE Shipping Every Day
This Old Navy was bizarrely sent from a Piperlime branded address, piperlime@piperlimeo.delivery.net. Considering that some email clients display the sender address instead of the sender name, this kind of mistake can generate spam complaints from subscribers not recognizing the sender.
SUBJECTIVITY SCANNER: Select noteworthy subject lines
Office Depot, 12/28 — Shirts & Socks Again? Get What You Really Wanted at Our Year End Clearance
Neiman Marcus, 12/28 — Santa forget something? Today's Midday Dash can set things right
Urban Outfitters, 12/28 — The Get What You Really Wanted SALE!
Omaha Steaks, 12/28 — ONE DAY Below employee pricing FREE Shipping 4 FREE Tartlets
OfficeMax, 12/28 — New Year, New Deals on Supplies
Sports Authority, 12/28 — New Year, New You - Ring In The New Year With Great Deals On Fitness Gear
Montgomery Ward, 12/28 — Essentials for your New Year's Revolution
Blair, 12/28 — Ring in the deals! Extra 20% off clearance.
Diamond.com, 12/28 — Our New Years Resolution for 2011: To Shine
Linens ’n Things, 12/28 — Get Organized and Save 20%!
Newegg.com, 12/28 — Newegg's BEST OF 2010! $159.99 Asus 23.6" Monitor, $59.99 G.Skill Ripjaws 2x2GB RAM...
Neiman Marcus, 12/28 — Sink or swim: The suits that make the cut
_____________________
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Barnes & Noble, 12/28 — Now Treat Yourself. Save 50% in Our After Holiday Sale!
In early January every year there’s a little back-to-school season. Text books are a major component of messaging, as in this Barnes & Noble email, but other back-to-school favorites are usually pitched as well. Sometimes there are also some “back to work” themed emails that target professionals, trying to convince them to refresh their work apparel for a new year.
Old Navy, 12/28 — New Arrivals for the Family + FREE Shipping Every Day
This Old Navy was bizarrely sent from a Piperlime branded address, piperlime@piperlimeo.delivery.net. Considering that some email clients display the sender address instead of the sender name, this kind of mistake can generate spam complaints from subscribers not recognizing the sender.
SUBJECTIVITY SCANNER: Select noteworthy subject lines
Office Depot, 12/28 — Shirts & Socks Again? Get What You Really Wanted at Our Year End Clearance
Neiman Marcus, 12/28 — Santa forget something? Today's Midday Dash can set things right
Urban Outfitters, 12/28 — The Get What You Really Wanted SALE!
Omaha Steaks, 12/28 — ONE DAY Below employee pricing FREE Shipping 4 FREE Tartlets
OfficeMax, 12/28 — New Year, New Deals on Supplies
Sports Authority, 12/28 — New Year, New You - Ring In The New Year With Great Deals On Fitness Gear
Montgomery Ward, 12/28 — Essentials for your New Year's Revolution
Blair, 12/28 — Ring in the deals! Extra 20% off clearance.
Diamond.com, 12/28 — Our New Years Resolution for 2011: To Shine
Linens ’n Things, 12/28 — Get Organized and Save 20%!
Newegg.com, 12/28 — Newegg's BEST OF 2010! $159.99 Asus 23.6" Monitor, $59.99 G.Skill Ripjaws 2x2GB RAM...
Neiman Marcus, 12/28 — Sink or swim: The suits that make the cut
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SEARCH... Recent Posts / By Selling Season / By Topic / By Retailer / Monthly Archive
Tuesday, December 28, 2010
AM Inbox: How did your email program react to the snowstorm?
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, 12/27 — Snowed In? Shop From Home & Get 20% Off - Today Only!
Urban Outfitters shows that their email program is nimble enough to react to the snowstorm that hit the East Coast Sunday. They were the only retailer yesterday to mention it. For snowstorms, hurricanes and other weather-related events that happen fairly regularly, it probably pays to draft some messaging and have some creative ready that you can polish up quickly—in the same way that you should have an apology email template ready to populate so it can be launched quickly when needed.
Sam’s Club, 12/27 — Slim down, shape up, save more
This Sam’s Club email hits three of the big messaging points that are popular during January: (1) New Year’s resolutions, including exercising and eating better; (2) post-Christmas messaging about clearance sales, redeeming gift cards, etc.; and (3) messaging around the “big game,” which refers to both college bowl games and to the Super Bowl.
Toys “R” Us, 12/27 — Huge Clearance Sale Going on NOW! Save up to 60% on Tons of Toys!
In yesterday’s AM Inbox I shared examples of gift card redemption messaging from Sam’s Club and upsell messaging from Barnes & Noble. In this email, Toys “R” Us combines both those elements into a single message.
SUBJECTIVITY SCANNER: Select noteworthy subject lines
Walgreens, 12/27 — Save $10 OFF $50 or $5 OFF $30 on Your Online Order + Use Your FSA Funds Before They Expire
Neiman Marcus, 12/27 — A bold RESORT TREND to kick off the new year
Cooking.com, 12/27 — Top 10 Appetizer Recipes for New Year's Eve
Costco, 12/27 — Featured Items for the New Year!
Lillian Vernon, 12/27 — Time to treat yourself and receive 15% off - 48 hours only
J. Jill, 12/27 — An additional 25% off—the holiday cheer continues!
Hanna Andersson, 12/27 — Further Reductions Now Save Up To 70%!
Oriental Trading, 12/27 — Save up to 75% & stock up for next year. Shipping is free
Spiegel, 12/27 — Our Year-End CLEARANCE EVENT Starts TODAY! Up to 80% OFF!
Norm Thompson, 12/27 — Save up to 91% at Winter Sale. New Markdowns too!
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SEARCH... Recent Posts / By Selling Season / By Topic / By Retailer / Monthly Archive
Urban Outfitters, 12/27 — Snowed In? Shop From Home & Get 20% Off - Today Only!
Urban Outfitters shows that their email program is nimble enough to react to the snowstorm that hit the East Coast Sunday. They were the only retailer yesterday to mention it. For snowstorms, hurricanes and other weather-related events that happen fairly regularly, it probably pays to draft some messaging and have some creative ready that you can polish up quickly—in the same way that you should have an apology email template ready to populate so it can be launched quickly when needed.
Sam’s Club, 12/27 — Slim down, shape up, save more
This Sam’s Club email hits three of the big messaging points that are popular during January: (1) New Year’s resolutions, including exercising and eating better; (2) post-Christmas messaging about clearance sales, redeeming gift cards, etc.; and (3) messaging around the “big game,” which refers to both college bowl games and to the Super Bowl.
Toys “R” Us, 12/27 — Huge Clearance Sale Going on NOW! Save up to 60% on Tons of Toys!
In yesterday’s AM Inbox I shared examples of gift card redemption messaging from Sam’s Club and upsell messaging from Barnes & Noble. In this email, Toys “R” Us combines both those elements into a single message.
SUBJECTIVITY SCANNER: Select noteworthy subject lines
Walgreens, 12/27 — Save $10 OFF $50 or $5 OFF $30 on Your Online Order + Use Your FSA Funds Before They Expire
Neiman Marcus, 12/27 — A bold RESORT TREND to kick off the new year
Cooking.com, 12/27 — Top 10 Appetizer Recipes for New Year's Eve
Costco, 12/27 — Featured Items for the New Year!
Lillian Vernon, 12/27 — Time to treat yourself and receive 15% off - 48 hours only
J. Jill, 12/27 — An additional 25% off—the holiday cheer continues!
Hanna Andersson, 12/27 — Further Reductions Now Save Up To 70%!
Oriental Trading, 12/27 — Save up to 75% & stock up for next year. Shipping is free
Spiegel, 12/27 — Our Year-End CLEARANCE EVENT Starts TODAY! Up to 80% OFF!
Norm Thompson, 12/27 — Save up to 91% at Winter Sale. New Markdowns too!
_____________________
SEARCH... Recent Posts / By Selling Season / By Topic / By Retailer / Monthly Archive
Monday, December 27, 2010
AM Inbox: Season's greetings emails + post-Christmas 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:
J. Jill, 12/25 — Happy holidays from J. Jill.
This email from J. Jill was my favorite season’s greeting email this year from retailers, 23% of which sent a season’s greeting email, up from 19% last year. Using a simple illustration style, the animation tells a nice story to support the season’s greetings and thank you message for supporting the J. Jill Compassion Fund.
Sam’s Club, 12/25 — Treat yourself! Redeem your Sam's Club Gift Cards online anytime
One of the major post-Christmas messaging tactics is to encourage the redemption of gift cards, since your subscribers are quite likely to receive them. While most gift card redemption messages are in the form of secondary banners and messages in headers, Sam’s Club dedicates this whole email to it.
Barnes & Noble, 12/25 — Read It Now! Get Our Apps for Your New Gadget
A less popular post-Christmas messaging tactic is to try to upsell subscribers on products that compliment gifts that they likely received. In this email, Barnes & Noble promotes their Nook app, targeting subscribers who got a new digital device this holiday season. They also try to spur gift card redemptions toward the bottom of the email.
SUBJECTIVITY SCANNER: Select noteworthy subject lines
Williams-Sonoma, 12/24 — Happy Holidays to You and Yours from Williams-Sonoma
JC Whitney, 12/24 — Happy Holidays - Wishing You The Best JC Whitney
Toys “R” Us, 12/25 — Merry Christmas From "R" Family to Yours!
Crate & Barrel, 12/24 — There's still time to send an eGift Card (they'll get it today)
Sears, 12/24 — In-store, Online or eGift Cards -- wrap up your shopping at Sears!
Brookstone, 12/24 — Made your list. Checked it twice. Oh-Oh!
ShopNBC, 12/25 — Now...how about something for you!
Target, 12/26 — Your GiftCards + our gadgets = goodness.
Alibris, 12/26 — Santa says: fill your new eReader with Google eBooks, Book Lover
Lands’ End, 12/26 — SALE: Get up to 40% off what you really wanted for Christmas.
JC Whitney, 12/26 — Get What You Really Want + Ship For Free
Newegg.com, 12/26 — Didn't get what you wanted? Shop the Newegg After-Christmas Sale!
Coldwater Creek, 12/24 — The Ultimate Sale: More than 1,500 items 50% off!
HP, 12/24 — HP's Red Tag Sale STARTS NOW!
Finish Line, 12/26 — End of Season Sale Starts Now--Up to 50% Off!
Musician’s Friend, 12/26 — Musician's Friend: Winter Sale! Save Up To 93%
Wal-Mart, 12/26 — Hurry! Shop Our End-of-Year Clearance Event, While Supplies Last
_____________________
SEARCH... Recent Posts / By Selling Season / By Topic / By Retailer / Monthly Archive
J. Jill, 12/25 — Happy holidays from J. Jill.
This email from J. Jill was my favorite season’s greeting email this year from retailers, 23% of which sent a season’s greeting email, up from 19% last year. Using a simple illustration style, the animation tells a nice story to support the season’s greetings and thank you message for supporting the J. Jill Compassion Fund.
Sam’s Club, 12/25 — Treat yourself! Redeem your Sam's Club Gift Cards online anytime
One of the major post-Christmas messaging tactics is to encourage the redemption of gift cards, since your subscribers are quite likely to receive them. While most gift card redemption messages are in the form of secondary banners and messages in headers, Sam’s Club dedicates this whole email to it.
Barnes & Noble, 12/25 — Read It Now! Get Our Apps for Your New Gadget
A less popular post-Christmas messaging tactic is to try to upsell subscribers on products that compliment gifts that they likely received. In this email, Barnes & Noble promotes their Nook app, targeting subscribers who got a new digital device this holiday season. They also try to spur gift card redemptions toward the bottom of the email.
SUBJECTIVITY SCANNER: Select noteworthy subject lines
Williams-Sonoma, 12/24 — Happy Holidays to You and Yours from Williams-Sonoma
JC Whitney, 12/24 — Happy Holidays - Wishing You The Best JC Whitney
Toys “R” Us, 12/25 — Merry Christmas From "R" Family to Yours!
Crate & Barrel, 12/24 — There's still time to send an eGift Card (they'll get it today)
Sears, 12/24 — In-store, Online or eGift Cards -- wrap up your shopping at Sears!
Brookstone, 12/24 — Made your list. Checked it twice. Oh-Oh!
ShopNBC, 12/25 — Now...how about something for you!
Target, 12/26 — Your GiftCards + our gadgets = goodness.
Alibris, 12/26 — Santa says: fill your new eReader with Google eBooks, Book Lover
Lands’ End, 12/26 — SALE: Get up to 40% off what you really wanted for Christmas.
JC Whitney, 12/26 — Get What You Really Want + Ship For Free
Newegg.com, 12/26 — Didn't get what you wanted? Shop the Newegg After-Christmas Sale!
Coldwater Creek, 12/24 — The Ultimate Sale: More than 1,500 items 50% off!
HP, 12/24 — HP's Red Tag Sale STARTS NOW!
Finish Line, 12/26 — End of Season Sale Starts Now--Up to 50% Off!
Musician’s Friend, 12/26 — Musician's Friend: Winter Sale! Save Up To 93%
Wal-Mart, 12/26 — Hurry! Shop Our End-of-Year Clearance Event, While Supplies Last
_____________________
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Week-End Trends: Holiday season begins denouement
Email activity and seasonal trends during the past week:
The Retail Email Index: Top online retailers sent each of their subscribers 4.2 promotional emails on average during the week ending Dec. 24, 2010. That’s down 5% week-over-week, up 1% from where it was four weeks ago, and up 30% 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: New Year’s messaging will ramp up this week and spike next week as holiday message declines. The last holiday messaging won’t wrap up until the end of January or early February as retailers message after-Christmas sales, gift card redemptions, etc.
Selling Seasons on the Horizon:
Christmas (12/25): 2009 Season Finale and the 2010 Retail Email Guide to the Holiday Season
New Year’s (1/1): 2010 Season Finale
Valentine’s Day (2/14): 2010 Season Finale
St. Patrick’s Day (3/17): 2010 Season Finale
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SEARCH... Recent Posts / By Selling Season / By Topic / By Retailer / Monthly Archive
The Retail Email Index: Top online retailers sent each of their subscribers 4.2 promotional emails on average during the week ending Dec. 24, 2010. That’s down 5% week-over-week, up 1% from where it was four weeks ago, and up 30% 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: New Year’s messaging will ramp up this week and spike next week as holiday message declines. The last holiday messaging won’t wrap up until the end of January or early February as retailers message after-Christmas sales, gift card redemptions, etc.
Selling Seasons on the Horizon:
Christmas (12/25): 2009 Season Finale and the 2010 Retail Email Guide to the Holiday Season
New Year’s (1/1): 2010 Season Finale
Valentine’s Day (2/14): 2010 Season Finale
St. Patrick’s Day (3/17): 2010 Season Finale
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Saturday, December 25, 2010
Happy Holidays from my family to yours!
On behalf of my family and the extended Responsys family, I hope your holidays are full of family, love and laughter, and wish you all the best in the New Year.
—Chad, Kate, Benjamin and Zachary
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—Chad, Kate, Benjamin and Zachary
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Friday, December 24, 2010
AM Inbox: Real gifts via Facebook + eGift Card Day results
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, 12/23 — Last Call
For a long time now, Sephora has been ahead of the curve on integration with Facebook. In this email, they give their subscribers a new last-minute option: to post a gift on a friend’s wall on Facebook that they can redeem online or in store. I suspect that next year we’ll see more retailers using Facebook to deliver gifts and gift cards like Sephora and Sears (see Dec. 21 AM Inbox) did this year.
One of the other last-minute gift options that Sephora presents in this email is e-gift certificates. Yesterday was eGift Card Day, which while this was its inaugural year, Dec. 23 has traditionally been the biggest day for e-gift card messaging. This year, 39% of the promotional emails from top retailers mentioned e-gift cards on Dec. 23, up from 35% in 2009 and 26% in 2008.
SUBJECTIVITY SCANNER: Select noteworthy subject lines
Home Depot, 12/23 — eGift Cards Make a Great Last Minute Gift + 40% Off Holiday Decor
Old Navy, 12/23 — GiftCards by Email: Finish Your Shopping Instantly!
J. Jill, 12/23 — Need a gift by tomorrow? Send the J. Jill e-gift card!
Nordstrom, 12/23 — It's Not Too Late! Send a Virtual Gift Card Today
Bass Pro Shops, 12/23 — Instant delivery for that last minute gift
Musician’s Friend, 12/23 — Musician's Friend: Quick Delivery On The BEST Last-Minute Gift: E-Certificates!
Buy.com, 12/23 — Price Drops, Gift Certificates - Send Instantly by E-mail - Over 9 Million Products
Sportsman’s Guide, 12/23 — 16-Pc. Forstner Bit Set under $15... eGift Certificates & New Catalog from The Guide
Blue Nile, 12/23 — Last Day! Order by 7 pm ET for FREE Overnight Delivery + 40% Off Pearls
TigerDirect, 12/23 — Last Chance for Overnight Service for Xmas Eve...Order by 5pm ET Today
J&R, 12/23 — Last Chance For Christmas Delivery. . . Order by 2pm EST Today!
Brookstone, 12/23 — LAST CHANCE for Guaranteed Next Day Delivery for Christmas
Ross-Simons, 12/23 — Guaranteed Christmas Delivery Ends Today at Noon ET - 25% Off
Overstock.com, 12/23 — Final Hours for Next Day Delivery by December 24 with Free Shipping
Alloy, 12/23 — 3-DAY Preview: End of Season Clearance, Save up to 80% + Free Shipping
Coldwater Creek, 12/23 — The Ultimate Sale starts NOW! 50% OFF EVERYTHING.
_____________________
SEARCH... Recent Posts / By Selling Season / By Topic / By Retailer / Monthly Archive
Sephora, 12/23 — Last Call
For a long time now, Sephora has been ahead of the curve on integration with Facebook. In this email, they give their subscribers a new last-minute option: to post a gift on a friend’s wall on Facebook that they can redeem online or in store. I suspect that next year we’ll see more retailers using Facebook to deliver gifts and gift cards like Sephora and Sears (see Dec. 21 AM Inbox) did this year.
One of the other last-minute gift options that Sephora presents in this email is e-gift certificates. Yesterday was eGift Card Day, which while this was its inaugural year, Dec. 23 has traditionally been the biggest day for e-gift card messaging. This year, 39% of the promotional emails from top retailers mentioned e-gift cards on Dec. 23, up from 35% in 2009 and 26% in 2008.
SUBJECTIVITY SCANNER: Select noteworthy subject lines
Home Depot, 12/23 — eGift Cards Make a Great Last Minute Gift + 40% Off Holiday Decor
Old Navy, 12/23 — GiftCards by Email: Finish Your Shopping Instantly!
J. Jill, 12/23 — Need a gift by tomorrow? Send the J. Jill e-gift card!
Nordstrom, 12/23 — It's Not Too Late! Send a Virtual Gift Card Today
Bass Pro Shops, 12/23 — Instant delivery for that last minute gift
Musician’s Friend, 12/23 — Musician's Friend: Quick Delivery On The BEST Last-Minute Gift: E-Certificates!
Buy.com, 12/23 — Price Drops, Gift Certificates - Send Instantly by E-mail - Over 9 Million Products
Sportsman’s Guide, 12/23 — 16-Pc. Forstner Bit Set under $15... eGift Certificates & New Catalog from The Guide
Blue Nile, 12/23 — Last Day! Order by 7 pm ET for FREE Overnight Delivery + 40% Off Pearls
TigerDirect, 12/23 — Last Chance for Overnight Service for Xmas Eve...Order by 5pm ET Today
J&R, 12/23 — Last Chance For Christmas Delivery. . . Order by 2pm EST Today!
Brookstone, 12/23 — LAST CHANCE for Guaranteed Next Day Delivery for Christmas
Ross-Simons, 12/23 — Guaranteed Christmas Delivery Ends Today at Noon ET - 25% Off
Overstock.com, 12/23 — Final Hours for Next Day Delivery by December 24 with Free Shipping
Alloy, 12/23 — 3-DAY Preview: End of Season Clearance, Save up to 80% + Free Shipping
Coldwater Creek, 12/23 — The Ultimate Sale starts NOW! 50% OFF EVERYTHING.
_____________________
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Thursday, December 23, 2010
AM Inbox: Last-minute gift messaging
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, 12/22 — Need last minute gifts? We can help you finish shopping in time for Christmas!
Express shipping, in-store pickup, local store location and hours, and e-gift cards are the primary messaging points for last-minute shopping. In this email, Sears focuses mostly on in-store pickup and physical and e-gift cards, with a tertiary call-to-action to locate the nearest store. They use some cute animation to reinforce the message of the last-minute save.
And here’s the animated portion of the email:
SUBJECTIVITY SCANNER: Select noteworthy subject lines
Orvis, 12/22 — The perfect last-minute gift - an Orvis email gift certificate!
RitzCamera, 12/22 — Need A Last Minute Gift? Online Gift Cards Are A Perfect Fit!
Crutchfield, 12/22 — It's not too late - email them a Crutchfield Gift Card
Cabela’s, 12/22 — The perfect last-minute gift: Cabela's eGift Cards!
Kmart, 12/22 — Kmart is Open 64 Hours Straight - Get Your Last-Minute Gifts
Toys “R” Us, 12/22 — Toys"R"Us Stores Open 24 Hours Now Thru Christmas Eve! Only 3 Days Left To Shop!
Brookstone, 12/22 — LAST CHANCE for Free Express Shipping for Christmas
TigerDirect, 12/22 — Last Day for 2 Day Service in-time for Christmas...Order by 5pm ET
Coldwater Creek, 12/22 — Last Day! Guaranteed Christmas Delivery ends tonight + 25% off
Tiffany & Co., 12/22 — Final Day To Shop Tiffany.com for Christmas Delivery
Bluefly, 12/22 — Final Countdown! Last Chance to Save Up to 75% off Everything + $2 2-Day Shipping Until Noon!
Saks Fifth Avenue, 12/22 — Wrap it up today - Free Shipping ends tomorrow
Blue Nile, 12/22 — WEDNESDAY ONLY: 25% Off Diamond Jewelry + FREE Overnight Shipping Upgrade
NFLshop, 12/22 — $9.99 Express Shipping - 2 Days Left To Get Your Gifts There By Christmas
Cabela’s, 12/22 — Free overnight upgrade to your shipping plus Holiday Hot Buys!
HP, 12/22 — FREE Next Day Shipping on HP Quick-ship Products
Buy.com, 12/22 — Champagne & Wine Blowout - Get it by New Years Eve
_____________________
SEARCH... Recent Posts / By Selling Season / By Topic / By Retailer / Monthly Archive
Sears, 12/22 — Need last minute gifts? We can help you finish shopping in time for Christmas!
Express shipping, in-store pickup, local store location and hours, and e-gift cards are the primary messaging points for last-minute shopping. In this email, Sears focuses mostly on in-store pickup and physical and e-gift cards, with a tertiary call-to-action to locate the nearest store. They use some cute animation to reinforce the message of the last-minute save.
And here’s the animated portion of the email:
SUBJECTIVITY SCANNER: Select noteworthy subject lines
Orvis, 12/22 — The perfect last-minute gift - an Orvis email gift certificate!
RitzCamera, 12/22 — Need A Last Minute Gift? Online Gift Cards Are A Perfect Fit!
Crutchfield, 12/22 — It's not too late - email them a Crutchfield Gift Card
Cabela’s, 12/22 — The perfect last-minute gift: Cabela's eGift Cards!
Kmart, 12/22 — Kmart is Open 64 Hours Straight - Get Your Last-Minute Gifts
Toys “R” Us, 12/22 — Toys"R"Us Stores Open 24 Hours Now Thru Christmas Eve! Only 3 Days Left To Shop!
Brookstone, 12/22 — LAST CHANCE for Free Express Shipping for Christmas
TigerDirect, 12/22 — Last Day for 2 Day Service in-time for Christmas...Order by 5pm ET
Coldwater Creek, 12/22 — Last Day! Guaranteed Christmas Delivery ends tonight + 25% off
Tiffany & Co., 12/22 — Final Day To Shop Tiffany.com for Christmas Delivery
Bluefly, 12/22 — Final Countdown! Last Chance to Save Up to 75% off Everything + $2 2-Day Shipping Until Noon!
Saks Fifth Avenue, 12/22 — Wrap it up today - Free Shipping ends tomorrow
Blue Nile, 12/22 — WEDNESDAY ONLY: 25% Off Diamond Jewelry + FREE Overnight Shipping Upgrade
NFLshop, 12/22 — $9.99 Express Shipping - 2 Days Left To Get Your Gifts There By Christmas
Cabela’s, 12/22 — Free overnight upgrade to your shipping plus Holiday Hot Buys!
HP, 12/22 — FREE Next Day Shipping on HP Quick-ship Products
Buy.com, 12/22 — Champagne & Wine Blowout - Get it by New Years Eve
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Season Finale: Halloween 2010
A look back on seasonal trends, email activity and standout B2C marketing:
Start to finish: The first reference to Halloween was on Aug. 8. The final reference was on Nov. 4.
The biggest day for Halloween emails was Halloween itself, Sunday, Oct. 31, followed by Monday, Oct. 18 and Sunday, Oct. 10. Retailers sent the majority of their Halloween-themed emails after Oct. 10.
Most interesting emails: In this Sept. 19 email with the subject line “Oriental Trading Introduces Halloween Fun,” Oriental Trading promotes a trio of Halloween microsites on the landing page for this email: Trick or Treat Your Friends; Monster Mashup, which they promoted last year; and Tweet a Spell, which utilizes Twitter. Oriental leveraged these microsites similar to how OfficeMax uses ElfYourself.
It’s really unusual to see a Halloween charity effort, so this Sept. 24 email from Toys “R” Us really got my attention. The subject line, “Trick-or-Treat for UNICEF! Donate or Pick Up a Collection Box Today.” provided a clear call-to-action, although the landing page was much more focused on collecting donations for UNICEF on the spot rather than pushing the Halloween angle. But overall, the tactic was a little similar to TigerDirect’s Pink Friday campaigns (see Nov. 22, 2007 AM Inbox), which support breast cancer awareness on Black Friday, when charity efforts are also scarce.
Standout subject lines:
Drs. Foster &Smith, 9/24 — What Will Your Pet Be This Halloween?
Harry & David, 10/29 — Paint a pumpkin in our NEW Orchard Stores!
Ralph Lauren, 10/31 — Our Best Costume Award Goes To...
RitzCamera, 10/8 — Halloween Photo Tips, Costume Contest and One Week Savings!
Wal-Mart, 9/27 — Find Un-boo-lievable Prices on Halloween Costumes, Decor + More
Urban Outfitters, 10/18 — Open If You Dare...
1-800-Flowers.com, 10/27 — Charm Them with One Dozen Assorted Roses, just $19.99 - Last Chance!
Chadwick’s, 10/31 — Trick or Treat! 31% off ends tonight! Hurry to jump on this deal!
Read previous Halloween Season Finales: 2009, 2008, 2007, 2006
Explore Halloween tag.
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Start to finish: The first reference to Halloween was on Aug. 8. The final reference was on Nov. 4.
The biggest day for Halloween emails was Halloween itself, Sunday, Oct. 31, followed by Monday, Oct. 18 and Sunday, Oct. 10. Retailers sent the majority of their Halloween-themed emails after Oct. 10.
Most interesting emails: In this Sept. 19 email with the subject line “Oriental Trading Introduces Halloween Fun,” Oriental Trading promotes a trio of Halloween microsites on the landing page for this email: Trick or Treat Your Friends; Monster Mashup, which they promoted last year; and Tweet a Spell, which utilizes Twitter. Oriental leveraged these microsites similar to how OfficeMax uses ElfYourself.
It’s really unusual to see a Halloween charity effort, so this Sept. 24 email from Toys “R” Us really got my attention. The subject line, “Trick-or-Treat for UNICEF! Donate or Pick Up a Collection Box Today.” provided a clear call-to-action, although the landing page was much more focused on collecting donations for UNICEF on the spot rather than pushing the Halloween angle. But overall, the tactic was a little similar to TigerDirect’s Pink Friday campaigns (see Nov. 22, 2007 AM Inbox), which support breast cancer awareness on Black Friday, when charity efforts are also scarce.
Standout subject lines:
Drs. Foster &Smith, 9/24 — What Will Your Pet Be This Halloween?
Harry & David, 10/29 — Paint a pumpkin in our NEW Orchard Stores!
Ralph Lauren, 10/31 — Our Best Costume Award Goes To...
RitzCamera, 10/8 — Halloween Photo Tips, Costume Contest and One Week Savings!
Wal-Mart, 9/27 — Find Un-boo-lievable Prices on Halloween Costumes, Decor + More
Urban Outfitters, 10/18 — Open If You Dare...
1-800-Flowers.com, 10/27 — Charm Them with One Dozen Assorted Roses, just $19.99 - Last Chance!
Chadwick’s, 10/31 — Trick or Treat! 31% off ends tonight! Hurry to jump on this deal!
Read previous Halloween Season Finales: 2009, 2008, 2007, 2006
Explore Halloween tag.
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Wednesday, December 22, 2010
AM Inbox: Tomorrow is eGift Card 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:
Oriental Trading, 12/21 — The perfect last-minute gift. Plus free delivery!
After reading this email and looking back at e-gift card messaging trends last year, it struck me that we really need a day to honor “perfect last-minute gift”: eGift Card Day! Among top retailers, Dec. 23 is the biggest day for e-gift card messaging, sitting right in the middle of the biggest three-day span for such messaging. Last year, nearly one-third of emails sent by top retailers between Dec. 22 and 24 promoted e-gift cards to some degree. Somebody beat me to the punch by setting up egiftcardday.com, but they chose the right day, so credit where credit is due. Anyway, be sure to honor eGift Card Day tomorrow! It’s a great idea that acknowledges how email saves the hides of holiday procrastinators.
SUBJECTIVITY SCANNER: Select noteworthy subject lines
Toys “R” Us, 12/21 — For the First Time EVER! Stores Open 24 Hours Now Thru Christmas Eve!
Newegg.com, 12/21 — Last Chance for Holiday Shipping + Find Perfect Last-Minute Gifts Here!
Brookstone, 12/21 — LAST CHANCE for Free Ground Shipping for Christmas
REI, 12/21 — Last Chance: Order Now for Standard Shipping + Gifts from Patagonia, Keen, The North Face and more
NFLshop, 12/21 — Last Chance to Get FREE SHIPPING - Offer Ends Soon!
Cooking.com, 12/21 — Last Chance for $9.99 Flat-Rate Shipping in Time for Christmas!
Target, 12/21 — Today is it: Last call for Christmas delivery.
Harry & David, 12/21 — Last minute gifts still available - Only hours left to order for Christmas
Orvis, 12/21 — Order by 3 p.m. (EST) Wednesday for guaranteed Christmas delivery.
Blue Nile, 12/21 — TUESDAY ONLY: 25% Off Diamond Bracelets + Guaranteed FREE Delivery by Christmas
Lands’ End, 12/21 — Today only: 30% off EVERYTHING + Free Shipping. Delivered by Christmas!
Nike Store, 12/21 — Hurry! Free Shipping Ends December 22
Dell, 12/21 — Two days left to get it there on time
Crate & Barrel, 12/21 — Free Shipping ends tomorrow. Red-hot gift ideas.
Sports Authority, 12/21 — Get It By The 24th - 2 Ways To Save! [25% Off] In-Store + 10% Off Online!
Staples, 12/21 — Four coupons inside for holiday procrastinators!
1-800-Flowers.com, 12/21 — Five Golden Rings? $5 Shipping/Service Charge will really make you sing!
Office Depot, 12/21 — Start The Year Fresh: Get Organized With Savings Up To 50%
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Oriental Trading, 12/21 — The perfect last-minute gift. Plus free delivery!
After reading this email and looking back at e-gift card messaging trends last year, it struck me that we really need a day to honor “perfect last-minute gift”: eGift Card Day! Among top retailers, Dec. 23 is the biggest day for e-gift card messaging, sitting right in the middle of the biggest three-day span for such messaging. Last year, nearly one-third of emails sent by top retailers between Dec. 22 and 24 promoted e-gift cards to some degree. Somebody beat me to the punch by setting up egiftcardday.com, but they chose the right day, so credit where credit is due. Anyway, be sure to honor eGift Card Day tomorrow! It’s a great idea that acknowledges how email saves the hides of holiday procrastinators.
SUBJECTIVITY SCANNER: Select noteworthy subject lines
Toys “R” Us, 12/21 — For the First Time EVER! Stores Open 24 Hours Now Thru Christmas Eve!
Newegg.com, 12/21 — Last Chance for Holiday Shipping + Find Perfect Last-Minute Gifts Here!
Brookstone, 12/21 — LAST CHANCE for Free Ground Shipping for Christmas
REI, 12/21 — Last Chance: Order Now for Standard Shipping + Gifts from Patagonia, Keen, The North Face and more
NFLshop, 12/21 — Last Chance to Get FREE SHIPPING - Offer Ends Soon!
Cooking.com, 12/21 — Last Chance for $9.99 Flat-Rate Shipping in Time for Christmas!
Target, 12/21 — Today is it: Last call for Christmas delivery.
Harry & David, 12/21 — Last minute gifts still available - Only hours left to order for Christmas
Orvis, 12/21 — Order by 3 p.m. (EST) Wednesday for guaranteed Christmas delivery.
Blue Nile, 12/21 — TUESDAY ONLY: 25% Off Diamond Bracelets + Guaranteed FREE Delivery by Christmas
Lands’ End, 12/21 — Today only: 30% off EVERYTHING + Free Shipping. Delivered by Christmas!
Nike Store, 12/21 — Hurry! Free Shipping Ends December 22
Dell, 12/21 — Two days left to get it there on time
Crate & Barrel, 12/21 — Free Shipping ends tomorrow. Red-hot gift ideas.
Sports Authority, 12/21 — Get It By The 24th - 2 Ways To Save! [25% Off] In-Store + 10% Off Online!
Staples, 12/21 — Four coupons inside for holiday procrastinators!
1-800-Flowers.com, 12/21 — Five Golden Rings? $5 Shipping/Service Charge will really make you sing!
Office Depot, 12/21 — Start The Year Fresh: Get Organized With Savings Up To 50%
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Tuesday, December 21, 2010
AM Inbox: Sears sending e-gift cards via Facebook
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, 12/20 — FREE Standard Shipping ENDS TODAY! Plus, Extra 10% off Electronics Saturday Only!
When Sears converted their gift card banner into an e-gift card banner in a Dec. 19 email, they also added an option to send the e-gift card to Facebook via eGift Social. Just like GameStop promoting their Facebook store recently (see Dec. 13 AM Inbox), Sears offering this new e-gift option is yet another way that Facebook is moving into ecommerce.
Office Depot, 12/20 — Warmest Wishes From The Office Depot Family To Yours!
More than 19% of major online retailers sent a season’s greetings email to their subscribers last year. This one from Office Depot is the first of this season and with the vast majority of retail season’s greetings emails arriving on Christmas Day, this one’s definitely on the early side.
Sam’s Club, 12/20 — Need last-minute gifts? Order select items by Dec. 21 and choose Express Shipping
With Christmas Eve delivery no longer guaranteed via ground shipping for most retailers, now is the time to start promoting last-minute options: (1) expedited and overnight shipping, (2) e-gift cards and (3) store hours, as Sam’s Club does in this email.
SUBJECTIVITY SCANNER: Select noteworthy subject lines
Lands’ End, 12/20 — Last-minute Monday: Over 100 amazing buys delivered by Christmas with Free Shipping
J&R, 12/20 — Today is the Last Day for Free Ground Shipping. . . Shop Now!
Costco, 12/20 — Order by 9PM Monday, 12/20/10 To Receive In Time For Christmas
Macy’s, 12/20 — Ends tonight! Extra 20% off + Free Guaranteed Christmas Delivery!
Nordstrom, 12/20 — Free Holiday Shipping Ends Today, Dec. 20! (Details Inside) The Best New Year's Dresses
Walgreens, 12/20 — 2 Days Left for FREE Expedited Shipping Use FSA Funds Before They Expire
Norm Thompson, 12/20 — Let the stress melt away...FREE By-Christmas Delivery!
eBags, 12/20 — Free Guaranteed Delivery by 12/24 on Thousands of Gifts!
B&H, 12/20 — FREE Overnight and Second Day Shipping
Sportsman’s Guide, 12/20 — $20 Off your next order, Ends Tuesday... Get it in time for Christmas - use expedited shipping from The Guide
Lane Bryant, 12/20 — After Christmas Sale Starts Early: Buy 2 Get 2 Bras Free + 50% Off Jeans
Spiegel, 12/20 — Glam It Up with 3 Party Looks for New Year's & Beyond!
SmartBargains, 12/20 — New Year's Eve Dress BLOWOUT! Buy 2 or more and take additional 50% Off.
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Sears, 12/20 — FREE Standard Shipping ENDS TODAY! Plus, Extra 10% off Electronics Saturday Only!
When Sears converted their gift card banner into an e-gift card banner in a Dec. 19 email, they also added an option to send the e-gift card to Facebook via eGift Social. Just like GameStop promoting their Facebook store recently (see Dec. 13 AM Inbox), Sears offering this new e-gift option is yet another way that Facebook is moving into ecommerce.
Office Depot, 12/20 — Warmest Wishes From The Office Depot Family To Yours!
More than 19% of major online retailers sent a season’s greetings email to their subscribers last year. This one from Office Depot is the first of this season and with the vast majority of retail season’s greetings emails arriving on Christmas Day, this one’s definitely on the early side.
Sam’s Club, 12/20 — Need last-minute gifts? Order select items by Dec. 21 and choose Express Shipping
With Christmas Eve delivery no longer guaranteed via ground shipping for most retailers, now is the time to start promoting last-minute options: (1) expedited and overnight shipping, (2) e-gift cards and (3) store hours, as Sam’s Club does in this email.
SUBJECTIVITY SCANNER: Select noteworthy subject lines
Lands’ End, 12/20 — Last-minute Monday: Over 100 amazing buys delivered by Christmas with Free Shipping
J&R, 12/20 — Today is the Last Day for Free Ground Shipping. . . Shop Now!
Costco, 12/20 — Order by 9PM Monday, 12/20/10 To Receive In Time For Christmas
Macy’s, 12/20 — Ends tonight! Extra 20% off + Free Guaranteed Christmas Delivery!
Nordstrom, 12/20 — Free Holiday Shipping Ends Today, Dec. 20! (Details Inside) The Best New Year's Dresses
Walgreens, 12/20 — 2 Days Left for FREE Expedited Shipping Use FSA Funds Before They Expire
Norm Thompson, 12/20 — Let the stress melt away...FREE By-Christmas Delivery!
eBags, 12/20 — Free Guaranteed Delivery by 12/24 on Thousands of Gifts!
B&H, 12/20 — FREE Overnight and Second Day Shipping
Sportsman’s Guide, 12/20 — $20 Off your next order, Ends Tuesday... Get it in time for Christmas - use expedited shipping from The Guide
Lane Bryant, 12/20 — After Christmas Sale Starts Early: Buy 2 Get 2 Bras Free + 50% Off Jeans
Spiegel, 12/20 — Glam It Up with 3 Party Looks for New Year's & Beyond!
SmartBargains, 12/20 — New Year's Eve Dress BLOWOUT! Buy 2 or more and take additional 50% Off.
_____________________
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Season Finale: Breast Cancer Awareness Month 2010
A look back on seasonal trends, email activity and standout B2C marketing:
Start to finish: The first reference to Breast Cancer Awareness Month was on Aug. 27. The final reference was on Nov. 2.
The biggest day for Breast Cancer Awareness Month emails was Saturday, Oct. 2, followed by Wednesday, Oct. 6. Retailers sent the majority of their Breast Cancer Awareness Month-themed emails after Oct. 13.
Most interesting emails: In an Oct. 17 email, Bloomingdale’s gives subscribers four ways to support breast cancer research. The four calls-to-action are brief and distinct from each other, offering subscribers some options on how to get involved.
In a Sept. 30 email with the subject line “Give In Style: You Save 25%, We Donate 10%” Ralph Lauren promotes a discount in addition to a cause marketing angle that has them donating 10% of sales. That simple win-win messaging is in the subject line, preheader text and primary message block so there’s no confusion about what Ralph Lauren wants subscribers to do. That primary message is followed up with a charity auction message that appealed to their higher-end customers.
Standout subject lines:
Ann Taylor, 10/6 — Purchase The Ann Cares Card And Help Fight Breast Cancer
Bloomingdale’s, 10/17 — Help Us In The Fight Against Breast Cancer!
NFLshop, 10/12 — Unique Pink NFL Products BID NOW!
Ralph Lauren, 10/2 — Bid Now On One-Of-A-Kind Experiences, Online At The Pink Pony Charity Auction
Read previous Breast Cancer Awareness Month Season Finales: 2009, 2008, 2007, 2006
Explore Breast Cancer Awareness Month tag.
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Start to finish: The first reference to Breast Cancer Awareness Month was on Aug. 27. The final reference was on Nov. 2.
The biggest day for Breast Cancer Awareness Month emails was Saturday, Oct. 2, followed by Wednesday, Oct. 6. Retailers sent the majority of their Breast Cancer Awareness Month-themed emails after Oct. 13.
Most interesting emails: In an Oct. 17 email, Bloomingdale’s gives subscribers four ways to support breast cancer research. The four calls-to-action are brief and distinct from each other, offering subscribers some options on how to get involved.
In a Sept. 30 email with the subject line “Give In Style: You Save 25%, We Donate 10%” Ralph Lauren promotes a discount in addition to a cause marketing angle that has them donating 10% of sales. That simple win-win messaging is in the subject line, preheader text and primary message block so there’s no confusion about what Ralph Lauren wants subscribers to do. That primary message is followed up with a charity auction message that appealed to their higher-end customers.
Standout subject lines:
Ann Taylor, 10/6 — Purchase The Ann Cares Card And Help Fight Breast Cancer
Bloomingdale’s, 10/17 — Help Us In The Fight Against Breast Cancer!
NFLshop, 10/12 — Unique Pink NFL Products BID NOW!
Ralph Lauren, 10/2 — Bid Now On One-Of-A-Kind Experiences, Online At The Pink Pony Charity Auction
Read previous Breast Cancer Awareness Month Season Finales: 2009, 2008, 2007, 2006
Explore Breast Cancer Awareness Month tag.
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Monday, December 20, 2010
AM Inbox: 'Free Shipping DAY? People Puhleeze, We Have Free Shipping All 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:
J&R, 12/17 — Free Shipping DAY? People Puhleeze, We Have Free Shipping All Holiday Season!
Free Shipping Day was a bust—and most definitely will not be following in the footsteps of Cyber Monday. Only 6% of retail emails on Friday mentioned Free Shipping Day—one of the retailers that mentioned it, J&R, only did so to mock it. J&R’s email points out the two major flaws with the concept of Free Shipping Day: (1) Free shipping is extremely common during the holiday season, so having a special day that gives consumers something they were already getting is kind of silly. And (2) Free Shipping Day also bills itself as consumers’ last chance for free shipping, which just isn’t true for the vast majority of retailers. Several retailers, including L.L. Bean, REI and Target, used their subject lines on Friday to point out that they would be offering free shipping for several more days. Celebrating Free Shipping Day seems to carry significant risk, from confusion about the end of your standard shipping to having competitors counter-message.
For more on how Free Shipping Day played out, check out Week-End Trends: Holiday email volume peaks early + Free Shipping Day fizzles
Blair, 12/18 — Some good advice from your friends
This email appears to be segmented so that it highlights product review testimonials from subscribers’ home state and those around it. I haven’t seen a retailer do this before. This approach definitely makes the product review community seem more local, appealing to people’s desire to help those nearby.
SUBJECTIVITY SCANNER: Select noteworthy subject lines
Toys “R” Us, 12/17 — Free Shipping Day, Dec. 17! Our Biggest & Best Offer Ever!
HSN, 12/17 — Free Shipping Day! Save on Over 5,000 Gifts
Bluefly, 12/17 — OMG! Extra 25% Off ALL Sale Items (now up to 80% off) + Celebrate Free Shipping Day!
L.L. Bean, 12/17 — Only 4 Days Left: Free Shipping, No Minimum
Target, 12/17 — Hey, Santa: Standard shipping ends Dec. 21.
REI, 12/17 — Time's Running Out - Order by December 21 for Standard Shipping!
Eddie Bauer, 12/17 — One Day! Last Chance! Free Shipping No Min Daily Deal: 50% Off Fleece
DisneyStore, 12/17 — Free Shipping Today Only! Standard Shipping by Christmas Ends Tonight
Sears, 12/17 — FREE Standard Shipping ENDS TODAY! Plus, Extra 10% off Electronics Saturday Only!
Kmart, 12/17 — Last Day for Standard Shipping by Christmas + Better than Black Friday Sale
Coldwater Creek, 12/17 — LAST DAY! Free Shipping + 40% Off
Kohl’s, 12/18 — Last Day to Get Standard Shipping Before Christmas!
Harry & David, 12/18 — LAST DAY for Standard Delivery in time for Christmas
Target, 12/19 — Don’t be late, Santa: Standard shipping ends 12/21.
Brookstone, 12/19 — Still Time… FREE Ground Delivery for Christmas Eve!
Sportsman’s Guide, 12/19 — Ground Shipping Cutoff Extended... Free Shipping -OR- $25 Gift Card ends Monday 11 AM
Petco, 12/19 — PETCO Last Day for FREE Standard Shipping + 20% off Sitewide!
Crate & Barrel, 12/19 — Gift Countdown: Give the wine lover. Free Ship ends 12/22.
L.L. Bean, 12/19 — Your Order Ships FREE until Midnight Tomorrow
Overstock, 12/19 — Last Day for Ground Delivery by December 24
Alloy, 12/19 — LAST 2 DAYS: Free Shipping (no minimum) for Christmas Delivery!
Musician’s Friend, 12/18 — Musician's Friend: Still Time For Free Holiday Delivery! Details Inside
Macy’s, 12/18 — Gift specials end today + extra 20% off & Free Shipping every day!
Urban Outfitters, 12/18 — New Year's Eve + Take 10% Off!
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J&R, 12/17 — Free Shipping DAY? People Puhleeze, We Have Free Shipping All Holiday Season!
Free Shipping Day was a bust—and most definitely will not be following in the footsteps of Cyber Monday. Only 6% of retail emails on Friday mentioned Free Shipping Day—one of the retailers that mentioned it, J&R, only did so to mock it. J&R’s email points out the two major flaws with the concept of Free Shipping Day: (1) Free shipping is extremely common during the holiday season, so having a special day that gives consumers something they were already getting is kind of silly. And (2) Free Shipping Day also bills itself as consumers’ last chance for free shipping, which just isn’t true for the vast majority of retailers. Several retailers, including L.L. Bean, REI and Target, used their subject lines on Friday to point out that they would be offering free shipping for several more days. Celebrating Free Shipping Day seems to carry significant risk, from confusion about the end of your standard shipping to having competitors counter-message.
For more on how Free Shipping Day played out, check out Week-End Trends: Holiday email volume peaks early + Free Shipping Day fizzles
Blair, 12/18 — Some good advice from your friends
This email appears to be segmented so that it highlights product review testimonials from subscribers’ home state and those around it. I haven’t seen a retailer do this before. This approach definitely makes the product review community seem more local, appealing to people’s desire to help those nearby.
SUBJECTIVITY SCANNER: Select noteworthy subject lines
Toys “R” Us, 12/17 — Free Shipping Day, Dec. 17! Our Biggest & Best Offer Ever!
HSN, 12/17 — Free Shipping Day! Save on Over 5,000 Gifts
Bluefly, 12/17 — OMG! Extra 25% Off ALL Sale Items (now up to 80% off) + Celebrate Free Shipping Day!
L.L. Bean, 12/17 — Only 4 Days Left: Free Shipping, No Minimum
Target, 12/17 — Hey, Santa: Standard shipping ends Dec. 21.
REI, 12/17 — Time's Running Out - Order by December 21 for Standard Shipping!
Eddie Bauer, 12/17 — One Day! Last Chance! Free Shipping No Min Daily Deal: 50% Off Fleece
DisneyStore, 12/17 — Free Shipping Today Only! Standard Shipping by Christmas Ends Tonight
Sears, 12/17 — FREE Standard Shipping ENDS TODAY! Plus, Extra 10% off Electronics Saturday Only!
Kmart, 12/17 — Last Day for Standard Shipping by Christmas + Better than Black Friday Sale
Coldwater Creek, 12/17 — LAST DAY! Free Shipping + 40% Off
Kohl’s, 12/18 — Last Day to Get Standard Shipping Before Christmas!
Harry & David, 12/18 — LAST DAY for Standard Delivery in time for Christmas
Target, 12/19 — Don’t be late, Santa: Standard shipping ends 12/21.
Brookstone, 12/19 — Still Time… FREE Ground Delivery for Christmas Eve!
Sportsman’s Guide, 12/19 — Ground Shipping Cutoff Extended... Free Shipping -OR- $25 Gift Card ends Monday 11 AM
Petco, 12/19 — PETCO Last Day for FREE Standard Shipping + 20% off Sitewide!
Crate & Barrel, 12/19 — Gift Countdown: Give the wine lover. Free Ship ends 12/22.
L.L. Bean, 12/19 — Your Order Ships FREE until Midnight Tomorrow
Overstock, 12/19 — Last Day for Ground Delivery by December 24
Alloy, 12/19 — LAST 2 DAYS: Free Shipping (no minimum) for Christmas Delivery!
Musician’s Friend, 12/18 — Musician's Friend: Still Time For Free Holiday Delivery! Details Inside
Macy’s, 12/18 — Gift specials end today + extra 20% off & Free Shipping every day!
Urban Outfitters, 12/18 — New Year's Eve + Take 10% Off!
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Saturday, December 18, 2010
Week-End Trends: Holiday email volume peaks early + Free Shipping Day fizzles
Email activity and seasonal trends during the past week:
The Retail Email Index: Top online retailers sent each of their subscribers 4.4 promotional emails on average during the week ending Dec. 17, 2010. That’s down 4% week-over-week, up 23% from where it was four weeks ago, and up 8% year-over-year.
In recent years, holiday email marketing volume has peaked a bit closer to Christmas. That said, retail email volume is still up significantly year-over-year. This may be a sign that retailers are pleased with their holiday sales trajectory thus far, that they don’t feel the pressure that they have in recent years to continue pushing hard on email volume until late in the season.
The Retail Email Participation Rate: As they traditionally are during the holiday season, Monday and Friday were the most popular days to send retail emails last week. Friday’s popularity had little to nothing to do with the fact that it was Free Shipping Day.
The Retail Email Seasonality Meter: Christmas message will remain all-consuming through this upcoming week and then recede in the days following Christmas. Before this week, we had some questions from clients about whether Free Shipping Day was going to be a significant factor in email marketing messaging. My take, which was completely supported by how things played out, was that it was going to be pretty much a nonfactor. Free Shipping Day was mentioned in only 6% of retail emails on Friday, and only 1% of the emails for the week—making it significantly less popular than April Fools’ Day and Cinco de Mayo in terms of retail email messaging. While this year Free Shipping Day fell on a Friday, which is a very popular day of the week to send emails during the holidays, next year it will fall on a Saturday, which is consistently the least popular day of the week to email. So the small steps forward that Free Shipping Day made this year are very likely to completely evaporate next year simply because of the day of the week on which Dec. 17 falls. Free Shipping Day will not be following in the footsteps of Cyber Monday.
Selling Seasons on the Horizon:
Christmas (12/25): 2009 Season Finale and the 2010 Retail Email Guide to the Holiday Season
New Year’s (1/1): 2010 Season Finale
Valentine’s Day (2/14): 2010 Season Finale
St. Patrick’s Day (3/17): 2010 Season Finale
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The Retail Email Index: Top online retailers sent each of their subscribers 4.4 promotional emails on average during the week ending Dec. 17, 2010. That’s down 4% week-over-week, up 23% from where it was four weeks ago, and up 8% year-over-year.
In recent years, holiday email marketing volume has peaked a bit closer to Christmas. That said, retail email volume is still up significantly year-over-year. This may be a sign that retailers are pleased with their holiday sales trajectory thus far, that they don’t feel the pressure that they have in recent years to continue pushing hard on email volume until late in the season.
The Retail Email Participation Rate: As they traditionally are during the holiday season, Monday and Friday were the most popular days to send retail emails last week. Friday’s popularity had little to nothing to do with the fact that it was Free Shipping Day.
The Retail Email Seasonality Meter: Christmas message will remain all-consuming through this upcoming week and then recede in the days following Christmas. Before this week, we had some questions from clients about whether Free Shipping Day was going to be a significant factor in email marketing messaging. My take, which was completely supported by how things played out, was that it was going to be pretty much a nonfactor. Free Shipping Day was mentioned in only 6% of retail emails on Friday, and only 1% of the emails for the week—making it significantly less popular than April Fools’ Day and Cinco de Mayo in terms of retail email messaging. While this year Free Shipping Day fell on a Friday, which is a very popular day of the week to send emails during the holidays, next year it will fall on a Saturday, which is consistently the least popular day of the week to email. So the small steps forward that Free Shipping Day made this year are very likely to completely evaporate next year simply because of the day of the week on which Dec. 17 falls. Free Shipping Day will not be following in the footsteps of Cyber Monday.
Selling Seasons on the Horizon:
Christmas (12/25): 2009 Season Finale and the 2010 Retail Email Guide to the Holiday Season
New Year’s (1/1): 2010 Season Finale
Valentine’s Day (2/14): 2010 Season Finale
St. Patrick’s Day (3/17): 2010 Season Finale
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Friday, December 17, 2010
Ping Time: Hotmail's Active Views, FISA, passive opt-ins, etc.
My latest spin around the mediasphere turned up the following nuggets:
>>Tweet of the Week: @wise_laura: @aliverson my call volume indicates that AOL has calmed down, but that Yahoo is causing ulcers across the industry.
>>Hotmail introduces Active Views, which essentially allows marketers to email microsites to their subscribers, allowing them to complete forms, do searches and other activities all without leaving the email. >>Follow the ping into the future of email marketing
>>ThinData 1:1, the Law Office of Kris Klein, Return Path and CAUCE provide advice on how to comply with Canada’s new anti-spam law, Fighting Internet and Wireless Spam Act (FISA, a.k.a. Bill C-28). >>Follow the ping
>>Ros Hodgekiss of Campaign Monitor talks about why they don’t accept email lists that have been built on the passive opt-ins from pre-check boxes. >>Follow the ping
>>Dylan Boyd of eROI shares his predictions for 2011. >>Follow the ping
_____________________
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>>Tweet of the Week: @wise_laura: @aliverson my call volume indicates that AOL has calmed down, but that Yahoo is causing ulcers across the industry.
>>Hotmail introduces Active Views, which essentially allows marketers to email microsites to their subscribers, allowing them to complete forms, do searches and other activities all without leaving the email. >>Follow the ping into the future of email marketing
>>ThinData 1:1, the Law Office of Kris Klein, Return Path and CAUCE provide advice on how to comply with Canada’s new anti-spam law, Fighting Internet and Wireless Spam Act (FISA, a.k.a. Bill C-28). >>Follow the ping
>>Ros Hodgekiss of Campaign Monitor talks about why they don’t accept email lists that have been built on the passive opt-ins from pre-check boxes. >>Follow the ping
>>Dylan Boyd of eROI shares his predictions for 2011. >>Follow the ping
_____________________
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Season Finale: Back to school 2010
A look back on seasonal trends, email activity and standout B2C marketing:
Start to finish: The first reference to the back-to-school season was on June 16. The final reference was on Oct. 24.
The biggest day for back-to-school emails was Friday, Aug. 6, followed by Wednesday, Aug. 11 and Friday, Aug. 13. Retailers sent the majority of their back-to-school-themed emails after Aug. 9.
Most interesting emails: In the same way that some retailers offer military service men and women Memorial Day and Veterans Day discounts when they present their military IDs, in this Aug. 19 email, Sony offers students a free PS3 with laptop purchase when they show their student ID. Besides being targeted, these “show your ID” discounts also bring people into stores.
In an Aug. 11 email, Kohl’s makes a strong viral call-to-action in connection with a campaign that gave away $10 million to the schools with the most votes on Facebook. The message was clear: Get your friends to vote on Facebook. The subject line, “We still have all this money to give away.” did a great job of supporting that call-to-action.
In an Aug. 1 email, JCPenney used this great banner design. It breaks the margin on the right-hand side and the spiral notebook edge on top gives it some great texture. JCPenney has been churning out super designs that stand in sharp contrast to the boxy email designs used by most retailers.
In an Aug. 3 email, Walgreens took a unique approach to the back-to-school season, connecting wellness with performance in school. In past years, I haven’t seen a retailer make that connection so explicitly.
Standout subject lines:
Barnes & Noble, 9/9 — Lighten your Backpack! Get Digital TEXTBOOKS Instantly.
Office Depot, 8/11 — Pop Quiz! How Much Can You Save on a Laptop Bundle? Answer Inside.
Office Depot, 8/3 — $15 Buys All These School Supplies + Other Great Back-to-School Deals!
Target, 7/11 — College savings: Great offers on what they'll need for dorm life.
Finish Line, 8/3 — Do You Have Your Homework Hauler? Free Shipping on all Backpacks!
Kohl’s, 7/8 — Your school could win $500K. Dream Big. Act Now.
Old Navy, 7/23 — School Uniforms at Our Lowest Prices + a Gift for the Grownups!
Art.com, 7/26 — $4.98 Posters + 25% off SITEWIDE = A+ Back to School Sale!
Barnes & Noble, 9/14 — How Unoriginal - A Back-to-School Sale. Or is it?
Subject lines that stand out for the wrong reasons:
Sam’s Club, 7/26 — Savings on dorm room digital: laptops, printers and more
It appears that a word is missing after “digital.” That adjective is just hanging there.
Target, 8/25 — Wired for school: Electronics the'’ll want to take with 'em.
Looks like the y in “they’ll” was accidently replaced with an apostrophe.
Hanna Andersson, 8/19 — New Hannas + Early Savings In Time For BTS!
It’s possible that this subject line intrigued folks by using the cryptic BTS acronym. It stands for “back to school,” but that was news to me. No other retailer used that shorthand.
Read previous back to school Season Finales: 2009, 2008, 2007, 2006
Explore back to school tag.
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Start to finish: The first reference to the back-to-school season was on June 16. The final reference was on Oct. 24.
The biggest day for back-to-school emails was Friday, Aug. 6, followed by Wednesday, Aug. 11 and Friday, Aug. 13. Retailers sent the majority of their back-to-school-themed emails after Aug. 9.
Most interesting emails: In the same way that some retailers offer military service men and women Memorial Day and Veterans Day discounts when they present their military IDs, in this Aug. 19 email, Sony offers students a free PS3 with laptop purchase when they show their student ID. Besides being targeted, these “show your ID” discounts also bring people into stores.
In an Aug. 11 email, Kohl’s makes a strong viral call-to-action in connection with a campaign that gave away $10 million to the schools with the most votes on Facebook. The message was clear: Get your friends to vote on Facebook. The subject line, “We still have all this money to give away.” did a great job of supporting that call-to-action.
In an Aug. 1 email, JCPenney used this great banner design. It breaks the margin on the right-hand side and the spiral notebook edge on top gives it some great texture. JCPenney has been churning out super designs that stand in sharp contrast to the boxy email designs used by most retailers.
In an Aug. 3 email, Walgreens took a unique approach to the back-to-school season, connecting wellness with performance in school. In past years, I haven’t seen a retailer make that connection so explicitly.
Standout subject lines:
Barnes & Noble, 9/9 — Lighten your Backpack! Get Digital TEXTBOOKS Instantly.
Office Depot, 8/11 — Pop Quiz! How Much Can You Save on a Laptop Bundle? Answer Inside.
Office Depot, 8/3 — $15 Buys All These School Supplies + Other Great Back-to-School Deals!
Target, 7/11 — College savings: Great offers on what they'll need for dorm life.
Finish Line, 8/3 — Do You Have Your Homework Hauler? Free Shipping on all Backpacks!
Kohl’s, 7/8 — Your school could win $500K. Dream Big. Act Now.
Old Navy, 7/23 — School Uniforms at Our Lowest Prices + a Gift for the Grownups!
Art.com, 7/26 — $4.98 Posters + 25% off SITEWIDE = A+ Back to School Sale!
Barnes & Noble, 9/14 — How Unoriginal - A Back-to-School Sale. Or is it?
Subject lines that stand out for the wrong reasons:
Sam’s Club, 7/26 — Savings on dorm room digital: laptops, printers and more
It appears that a word is missing after “digital.” That adjective is just hanging there.
Target, 8/25 — Wired for school: Electronics the'’ll want to take with 'em.
Looks like the y in “they’ll” was accidently replaced with an apostrophe.
Hanna Andersson, 8/19 — New Hannas + Early Savings In Time For BTS!
It’s possible that this subject line intrigued folks by using the cryptic BTS acronym. It stands for “back to school,” but that was news to me. No other retailer used that shorthand.
Read previous back to school Season Finales: 2009, 2008, 2007, 2006
Explore back to school tag.
_____________________
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AM Inbox: Diamond.com returns with new site and email design
The Retail Email Blog monitors the email marketing campaigns of more than 100 top online retailers. Here are highlights from my inbox this morning:
Diamond.com, 12/16 — It's Finally Here - Discover the New Diamond.com
After two months of not emailing their subscribers, Diamond.com returns with a new site and new email design. The email is short on explanation—most critically about what’s new, besides the striking cosmetic changes. It’s hard to say definitively from just this one email, but it looks like Diamond.com is trying to take their brand image upmarket a little with the emphasis on a single hero image instead of the big product grid that dominated their previous email design. Here’s the new design (left) and the previous design from an Oct. 14 email:
SUBJECTIVITY SCANNER: Select noteworthy subject lines
Orvis, 12/16 — Shop by 11:59 p.m. (EST) TONIGHT - for guaranteed Christmas delivery via standard delivery.
J&R, 12/16 — Holiday Savings for TV & Movie Buffs… Hurry 8 Shipping Days Until Christmas!
Petco, 12/16 — PETCO FREE Standard Shipping Deadline EXTENDED. Plus, 20% Off Sitewide!
Home Depot, 12/16 — Gift Cards + Last Chance for Free Shipping in Time for Christmas
Neiman Marcus, 12/16 — CASHMERE SALE: Save as much as 65% off + Free RUSH delivery
Musician’s Friend, 12/16 — Musician's Friend: Last-Minute Gifts Ship Free & Arrive On-Time - Guaranteed!
Brookstone, 12/16 — Oops! Forgot to get someone a gift?
Cooking.com, 12/16 — You Voted: Top 5 YUMMIEST Holiday Cookies
GameStop, 12/16 — Outshine Santa. Shop the Power Saver Sale and Save.
_____________________
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Diamond.com, 12/16 — It's Finally Here - Discover the New Diamond.com
After two months of not emailing their subscribers, Diamond.com returns with a new site and new email design. The email is short on explanation—most critically about what’s new, besides the striking cosmetic changes. It’s hard to say definitively from just this one email, but it looks like Diamond.com is trying to take their brand image upmarket a little with the emphasis on a single hero image instead of the big product grid that dominated their previous email design. Here’s the new design (left) and the previous design from an Oct. 14 email:
SUBJECTIVITY SCANNER: Select noteworthy subject lines
Orvis, 12/16 — Shop by 11:59 p.m. (EST) TONIGHT - for guaranteed Christmas delivery via standard delivery.
J&R, 12/16 — Holiday Savings for TV & Movie Buffs… Hurry 8 Shipping Days Until Christmas!
Petco, 12/16 — PETCO FREE Standard Shipping Deadline EXTENDED. Plus, 20% Off Sitewide!
Home Depot, 12/16 — Gift Cards + Last Chance for Free Shipping in Time for Christmas
Neiman Marcus, 12/16 — CASHMERE SALE: Save as much as 65% off + Free RUSH delivery
Musician’s Friend, 12/16 — Musician's Friend: Last-Minute Gifts Ship Free & Arrive On-Time - Guaranteed!
Brookstone, 12/16 — Oops! Forgot to get someone a gift?
Cooking.com, 12/16 — You Voted: Top 5 YUMMIEST Holiday Cookies
GameStop, 12/16 — Outshine Santa. Shop the Power Saver Sale and Save.
_____________________
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Thursday, December 16, 2010
AM Inbox: Free shipping is standard shipping
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, 12/15 — Gift ideas for the entertainer. Free Shipping ends 12/22.
I’m seeing more retailers this holiday season messaging the end of free shipping when they mean the end of standard shipping in time for Christmas delivery. This shift in language is recognition that free shipping in some form is pretty much the status quo during the holidays. The only snag I see is that retailers are always crying wolf when it comes to the end of a free shipping deal—Free standard shipping ends only to be replaced by free expedited shipping or some other free shipping deal. But with Christmas getting so close, consumers are likely to believe retailers when they say free shipping is ending, especially if it’s ending on Dec. 22 like Crate & Barrel’s does. In this email, Crate & Barrel does a great job of really reinforcing that order-by deadline. It’s in the subject line, preheader text, header and secondary message block toward the bottom of the email. When something’s important, it bears repeating.
Sports Authority, 12/15 — [25% Off] Friends and Family Event Extended One Day! - In Store Only
I first thought this email was accidently missing its usual header and navigation bar, but Sports Authority followed up this email with a “final hours” email later in the day. Headers serve a valuable function: They aid in the quick recognition of your emails in the inbox. Especially during the hectic holiday season when subscribers’ inboxes are overflowing with promotional emails, it’s unwise to make it difficult for subscribers to tell who your emails are from.
SUBJECTIVITY SCANNER: Select noteworthy subject lines
Coldwater Creek, 12/15 — HUNDREDS of last-minute GIFTS + Free Shipping & 25% OFF
Nordstrom, 12/15 — Last-Minute Gifts from MAC, Bobbi Brown & More + $5 Shipping (Details Inside)
Spiegel, 12/15 — There's Still Time! SAVE on Last-Minute Gifts!
Hanna Andersson, 12/15 — Last Day Free Shipping + First Peek At Spring 2011!
Finish Line, 12/15 — Last Day for Free Shipping in Time for Christmas!
Orvis, 12/15 — Don't wait - order now for Guaranteed Delivery!
Sephora, 12/15 — Fancy a free stocking stuffer?
Crutchfield, 12/15 — Crutchfield freebies - give more, pay less
Hallmark, 12/15 — Wrap up holiday shopping with a deal from Gold Crown
_____________________
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Crate & Barrel, 12/15 — Gift ideas for the entertainer. Free Shipping ends 12/22.
I’m seeing more retailers this holiday season messaging the end of free shipping when they mean the end of standard shipping in time for Christmas delivery. This shift in language is recognition that free shipping in some form is pretty much the status quo during the holidays. The only snag I see is that retailers are always crying wolf when it comes to the end of a free shipping deal—Free standard shipping ends only to be replaced by free expedited shipping or some other free shipping deal. But with Christmas getting so close, consumers are likely to believe retailers when they say free shipping is ending, especially if it’s ending on Dec. 22 like Crate & Barrel’s does. In this email, Crate & Barrel does a great job of really reinforcing that order-by deadline. It’s in the subject line, preheader text, header and secondary message block toward the bottom of the email. When something’s important, it bears repeating.
Sports Authority, 12/15 — [25% Off] Friends and Family Event Extended One Day! - In Store Only
I first thought this email was accidently missing its usual header and navigation bar, but Sports Authority followed up this email with a “final hours” email later in the day. Headers serve a valuable function: They aid in the quick recognition of your emails in the inbox. Especially during the hectic holiday season when subscribers’ inboxes are overflowing with promotional emails, it’s unwise to make it difficult for subscribers to tell who your emails are from.
SUBJECTIVITY SCANNER: Select noteworthy subject lines
Coldwater Creek, 12/15 — HUNDREDS of last-minute GIFTS + Free Shipping & 25% OFF
Nordstrom, 12/15 — Last-Minute Gifts from MAC, Bobbi Brown & More + $5 Shipping (Details Inside)
Spiegel, 12/15 — There's Still Time! SAVE on Last-Minute Gifts!
Hanna Andersson, 12/15 — Last Day Free Shipping + First Peek At Spring 2011!
Finish Line, 12/15 — Last Day for Free Shipping in Time for Christmas!
Orvis, 12/15 — Don't wait - order now for Guaranteed Delivery!
Sephora, 12/15 — Fancy a free stocking stuffer?
Crutchfield, 12/15 — Crutchfield freebies - give more, pay less
Hallmark, 12/15 — Wrap up holiday shopping with a deal from Gold Crown
_____________________
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Wednesday, December 15, 2010
AM Inbox: Reacting to browsing subscribers
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, 12/14 — Shop Top-Rated Cutlery
I’m still surprised by how few retailers make good use of browse-based and shopping cart abandonment emails, especially during the critical holiday season. When subscribers click on a product in your email and browse your website and don’t buy, they’re giving you an opportunity to help them—by presenting educational content or similar products, related products, cheaper products, more feature-rich products, etc. In this browse-based email, Williams-Sonoma is reacting to me clicking through on recent emails and looking at knives.
Musician’s Friend, 12/14 — Musician's Friend: Perfect Gift Pointers + 12 Nights of Deals
Musician’s Friend puts a unique twist on their “12 Days of Christmas” campaign by making the deals only available in the afternoon and at night.
SUBJECTIVITY SCANNER: Select noteworthy subject lines
Cooking.com, 12/14 — Last Chance to Get Best Gifts in Time for Christmas
HP, 12/14 — Last chance: Customize your PC now for Holiday Delivery
Montgomery Ward, 12/14 — Last but not least: great last-minute gifts
Spiegel, 12/14 — Need the Perfect Present? SAVE on Last-Minute Gifts!
Blair, 12/14 — Running late? We'll help with a free shipping upgrade.
1-800-Flowers.com, 12/14 — Free Holiday Shipping Upgrade + Save up to 40% - LIMITED TIME ONLY
The Company Store, 12/14 — Reminder, You've been Upgraded
Barnes & Noble, 12/14 — Wrap Up Your Holiday Shopping: Great Offers on Great Gifts!
Oriental Trading, 12/14 — Throw the biggest party of the year. Get FREE shipping [promoting New Year’s products]
_____________________
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Williams-Sonoma, 12/14 — Shop Top-Rated Cutlery
I’m still surprised by how few retailers make good use of browse-based and shopping cart abandonment emails, especially during the critical holiday season. When subscribers click on a product in your email and browse your website and don’t buy, they’re giving you an opportunity to help them—by presenting educational content or similar products, related products, cheaper products, more feature-rich products, etc. In this browse-based email, Williams-Sonoma is reacting to me clicking through on recent emails and looking at knives.
Musician’s Friend, 12/14 — Musician's Friend: Perfect Gift Pointers + 12 Nights of Deals
Musician’s Friend puts a unique twist on their “12 Days of Christmas” campaign by making the deals only available in the afternoon and at night.
SUBJECTIVITY SCANNER: Select noteworthy subject lines
Cooking.com, 12/14 — Last Chance to Get Best Gifts in Time for Christmas
HP, 12/14 — Last chance: Customize your PC now for Holiday Delivery
Montgomery Ward, 12/14 — Last but not least: great last-minute gifts
Spiegel, 12/14 — Need the Perfect Present? SAVE on Last-Minute Gifts!
Blair, 12/14 — Running late? We'll help with a free shipping upgrade.
1-800-Flowers.com, 12/14 — Free Holiday Shipping Upgrade + Save up to 40% - LIMITED TIME ONLY
The Company Store, 12/14 — Reminder, You've been Upgraded
Barnes & Noble, 12/14 — Wrap Up Your Holiday Shopping: Great Offers on Great Gifts!
Oriental Trading, 12/14 — Throw the biggest party of the year. Get FREE shipping [promoting New Year’s products]
_____________________
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Tuesday, December 14, 2010
AM Inbox: Green Monday sixth busiest email marketing day this year
The Retail Email Blog monitors the email marketing campaigns of more than 100 top online retailers. Here are highlights from my inbox this morning:
TigerDirect, 12/13 — SALE: 23" LCD $139...55" 120Hz Web TV $1299...17.3" Laptop $399...2TB Ext HD $99...12MP Camera $49...HDMI Cable $7...Bluetooth Headset $1.99
As far as I can tell, this is the first reference I’ve seen a major retailer make to Green Monday in a promotional email. Over the past few years, retailers have simply referred to it as Cyber Monday III. Last year, Green Monday was the fourth most popular day of the year to send retail emails. This year, it’s currently tied for sixth place, with 64% of major online retailers having sent at least one promotional email yesterday.
Neiman Marcus, 12/13 — Fast fix: 10 On-the-Go Gifts for him & her
Neiman Marcus has a rich history. I love how they’ve been bringing it into their recent emails by including gift recommendations from years long past. In this email in this email, they highlight a gift recommendation from 1983 (an earlier email highlighted one from 1961). They even include a Shar-Pei in the product shot in the primary message block to link the primary and secondary messages.
SUBJECTIVITY SCANNER: Select noteworthy subject lines
Kmart, 12/13 — Cyber Monday Deals and Free Shipping are Back!
Sears, 12/13 — It's Cyber Monday Again! Great Gift Ideas! Great Savings!
Toys “R” Us, 12/13 — Monday Only Cyber Sale! Save up to 60% on Thousands of Toys & Games!!
Home Depot, 12/13 — Last Day for Cyber Monday Savings + Free Shipping on Over 60,000 Products
Sam’s Club, 12/13 — Merry Monday means more savings!
The Company Store, 12/13 — Free Delivery Upgrade - Stress-free shopping
Saks Fifth Avenue, 12/13 — Top designers pick their favorite gifts to give
Barnes & Noble, 12/13 — Critics Agree! NOOKcolor is The Hottest Gift of the Season.
_____________________
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TigerDirect, 12/13 — SALE: 23" LCD $139...55" 120Hz Web TV $1299...17.3" Laptop $399...2TB Ext HD $99...12MP Camera $49...HDMI Cable $7...Bluetooth Headset $1.99
As far as I can tell, this is the first reference I’ve seen a major retailer make to Green Monday in a promotional email. Over the past few years, retailers have simply referred to it as Cyber Monday III. Last year, Green Monday was the fourth most popular day of the year to send retail emails. This year, it’s currently tied for sixth place, with 64% of major online retailers having sent at least one promotional email yesterday.
Neiman Marcus, 12/13 — Fast fix: 10 On-the-Go Gifts for him & her
Neiman Marcus has a rich history. I love how they’ve been bringing it into their recent emails by including gift recommendations from years long past. In this email in this email, they highlight a gift recommendation from 1983 (an earlier email highlighted one from 1961). They even include a Shar-Pei in the product shot in the primary message block to link the primary and secondary messages.
SUBJECTIVITY SCANNER: Select noteworthy subject lines
Kmart, 12/13 — Cyber Monday Deals and Free Shipping are Back!
Sears, 12/13 — It's Cyber Monday Again! Great Gift Ideas! Great Savings!
Toys “R” Us, 12/13 — Monday Only Cyber Sale! Save up to 60% on Thousands of Toys & Games!!
Home Depot, 12/13 — Last Day for Cyber Monday Savings + Free Shipping on Over 60,000 Products
Sam’s Club, 12/13 — Merry Monday means more savings!
The Company Store, 12/13 — Free Delivery Upgrade - Stress-free shopping
Saks Fifth Avenue, 12/13 — Top designers pick their favorite gifts to give
Barnes & Noble, 12/13 — Critics Agree! NOOKcolor is The Hottest Gift of the Season.
_____________________
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Monday, December 13, 2010
AM Inbox: First Facebook store reference
The Retail Email Blog monitors the email marketing campaigns of more than 100 top online retailers. Here are highlights from my inbox this morning:
GameStop, 12/10 — Buy 2 Get 1 FREE starts tomorrow!
In their header, GameStop promotes their Facebook store. While many retailers have used their Facebook pages for landing pages, especially for contests, GameStop is the first retailer among those I track that has linked to a Facebook store.
Lands’ End, 12/12 — WISH BIG: save 40% on ANY one item + free shipping
In past years I’ve seen a few retailers offer free shipping for a limited time when gift cards are redeemed as a way to spur redemptions. Lands’ End is making free shipping part of the value proposition of their gift cards this holiday season.
Walgreens, 12/10 — A Message from Walgreens
During the heart of the holiday season, this is not the email you want to send to your subscribers—or former subscribers, which Walgreens also did. The fact that news also just came out that McDonald’s partner Arc Worldwide was hacked will only bring more attention to the Walgreens breach.
SUBJECTIVITY SCANNER: Select noteworthy subject lines
Linens ’n Things, 12/12 — Hurry, 4 Days Left for X-mas Delivery!
Office Depot, 12/10 — 1 Hour In-Store Deals + Look For New Deals Everyday Next Week
Chadwick’s, 12/10 — We'll pay you to ship your order! 48 hours only...
1-800-Flowers.com, 12/10 — Christmas Centerpieces, starting at $29.99
Buy.com, 12/10 — Black Friday III
SmartBargains, 12/10 — Best of Black Friday Coupons: Plus Free Shipping!
Kmart, 12/10 — Free Shipping and 5 - 50% Off - Better than Black Friday is Back
J&R, 12/10 — Back2Black Weekend Sale. . . We've Gone Back to Black Friday Pricing! (1 of 3)
TigerDirect, 12/10 — Black Friday III: 40" 1080p HDTV $449...15.6" HDMI Laptop $399...New 5" TomTom $99...HDMI Video Card $9...6GB PC $499...8" Frame $34...4GB DDR3 $39
Musician’s Friend, 12/11 — Musician's Friend: Free Shipping on Top Stocking Stuffers
Cooking.com, 12/11 — Holiday Hot List: The Season’s Best Gifts
Orvis, 12/10 — Show your pride with alumni and military gifts.
PC Connection, 12/10 — Huge Savings On The Hottest Gifts Like Apple TV - Only $89.99!
_____________________
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GameStop, 12/10 — Buy 2 Get 1 FREE starts tomorrow!
In their header, GameStop promotes their Facebook store. While many retailers have used their Facebook pages for landing pages, especially for contests, GameStop is the first retailer among those I track that has linked to a Facebook store.
Lands’ End, 12/12 — WISH BIG: save 40% on ANY one item + free shipping
In past years I’ve seen a few retailers offer free shipping for a limited time when gift cards are redeemed as a way to spur redemptions. Lands’ End is making free shipping part of the value proposition of their gift cards this holiday season.
Walgreens, 12/10 — A Message from Walgreens
During the heart of the holiday season, this is not the email you want to send to your subscribers—or former subscribers, which Walgreens also did. The fact that news also just came out that McDonald’s partner Arc Worldwide was hacked will only bring more attention to the Walgreens breach.
SUBJECTIVITY SCANNER: Select noteworthy subject lines
Linens ’n Things, 12/12 — Hurry, 4 Days Left for X-mas Delivery!
Office Depot, 12/10 — 1 Hour In-Store Deals + Look For New Deals Everyday Next Week
Chadwick’s, 12/10 — We'll pay you to ship your order! 48 hours only...
1-800-Flowers.com, 12/10 — Christmas Centerpieces, starting at $29.99
Buy.com, 12/10 — Black Friday III
SmartBargains, 12/10 — Best of Black Friday Coupons: Plus Free Shipping!
Kmart, 12/10 — Free Shipping and 5 - 50% Off - Better than Black Friday is Back
J&R, 12/10 — Back2Black Weekend Sale. . . We've Gone Back to Black Friday Pricing! (1 of 3)
TigerDirect, 12/10 — Black Friday III: 40" 1080p HDTV $449...15.6" HDMI Laptop $399...New 5" TomTom $99...HDMI Video Card $9...6GB PC $499...8" Frame $34...4GB DDR3 $39
Musician’s Friend, 12/11 — Musician's Friend: Free Shipping on Top Stocking Stuffers
Cooking.com, 12/11 — Holiday Hot List: The Season’s Best Gifts
Orvis, 12/10 — Show your pride with alumni and military gifts.
PC Connection, 12/10 — Huge Savings On The Hottest Gifts Like Apple TV - Only $89.99!
_____________________
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Sunday, December 12, 2010
Week-End Trends: Black Friday II helps drive email volume to new all-time high
Email activity and seasonal trends during the past week:
The Retail Email Index: Top online retailers sent each of their subscribers an all-time high of 4.6 promotional emails on average during the week ending Dec. 10, 2010. That’s up 4% week-over-week, up 36% from where it was four weeks ago, and up 25% year-over-year. Holiday retail email volume tends to peak the week prior to the week of Christmas, so I expect email volume to set yet another new all-time high this upcoming week.
The Retail Email Participation Rate: Friday was the most popular day to send retail emails last week. In fact, as many retailers sent email last Friday as they did on Black Friday, putting it in a tie for the second most popular day of the year-to-date to send promotional retail email.
The Retail Email Seasonality Meter: It’s still all Christmas all the time. New Year’s messaging won’t really hit until the week before Christmas and won’t spike until after Christmas.
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
Valentine’s Day (2/14): Valentine’s Day 2010 Season Finale
_____________________
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The Retail Email Index: Top online retailers sent each of their subscribers an all-time high of 4.6 promotional emails on average during the week ending Dec. 10, 2010. That’s up 4% week-over-week, up 36% from where it was four weeks ago, and up 25% year-over-year. Holiday retail email volume tends to peak the week prior to the week of Christmas, so I expect email volume to set yet another new all-time high this upcoming week.
The Retail Email Participation Rate: Friday was the most popular day to send retail emails last week. In fact, as many retailers sent email last Friday as they did on Black Friday, putting it in a tie for the second most popular day of the year-to-date to send promotional retail email.
The Retail Email Seasonality Meter: It’s still all Christmas all the time. New Year’s messaging won’t really hit until the week before Christmas and won’t spike until after Christmas.
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
Valentine’s Day (2/14): Valentine’s Day 2010 Season Finale
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