AM Inbox: Are free returns the new free 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:

Yoox, 6/29 — Freedom From Return Fees
With free shipping becoming more and more expected—especially during the holidays—it’s harder to stand out in the inbox with a free shipping offer. In this email, Yoox trumpets a free returns offer, which is definitely different. I wonder if we’ll see more free returns offers this holiday season, when free shipping offers will become even more ubiquitous.

You might also notice that this email suffers from an image border issue that is creating space between the three images that make up the body of this email. This is not an uncommon error; it’s well represented in the 2010 Oopsy Hall of Fame.



Sephora, 6/29 — Hot Now, Volume 5‏
Sephora continues to do a great job of weaving social calls-to-actions into their emails. In this email, Sephora connects an anti-acne product with a discussion about how being acne-free changes your life.



SUBJECTIVITY SCANNER: Select noteworthy subject lines
Ann Taylor, 6/29 — Start The Fireworks Early! 40% Off EVERYTHING Starts Now‏
Norm Thompson, 6/29 — Red, White & WAHOO! 4th of July Savings START TODAY.‏
Macy’s, 6/29 — July 4th Sale: Extra 15% off + Free Shipping!‏
HP, 6/29 — HP Independence Sale - Get Free Shipping & Coupon Savings Now‏
Old Navy, 6/29 — Explosive Summer Sale, Starting at $5! Ends July 4th
Barnes & Noble, 6/29 — NEW: FREE Angry Birds Extras & More on NOOK Color‏
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AM Inbox: Poor landing pages hurt conversions

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

Sony, 6/28 — VAIO Clearance Sale Save Up To $330 on Laptops Going Fast + More Offers‏
Conversions not what you expected? Look at the email, but don’t forget to also look at the landing page. In this email, Sony has a banner teasing two soon-to-be-released tablets. The banner doesn’t really show off the tablet in the back very well, but the call-to-action is clear.



Where it falls down is on the landing page (included below). First, there’s a large black space that for some visitors pushes all the details about the tablets below the fold. I’m sure that confused some visitors and increased abandonments. And second, if you click “Notify Me,” it asks you to type in your email address. This should be auto-filled for subscribers—or better yet, just skip ahead to the notification confirmation page. Treat your subscribers like you know them already. Don’t make them jump through unnecessary hoops.



Gap, 6/28 — Happy 4th! Up to 70% Off + FREE Shipping Every Day‏
The “Happy 4th” in the subject line seems a little premature. Normally you don’t see that until the day of or the day before a holiday.

SUBJECTIVITY SCANNER: Select noteworthy subject lines
Newegg, 6/28 — INDEPENDENCE DAY SALE! 100+ of Our BEST Deals of the Summer Inside--
L.L. Bean, 6/28 — Red, White and NEW--the Perfect Summer Shirt + Free Shipping‏
Blair, 6/28 — Ooh and ahh over this free shipping spectacular‏
J. Jill, 6/28 — 25% off sale & free shipping! Get ready for that weekend getaway.‏
Bed Bath & Beyond, 6/28 — Smarter than your average barista.‏
Cooking.com, 6/28 — Back by Popular Demand! Get a $75 Gift Certificate with Purchase!
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AM Inbox: Utilizing the whole viewing pane

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

Kmart, 6/27 — 50% OFF spring and summer clothing for the family + sandals starting at $7.99‏
Slowly, more retailers are adding background colors to their emails. Some like Kmart are routinely changing their background color to compliment individual emails. In this email, Kmart has extended the yellow of the sun to the background. It’s like sunlight fills the entire viewing pane.



Lane Bryant, 6/27 — What A Sale! Up To 60% Off, Buy 2 Bras Get 2 Free & More‏
Lane Bryant also changes their background color to compliment individual emails, but they also ways use a black background for their preheader text.



SUBJECTIVITY SCANNER: Select noteworthy subject lines
Sports Authority, 6/27 — Everything You Need for the 4th of July Weekend!
Backcountry.com, 6/27 — You Still Have Time July 4th Sale‏
Orvis, 6/27 — This week only! Save an EXTRA 20% during our Fourth of July Sale.‏
Cooking.com, 6/27 — Fourth of July Cookout: Recipes for Pulled Pork, Potato Salad & Baked Beans‏
Gilt, 6/27 — Highland, Fourth of July Style, Gilt MAN Essentials, Jiun Ho, Baron Wells, Mason's & John Smedley, Tailgate & Rxmance, Toy Watches and more Starts Today at Noon ET
Saks Fifth Avenue, 6/27 — Polo Ralph Lauren go-to looks for every guy‏
J. Jill, 6/27 — 1, 2, 3, 4...60% off more styles than we can count!‏
J&R, 6/27 — Meet Earth, Wind & Fire‏
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AM Inbox: Standing out with white space

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

Coldwater Creek, 6/25 — Tees. Love. And Free Shipping (last 2 days!)
Coldwater Creek’s use of white space in this email is really eye-catching and puts a lot of emphasis on the headline. It immediately stood out from the other retail emails in my inbox yesterday. Gap has also been playing around with white space recently (see June 16 AM Inbox and June 15 AM Inbox).



SmartBargains, 6/25 — Summer Fashion Edition: From Head to Toe (And Everything In Between)
While I appreciate that SmartBargains was bringing a catalog-inspired presentation to this email with the numbered products and legend, the legend’s size and color scheme made it very difficult to read. The fact that two items were placed on the same line without any break between them also made it reader-unfriendly. SmartBargains might have been better off making the text larger, using a two-column format, and linking the descriptions to the individual product pages to save subscribers some clicks.



SUBJECTIVITY SCANNER: Select noteworthy subject lines
HP, 6/26 — HP's Independence Sale Starts Today!
Lane Bryant, 6/24 — Summer Styles To Celebrate The 4th + Buy 2 Bras, Get 2 Free‏
Backcountry.com, 6/24 — Free 2-Day Shipping – July 4th Sale‏
Nordstrom, 6/25 — Effortlessly Cool Looks With Americana Appeal‏
Home Depot, 6/25 — Special Buys on Appliances: Red, White and Blue Savings.
Oriental Trading, 6/24 — Think outside the house. Shipping is free‏
Orvis, 6/24 — 2 must-have summer essentials. Shop sandals and sunglasses.
Cooking.com, 6/24 — This Year's Must-Have Grilling Accessories‏
JCPenney, 6/24 — Absolutely The LOWEST Prices Of The Summer, Guaranteed.
Williams-Sonoma, 6/25 — Cut Cooking Time 70% with Five-Star Favorite‏
J. Jill, 6/24 — Sale comes in every size. Shop our summer sale. Plus, free shipping!
TigerDirect, 6/25 — Now taking Reservations for the HP TouchPad‏
Neiman Marcus, 6/25 — Our Accessories Editor falls in love...
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Week-End Trends: Entering summer doldrums

Email activity and seasonal trends during the past week:

The Retail Email Index: The top online retailers sent each of their subscribers 3.0 promotional emails on average during the week ending June 24, 2011. That’s down 3% week-over-week, down 5% from where it was four weeks ago, and up 13% year-over-year.

The summer months—and July in particular—are slow months for email marketing. Last year, July had the slowest year-over-year volume growth of all the months (see Retail Email Year-End Trends for 2010). Email marketers, take advantage of the slow summer months by taking some vacation and by starting to plan your holiday email marketing campaigns.



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



The Retail Email Seasonality Meter: 4th of July messaging will spike this week. Back-to-school messaging will remain small until after Independence Day, when it will begin to rise significantly.



Selling Seasons on the Horizon:
Back to School (June-Sept.): 2010 Season Finale
Independence Day (July 4): 2010 Season Finale
Labor Day (Sept. 5): 2010 Season Finale
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Ping Time: Birthday emails, Email Hierarchy of Needs, etc.

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

>>Tweet of the Week: @andrewkordek: Birthday emails update. Weak. Hardly anyone has sent me one. And I am on several hundred lists. #emailmarketing

>>Kathryn Alva of Responsys shares a roundup of birthday emails that she received. >>Follow the ping

>>Tim Watson of Emailvision lays out his framework for the Email Hierarchy of Needs. >>Follow the ping up the hierarchy

>>Campaign Monitor has updated their guide to CSS support in email. >>Follow the ping

>>Justine Jordan of Litmus shares a horizontal-scrolling Next email with some prominent “Enable Images” language. >>Follow the ping

>>Kelly Lorenz of Bronto Software fame is joining an ESP in Sweden and has started a blog to share her digital marketing observations. >>Follow the ping

>>Website Conversion Blog talks about how deploying shopping cart abandonment emails is a rarely used and highly effective tactic. >>Follow the ping

>>In my latest Email Insider column, I discuss four trends illuminated by our 2011 Email Design Look Book that will be critical to email design in years ahead. >>Follow the ping
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AM Inbox: One easy mobile-friendly change

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

Ann Taylor, 6/23 — Say Hello To Our New Arrivals + Enjoy Free Shipping On EVERYTHING!
It’s becoming clear that marketers will be making incremental changes to make their emails more accessible on mobile devices and tablets. Even though smartphone and tablet adoption is soaring, it’s just not fast enough for marketers to justify blowing up their designs and making wholesale changes. So changes will come slowly—gradual increases in font sizes, slow narrowing of email widths, and piecemeal changes to make links and buttons more finger-friendly.

Here’s one change that retailers can make that’s low-impact on current designs: Space out your calls-to-actions. For instance, in this Ann Taylor email, there’s a bit of space of between the “Shop New Arrivals” and “Shop Our Summer Lookbook,” but it’s not enough, especially when the email is scaled down for viewing on smartphones. Giving those links more breathing room can reduce fat-finger frustrations and set you on the long path to mobile-friendliness.



Coach, 6/22 — Introducing the new limited editions.
This Coach email from Wednesday is an even better example of call-to-action crowding. Imagine the difficulty you’d have trying to select the “Shop All Online Exclusives” link with your finger.



SUBJECTIVITY SCANNER: Select noteworthy subject lines
Home Depot, 6/23 — Sneak Peek: 4th of July Savings‏
Northern Tool, 6/23 — Sale Alert: One Week Only – All Renewable Energy Products Reduced
Buy.com, 6/23 — Upgrade your Man Cave with Samsung, Bose, Monster and More!
J&R, 6/23 — Chill Out with Big Savings on Air Conditioners, Fans and Air Circulators!
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AM Inbox: Conclusion of SmartBargains' social threshold campaign

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

SmartBargains, 6/22 — 22% Off The Entire Site! We Can't Thank You Enough.
In yesterday’s AM Inbox, I shared a SmartBargains email that used a social threshold for a deal promotion. However, the details of the actual deal were a mystery. This email closes the loop on the promotion, letting subscribers know that the goal of adding 3,000 new subscribers was achieved and that the reward is a 22%-off discount for everyone.



Ann Taylor, 6/22 — Come See What's New On Our Site & Enjoy FREE SHIPPING ON EVERYTHING!
The summer months offer a slower pace that’s perfect for launching new website functionality—and well ahead of the hectic holiday season. Last-minute website relaunches can come as late as September and October. Rather than including website screenshots like most website relaunch emails do, this Ann Taylor email relies on words alone, which is a bit unfortunate as the thin font is a little tough to read on the dark, busy background. I also wonder if “Improved navigation that allows you to shop by size and color” couldn’t have just been shortened to “Shop by size and color.” Explore the Website Relaunches tag.



Sephora, 6/22 — Want an upgrade?
Sephora is not content just to have you as a subscriber. They want you as a Beauty Insider, a member of their loyalty program. In this email, they pitch subscribers on the benefits of taking that additional step, which includes exclusive email deals and product recommendations tailored to your beauty and skin profile. A more detailed customer profile equals email content that’s more personalized.



SUBJECTIVITY SCANNER: Select noteworthy subject lines
Sportsman’s Guide, 6/22 — One Day FLASH Sale!... Limited Products, Limited Time... from The Guide‏
Buy.com, 6/22 — ONE-DAY Super Points Special Plus SAVE BIG on Samsung Home Theater System, Wii Fun N' Fit Kit, Waring Smootherator Blender...
Fingerhut, 6/22 — Fingerhut: SAVE 15% on Home Cooling – Email Only Savings!
Bed Bath & Beyond, 6/22 — Chill ways to cool down this summer + FREE SHIPPING on these select items!
Bass Pro Shops, 6/22 — 4th of July Sale
Cabela’s, 6/22 — Save big on great gear at our 4th of July Sale!
Saks Fifth Avenue, 6/22 — Exclusive accessories for the distinguished man‏
Dell, 6/22 — Get a tablet for under $200 when you buy select laptops‏
Lane Bryant, 6/22 — Introducing Two New Romantic Collections + Semi Annual Sale‏
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AM Inbox: SmartBargains experiments with social thresholds

>>The 2011 Email Design Look Book celebrates 20 inspirational emails. Download it for free today.

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

SmartBargains, 6/21 — Want a Site-Wide Sale? (We thought you might)
Taking a page from the social media playbook, SmartBargains is setting a threshold in new subscribers as a condition for an unspecified sale the next day. These kinds of social thresholds were important to activating Groupon’s deals early on. I’ve seen a couple of other examples of this tactic at work, but usually they involve campaigns to grow Facebook fanbases, which is much more transparent in terms of letting people know how close they are to the goal. In this case, I wonder if the mystery sale format is motivation enough.



Staples, 6/21 — 15% off, plus a FREE bag. Offer ends Saturday!
Staples puts their own twist on OfficeMax’s in-store “Bag Event.” Instead of directing subscribers to their local newspaper to get a paper bag that gets you 20% off in stores, Staples tells subscribers they can get a free reusable bag at the store that gets you 15% off. While the discount is less, it’s fewer hurdles to jump through to get the discount. Plus, the reusable bag might have more appeal to some consumers—and if Staples runs these promotions regularly then it encourages shoppers to keep their eco-bags handy, which boosts brand impressions.

I like how Staples includes branding prominently at the bottom of their emails. Footers can be so sterile and legal. The branding makes it a little more friendly. Disney Store also does this.



Backcountry.com, 6/21 — July 4th Sale Up to 40% Off‏
This is just some fun, relaxed, summery imagery from Backcountry. It’s then followed up by a large recovery module that functions like an expanded navigation bar, with subcategory links. Backcountry is one of the few retailers that doesn’t use a navigation bar in their emails.



SUBJECTIVITY SCANNER: Select noteworthy subject lines
Cooking.com, 6/21 — Fourth of July Appetizers: Sour Cream, Avocado + Cheesy Bites‏
Victoria’s Secret, 6/21 — This July 4th, Let Sparks Fly...
Lands’ End, 6/21 — Made for sittin' on the dock of the bay: Summer Sale favorites.
Williams-Sonoma, 6/21 — Summer Fruit Tools Starting Under $15‏
JC Whitney, 6/21 — Make Every Drop Count 15% Off on Fuel Saving Products!‏
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AM Inbox: Another reason to monitor your emails in a variety of inboxes

>>The 2011 Email Design Look Book celebrates 20 inspirational emails. Download it for free today.

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

Northern Tool, 6/20 — All Pressure Washers On Sale - Huge Selection, In Stock Ready to Ship‏
It’s important to view your emails in accounts set up at all the major inbox providers. Doing this will not only allow you to catch rendering issues that might pop up, but also alert you to issues like content blocking and junk filtering. For more than a week now, Hotmail has been blocking all the images and links in Northern Tool’s emails and issuing a prominent warning—all despite the fact that I whitelisted their email address. If you haven’t set up test accounts at the major inbox providers already, move that to the top of your list.



Bed Bath & Beyond, 6/20 — Suck up a great offer toward your new Dyson!
Bed Bath & Beyond has combined a big price-cut promotion with a live Facebook event, where a Dyson engineer will answer questions. For expensive, considered purchases, pairing promotions with educational information is a smart combination. Hopefully Bed Bath will use the questions and answers from the live event in future promotions.



SUBJECTIVITY SCANNER: Select noteworthy subject lines
GameStop, 6/20 — E3 + GameStop = Exclusive weapons, maps and gear‏
Cooking.com, 6/20 — National Milkshake Day - Save 10% + Free Shipping‏
Norm Thompson, 6/20 — Save up to 87% at Summer Solstice Sale! New Markdowns + Final Clearance.‏
Sam’s Club, 6/20 — Slip, Slide and Save! Savings on outdoor play from Sam's Club‏
Ann Taylor, 6/20 — GO WILD: Introducing Our New Graphic Animal Print...‏
Art.com, 6/20 — Artist Spotlight: Introducing Pierre Poulin + Up to 30% Off!‏
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AM Inbox: Babies "R" Us multivariate testing

>>The 2011 Email Design Look Book celebrates 20 inspirational emails. Download it for free today.

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

Babies “R” Us, 6/19 — R Super Buys: Save a Bundle on Essentials for Baby with Over 20 Deals!
It appears that Toys “R” Us was doing some multivariate testing on their Babies “R” Us emails—and accidently sent multiple versions to some subscribers. Unlike A/B testing, which tests the performance different when changing one element of an email, multivariate testing involves changes of many elements in the same test. For instance, in this email the elements being tested include: (1) the background color that frames the email, (2) one vs. two messages in the preview pane banner, (3) the model shot accompanying the “Buy 1, Get 1” message, and (4) inclusion of “Nearest Store” banner. Multivariate testing has a reputation of being more complex and less conclusive than simple A/B testing.



SUBJECTIVITY SCANNER: Select noteworthy subject lines
ShopNBC, 6/17 — You choose...Customize your emails for the things you love.‏
Bloomingdale’s, 6/18 — Father's Day E-Gift Cards + New Fine Jewelry for Him‏
Williams-Sonoma, 6/18 — A Perfect Father’s Day Gift – Delivered in Minutes‏
NFLshop, 6/18 — There's Still Time To Get Dad The Perfect Gift: A NFLShop.com Gift Certificate‏
Bass Pro Shops, 6/18 — Last Minute Gift Idea for Dad‏
Coach, 6/18 — Buy Dad's gift online, pick it up in a store.
Walgreens, 6/19 — Happy Father's Day! Get 50 FREE Prints when you Buy 50 + 25% OFF Posters‏
Ralph Lauren, 6/19 — Happy Father's Day From Our Family To Yours
The Company Store, 6/19 — Happy Father's Day from The Company Store‏
JC Whitney, 6/19 — Father's Day Email Exclusive Offer! Open Now to Reveal‏
Kmart, 6/17 — Just in Time for Father's Day - Save up to 15% Today Only‏
Barnes & Noble, 6/17 — Father's Day is Sunday -- Get NOOK Wrapped FREE in Store!
Sony, 6/17 — Save for Dad and Beyond $250 OFF a Camera Bundle + More Deals‏
Blair, 6/18 — We're treating Dad to 20% off everything‏
The Company Store, 6/17 — College Bound Sale + Free Delivery‏
Nordstrom, 6/17 — What a Comeback! Colorful Cutoffs Are Hot, Hot, Hot‏
GameStop, 6/17 — B2G1 Free to Start Your Summer‏
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Week-End Trends: YOY volume growth slowest in 11 months

Email activity and seasonal trends during the past week:

The Retail Email Index: The top online retailers sent each of their subscribers 3.1 promotional emails on average during the week ending June 17, 2011. That’s up 2% week-over-week, down 4% from where it was four weeks ago, and up 6% year-over-year. That was the smallest year-over-year increase since last July.



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



The Retail Email Seasonality Meter: With Father’s Day messaging wrapping up today and tomorrow, 4th of July messaging will be on the rise this week. Last week we got our first reference to back to school, which will build slowly and peak in mid August.



Selling Seasons on the Horizon:
Back to School (June-Sept.): 2010 Season Finale
Independence Day (July 4): 2010 Season Finale
Labor Day (Sept. 5): 2010 Season Finale
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Ping Time: Checkbox labels, mobile-friendly Petco, 'Twitter Share' fix, etc.

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

>>Tweet of the Week: @kristinhersant: "One of the great requirements of retail brands is to entertain." - Ali Wing #IRCE2011

>>UX Movement explains why it’s important for your form checkboxes to have label tags. >>Follow the ping

>>Internet Retailer reports on how Petco optimized their emails for mobile. >>Follow the ping

>>David Greiner of Campaign Monitor provides yet more evidence of the rapid rise of mobile email. >>Follow the ping

>>Viktor Beall of Responsys shares the fix for ‘Twitter Share’ functionality, which stopped working recently due to changes at Twitter. >>Follow the fix

>>Simon Bowker of eCircle provides some entry-level segmentation tips. >>Follow the ping

>>Emily Keye of Bronto Software reminds us that triggered emails are not set-and-forget programs. >>Follow the ping

>>Marketing Pilgrim lists reasons why email marketing is better than social media. >>Follow the ping

>>George Bilbrey of Return Path shares some of the results of their latest sender reputation report. >>Follow the ping
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AM Inbox: First reference to back to school

>>The 2011 Email Design Look Book celebrates 20 inspirational emails. Download it for free today.

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

Apple, 6/16 — A smart offer for college students.
Apple gives us our first reference to back to school. It can be a little tough to always discern the transition from graduation messaging to back-to-school messaging, but typically back to school starts at the end of June. This Apple email is definitely ahead of the curve. For insights and inspiration for your back-to-school campaigns, check out the 2010 Back-to-School Season Finale.



Kmart, 6/16 — Save on HDTVs + save up to 30% on patio‏
There is tons of “dads and grads” messaging in June but most of it just promotes an across-the-board discount or offer. This Kmart email stands out in that it promotes TVs for both dads and grads but recognizes that you’d likely get your dad a much bigger TV than you would for your grad. That two-tiered messaging makes a lot of sense.



Nike Store, 6/16 — Just Do It: The Collection‏
The Dallas Mavericks won the NBA championship last Sunday night, but you’d never know it from reading the promotional emails of the top sporting goods retailers. Usually within a few hours of the Super Bowl and other big sporting events ending, retailers are in their subscribers’ inbox promoting championship merchandise, looking to capitalize on the excitement of the moment. But this is actually the first Congrats to the Mavericks that I’ve seen all week, and it’s a tiny reference at that. Not sure what happened here.



SUBJECTIVITY SCANNER: Select noteworthy subject lines
Tiffany & Co., 6/16 — Introducing Tiffany’s Guide to Love and Romance [promoting their new website, whatmakeslovetrue.com]
Yoox, 6/16 — Vivienne Westwood's new eco-collection launches on yoox.com
Barnes & Noble, 6/16 — Dad's Day is Sunday! Visit a Store and Save 15% on a Gift He'll Love.‏
Sports Authority, 6/16 — REMINDER: Father's Day is this Sunday. These 2 Day Specials End Saturday‏
Brookstone, 6/16 — Only Hours Left to get Next Day Delivery for Father’s Day!
Sears, 6/16 — Hey Kids! Make a BBQ Tool Caddy for Father’s Day at the Sears Kid’s Workshop this weekend‏
Toys “R” Us, 6/16 — Hot Gifts for Dad! Plus, 2 Day Bonus Deals on Swing Sets, LEGO & More!‏
Neiman Marcus, 6/16 — What's on our Fashion Director's list? + Free shipping‏
Fingerhut, 6/16 — Fingerhut: Visit the FunZone for a Chance to WIN a Netbook – Learn More!‏
Lands’ End, 6/15 — Two words you've waited all season to hear: SUMMER SALE‏
Backcountry, 6/16 — Wise Up - Sack Up with Smartwool‏
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AM Inbox: De-anonymizing trend continues

>>The 2011 Email Design Look Book celebrates 20 inspirational emails. Download it for free today.

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, 6/15 — Semi Annual Sale Online Only + Introducing Gill's Picks‏
After debuting “David’s Picks” last month (see May 23 AM Inbox), Lane Bryant introduces “Gill’s Picks,” highlighting products loved by Gill Heer, senior design director of sister brand Cacique. This appears to be an indication that Lane Bryant found success by attaching product promotions to an actual person in the organization, rather than just having the products promotions coming from the faceless company. Lane Bryant is part of a much larger movement toward brands bringing forward brand spokespersons and ambassadors. In the age of social media and bloggers, personality and context are differentiators.



Gap, 6/15 — NEW Father's Day Savings You Can Taste -- Take 20% Off Select Grills
In yesterday’s AM Inbox I highlighted Gap eye-catching use of negative space. This email gives us more on the same theme, with Gap overlaying negative space typography over model shots. The other noteworthy element in this email is their tactic of bookending the creative with banners promoting their free shipping offer. The Gap brands have never been afraid to repeat navigation bars and other important messaging at the tops and bottoms of their emails, wanting to make those elements omnipresent as subscribers scroll through the email. Don’t be afraid to be redundant. The repetition can make it easier for subscribers to act.



SUBJECTIVITY SCANNER: Select noteworthy subject lines
Spiegel, 6/15 — Flash Sale: 2 Hours Only... Hurry!
Williams-Sonoma, 6/15 — Go Behind the Scenes in America’s Top Restaurants!
Sony, 6/15 — Sony Named 2011 Brand of the Year Celebrate with Special Offers‏
Cooking.com, 6/15 — National Lobster Day - Save 10% + Free Shipping‏
Lands’ End, 6/15 — A vision in white, free shipping tonight.‏
Barnes & Noble, 6/15 — HURRY! Free Expedited Shipping on NOOK for Father's Day Ends Tomorrow‏
Lowe’s, 6/15 — NEW Father's Day Savings You Can Taste -- Take 20% Off Select Grills
J&R, 6/15 — Picture This. . . Your Dad with a New Casio Camera!‏
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The Retail Email Blog celebrates 5th anniversary!

Thanks to your support, the Retail Email Blog is 5 years old today. It was way back on June 15 of 2006 that I posted the first AM Inbox. Since then I’ve manually collected data on more than 63,000 retail emails, published more than 1,900 posts and 80 research reports, the most recent of which are available for free on the Responsys Downloads page.

I genuinely hope that my blog has helped you plan your campaigns better, inspired you to try new tactics, and given you ammo to justify email program changes and redesigns. I am truly thankful for your readership, our conversations, and your kind words of support and appreciation throughout the years. I’m exceedingly fortunate to be a part of such a fantastic community of professionals.

Sincerely,
Chad

Email Design Look Book 2011: Executive Summary

Each member of the global Responsys team reads a diverse range of marketing emails daily—both as part of our lives as subscribers and as part of our professional commitment to keeping up with the latest and greatest in the email world. We are honored to offer you this selection of our favorite emails from the past 12 months, including standout examples of innovative design, copy and strategy from brands representing everything from consumer products and retail to the travel industry and social networking sites.

The 2011 Email Design Look Book includes promotional, newsletter and triggered emails from leading brands throughout the world, including Anthropologie, Apple, Best Buy, Burton Snowboards, Columbia Sportswear, CB2, DSW, Etsy, Heathrow Airport, Icelandic Tourism Board, LinkedIn, M∙A∙C Cosmetics, Minted.com, Nikon UK, Style Campaign, Uncommon Goods, Verizon, Virgin Atlantic, Volvo UK, and Zappos.

Each email highlighted includes a screenshot of the creative, the date it was sent and the subject line, plus a commentary from a Responsys designer, copywriter, strategist, account manager or executive on what makes the message outstanding.

While each email stands on its own as a fantastic piece of work, the collection together illuminates the tactics that will continue to make email most effective in the future:

Personalization is vital to connecting with subscribers one-to-one;
Triggered emails are critical in reaching customers when they’re most receptive;
Mobile design is a must as more consumers read email on smartphones; and
Cross-channel integration is now expected by even unsophisticated shoppers.

We hope you find some inspiration here, as well as affirmation of your own great contributions to the email industry.

Get the Full Report
>>Download the “Email Design Look Book 2011” from Responsys’ Downloads page for free.

Other reports available from Responsys:
Email Design & Coding Recommendations 2011
Retail Email Year-End Trends for 2010
Black Friday & Cyber Monday 2010
SWYN, FTAF & Community Links
Email Design Look Book 2010
…and you can find even more reports on Responsys’s Downloads page.
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AM Inbox: Mobile making flash sale emails more effective

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

Gap, 6/14 — 3 Hours Only! 30% Off + FREE Shipping Every Day
I haven’t historically been a fan of flash sales promoted via email. That’s because the emails generally arrive the morning of the sale and most emails wouldn’t be opened in time for the recipient to react to the flash sale, which generally only last for two or three hours. While receiving expired sales can spur subscribers to be more diligent in opening their emails, it also means that they just opened an irrelevant email. However, due to the growth of smartphones and popularity of reading emails on them, the situation is changing for some marketers. Subscribers who read their emails on their smartphones check their email more often because they’re carrying it with them. That puts them in a better position to respond to flash sales. In recent months, I’ve noticed a definite uptick in emails promoting flash sales, like this one from Gap. If your mobile readership is high, you may want to consider testing a flash sale campaign and seeing how your subscribers respond. Regarding this Gap email, I also really like how they marry the headline type with the negative space separating the content blocks. Visually, it’s very interesting.



SUBJECTIVITY SCANNER: Select noteworthy subject lines
Sam’s Club, 6/13 — Last minute Father's Day gifts: Grills, electronics and more!
Harry & David, 6/13 — Last Chance - Free Delivery for Father's Day ends today!‏
Brookstone, 6/14 — Only Hours Left to get FREE Ground Shipping for Father’s Day!‏
Sony, 6/14 — Don't Miss Father's Day Deals $250 OFF a Camera Bundle + MORE‏
Foot Locker, 6/14 — VIPs: Fret Not - We Have Free Shipping on Great Dad's Day Gifts!
1-800-Flowers.com, 6/14 — Free Shipping Upgrade - Guaranteed Delivery by Father's Day, Ends Tomorrow!
Dick’s Sporting Goods, 6/13 — Take $20, $30, or $40 Off a Gift for Dad!
Overstock, 6/13 — FATHER'S DAY SUPER SALE + FREE SHIPPING‏
Cooking.com, 6/13 — Fiesta for Dad: Recipes for Taco Salads, Quesadillas + Spanish Rice‏
Tiffany & Co., 6/13 — Tiffany Gifts for the Dapper Dad
Omaha Steaks, 6/14 — Thrill Dad! Up to 61% savings!
J&R, 6/14 — The iMac: For Everything Dad Does, Give the Gift that Does Everything‏
Staples, 6/14 — Bonus coupon and more! Time to shop for Dads and Grads.
Walgreens, 6/13 — Men's Health Blowout: Vitamins, Dental Care, Hair Regrowth & More + 15% OFF Contact Lenses‏
Blair, 6/14 — Flag Day clearance sale on now‏
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AM Inbox: Another white text on white background oopsy

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, 6/10 — $20 Off $40 This Weekend + Last Weekend For 30% Off Dresses And $15 Tees‏
Every year there seems to be a hiccup in a retailer’s email design that results in the preheader and footer text rendering in white text on a white background, which makes the mailing address invisible and the unsubscribe instructions confusing if not impossible to understand. Either one of those puts you in violation of CAN-SPAM. In 2008, Sports Authority made this mistake (see 2008 Oopsy Hall of Fame); in 2009, J&R (see 2009 Oopsy Hall of Fame); in 2010, Ralph Lauren (see 2010 Oopsy Hall of Fame); and this year, Lane Bryant secures a place in the 2011 Oopsy Hall of Fame with this email. In this case, Lane Bryant also had a problem with their header and logo.

Here’s the email (left) next to the same email highlighted so you can see the white-on-white text:



Tiffany & Co., 6/10 — Gifts for Him that Carry the Day
Tiffany’s emails are elegant, never overly busy, and routinely make me want to scroll to see the entirety of a product image, as in this email. However, Tiffany almost always squanders the opportunity presented when you can get subscribers scrolling. They rarely have secondary messages or repeat calls-to-actions below the fold. This can be an easy win. If you running just a simple primary message like Tiffany does here, test it against a version that includes a submessage.



GameStop, 6/10 — E3 Comes to GameStop‏
Pre-orders are a rare call-to-action in retail emails, but GameStop leverages the excitement around E3 to push this CTA. They also smartly channel this excitement into games that are already out by promoting prequels to the big games announced at E3.



SUBJECTIVITY SCANNER: Select noteworthy subject lines
Barnes & Noble, 6/10 — The Most Acclaimed eReader for the Most Acclaimed Dad. Yours.
Brookstone, 6/10 — Top Picks from Dad’s favorite store…
Staples, 6/10 — Coupons for you. A gift for dad. See our 6/12 Weekly Ad!
Home Depot, 6/12 — Get Top Father's Day Gifts Before They're Gone‏
RitzCamera, 6/11 — Father's Day gifts galore! Deluxe Nikon D3000 outfit‏
Saks Fifth Avenue, 6/12 — Father's Day Gifts: Best-Sellers He'll Love‏
Sports Authority, 6/12 — Golf Gifts for Dad - Your Father's Day Headquarters‏
Lowe’s, 6/11 — Strong Dad. Strict Dad. Calm Dad. Cool Dad. -- Gifts for All Types Inside
SmartBargains, 6/12 — Just In Time: Father’s Day Watch Deals & More. Plus some extras for you!
Toys “R” Us, 6/12 — Hot Gifts for Dad! Plus Deals ALL Week on Outdoor Play, Video Games & More‏
Oriental Trading, 6/10 — Up to 60% off Patriotic Sale + FREE shipping‏
Bed Bath & Beyond, 6/10 — Great outdoors? Make it an awesome outdoors! PLUS Don't forget your $15 off $75 or more online coupon!
Nordstrom, 6/11 — Our Must-Have Top 10 Picks for Summer!
Drs. Foster & Smith, 6/10 — Compare our prices, solutions to noise anxiety & more!
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Week-End Trends: Father's Day messaging continues to lag

Email activity and seasonal trends during the past week:

The Retail Email Index: The top online retailers sent each of their subscribers 3.0 promotional emails on average during the week ending June 10, 2011. That’s down 4% week-over-week, on par with where it was four weeks ago, and up 9% year-over-year.



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



The Retail Email Seasonality Meter: While Father’s Day messaging dominated all other seasonal topics, it still lagged trends of recent years by several percentage points. And while graduation messaging was unusually strong last week, we should be getting our first reference to back to school this week or next.



Selling Seasons on the Horizon:
Father’s Day (6/19): 2010 Season Finale
Graduation (May-June): 2010 Season Finale
Back to School (June-Sept.): 2010 Season Finale
Independence Day (July 4): 2010 Season Finale
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Ping Time: Motivating the opt-in, email coupons, etc.

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

>>Karen Talavera of Synchronicity Marketing shares tips for getting folks to say, “Yes” to opting in to receive email. >>Follow the ping

>>Loren McDonald of Silverpop discusses how to use coupons effectively in your email program. >>Follow the ping

>>Internet Retailer reports on Birkenstock Central’s email successes, including how 23% of their email revenue come from three triggered email messages. >>Follow the ping

>>Liz Lynch of e-Dialog shares advice on shopping cart abandonment emails, including recent examples from Eddie Bauer and Pottery Barn. >>Follow the ping you left in your cart

>>George Bilbrey of Return Path talks about the impact that mobile is having and will have on email marketing. >>Follow the ping

>>WhichTestWon tests two email sign-up pages with different images. >>Follow the ping

>>In Responsys’ latest Email Insider column, Alex Madison and Lisa Harmon discuss how Facebook Messages, which displays the text versions of emails by default, has reinvigorated the need for solid text email design. >>Follow the ping
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AM Inbox: When did you last review the templates of your triggered 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:

CB2 — CB2: Shipping Status for #425090592165
Triggered emails aren’t entirely set-and-forget. You really should be reviewing them on a regular basis—at least annually, but also any time new capabilities become available. After purchasing something from CB2 recently, I got this shipping notification email. They clearly haven’t been testing the rendering of these emails because it broke in Gmail. Looking beyond the rendering issues, they take advantage of this customer touch to promote their catalog, staff picks and a couple of product categories, which is smart. One step up in sophistication would be to promote other products or categories that have a strong affinity with the product purchased. Moving from generic promotions to personalized ones raises the relevance of the submessaging. Optimizing your transactional emails and other triggered messaging can really move the needle, so don’t set-it-and-forget-it for too long before coming back and giving them some more attention.



SUBJECTIVITY SCANNER: Select noteworthy subject lines
Hallmark, 6/9 — Have you found the perfect card for Dad?
Lands’ End, 6/9 — Hurry & we won't tell dad you saved 30% + Free Shipping‏
Williams-Sonoma, 6/9 — A Home Run Gift for Dad – Only at Williams-Sonoma‏
Saks Fifth Avenue, 6/9 — Great Father's Day Gifts: watches, jewelry and more‏
Bloomingdale’s, 6/9 — Father's Day with Polo Ralph Lauren‏
Ross-Simons, 6/9 — Give Him What He Wants: Shop our Father’s Day Gift Guide‏
eBags, 6/9 — Make Dad's Day with Gifts Up to 70% Off!
Harry & David, 6/9 — Free Standard Delivery for Father's Day ends tomorrow.
Coldwater Creek, 6/9 — The Ultimate Sale starts NOW! 50% OFF EVERYTHING.‏
Northern Tool, 6/9 — Summer Generator Sale – Over 130 Models Reduced!‏
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AM Inbox: This post isn't for you; please forward it to your colleagues

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

Foot Locker, 6/8 — Dads: This Email is Not For You, Please Forward It To Your Family.
There are many occasions when you’re really trying to reach someone other than your subscriber—be it their mother or father, one of their siblings, or one of their friends. For instance, Ann Taylor’s graduation messaging had a secondary call-to-action to forward the email to “your favorite student” (see May 16 AM Inbox). And AbeBooks has even made forwarding the primary call-to-action for their back-to-school messaging (see July 21, 2008 AM Inbox). This Foot Locker email is in that same vein, with the retailer trying to reach the family members of the dads on their email list. The forwarding request is right up there in the subject line, which I think you’ll agree really stands out among the other Father’s Day subject lines I’ve included in the Subjectivity Scanner below. Of course, the other thing going for this subject line is that when people tell you not to do something, your first impulse is to do just that, so dads should be more likely to open this email.



Lands’ End, 6/8 — Starfish: you named it. You bought every last pair. We made more.‏
This email makes you feel like Lands’ End’s customers aren’t just customers, but community members. This email conveys inclusiveness. It lets you in on the story behind their Starfish Pants, including the other names they kicked around. Lands’ End isn’t just listening to customers, they’re reacting and conversing.


SUBJECTIVITY SCANNER: Select noteworthy subject lines
JCPenney, 6/8 — Think Dad! Perfect Gifts For His Perfect Day‏
Crutchfield, 6/8 — Find the perfect gift for Father's Day‏
Eddie Bauer, 6/8 — Deals for Dad - Get 20% Off Your Entire Order.‏
Saks Fifth Avenue, 6/8 — Father's Day Gifts: Cologne, Watches & Luggage, we've got them all‏
Cabela’s, 6/8 — Father's Day Gift Guide‏
L.L. Bean, 6/8 — Summer Sale--Save up to 60% + Great Father's Day Gifts‏
Sephora, 6/8 — Tan for free‏
TigerDirect, 6/8 — Finally...The Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 Available for Pre-Order‏
Neiman Marcus, 6/8 — Fashion Extremes: Dolce & Gabbana on the fringe‏
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AM Inbox: Nordstrom redesign has vertical nav bar

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

Nordstrom, 6/7 — Under $100: Easy Accents to Summer's Laid-Back Looks‏
Nordstrom has redesigned their email template, abandoning their horizontal navigation bar for a vertical one. The move, which also let them move up their social media links from the bottom of the email, increased the width of their emails to 650 pixels from 620. Over the past few years, Coach, Dick’s Sporting Goods, HP and others have tried vertical navigation bars, but all of them have returned to a traditional, horizontal nav bar. It doesn’t appear that Nordstrom made any other changes. Here’s the new design (left) and the previous design from a June 4 email:



Overstock.com, 6/7 — Overstock.com goes O.co!
OK, now I’m confused. Overstock has been promoting their O.co URL has a shortcut for months, even incentivizing folks to use the shortcut by offering free shipping if you do. But now it looks like they’re changing their brand name from Overstock.com to O.co—except the Overstock brand is still all over their Facebook page and website, even when you go to O.co. Their sender name for this email was also Overstock.com, which was probably wise to aid recognition in the inbox until this rebranding campaign is better established, but at the same time a little confusing as well because of the inconsistency. If this truly is a rebranding, hopefully they’ll get much more consistent in their messaging and language in the emails over the next few days.



SUBJECTIVITY SCANNER: Select noteworthy subject lines
JCPenney, 6/7 — Your Top Pop Shop!
Cooking.com, 6/7 — Best Brews for Dad - New Keurig Single Serve Coffee Makers‏
Saks Fifth Avenue, 6/7 — May we suggest Polo Ralph Lauren for Dad?
Dick’s Sporting Goods, 6/7 — Find the Perfect Gift for Dad‏
Linens ’n Things, 6/7 — 20% Off Coupon: Father's Day Gifts!‏
Ann Taylor, 6/7 — Like Us On Facebook & Enjoy 30% Off One Full-Price Item In-Store!
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AM Inbox: Converting subscribers to registrants

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

Yoox, 6/6 — Introducing the 11th Birthday - Free Shipping
In this email, Yoox tries to spur unregistered subscribers to register by teasing information about their 11th birthday event, which they’ve placed behind the login wall on their website. This tactic is inspired by retailers like Gilt Groupe and Overstock’s sister brand, Eziba, that require subscribers and all other visitors to register to even browse products. Of course, the danger is that the intrigue isn’t strong enough and that subscribers will abandon rather than take the additional step to login or register and won’t ever get to the event information. This email increases that danger a bit by muddling the call-to-action—the top two-thirds of the email links to the Yoox homepage where there’s a cryptic 11th birthday video, while the bottom third of the email links to a login/registration page.



SUBJECTIVITY SCANNER: Select noteworthy subject lines
Kmart, 6/6 — Save $100 on an HDTV + tool gifts for every budget (shh… they're for Dad)
Williams-Sonoma, 6/6 — Top 5 Gifts Selected by the Dads of Williams-Sonoma‏
CB2, 6/6 — affordable father's day gifts for the modern dad.‏
Eddie Bauer, 6/6 — Top-Rated Gifts for Dad.
Sam’s Club, 6/6 — Gear and gadgets to make Dad's day‏
Walgreens, 6/6 — Just for Dad: 20% OFF Cologne, 25% OFF Shavers + More Gift Ideas 15% OFF Contact Lenses‏
Home Depot, 6/6 — Today Only Father's Day Savings‏
Sony, 6/6 — Father's Day Deals Save up to $739 on HDTV Bundles + More Gifts Free Shipping‏
RitzCamera, 6/6 — Celebrate Dads & Grads! Great gifts, terrific prices‏
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AM Inbox: Competing CTAs, same landing page

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

NFLshop, 6/5 — Just Released: New York Giants Dad Shirts - Just In Time For Father's Day!
Repeating a calls-to-action in the same email isn’t new, especially when there’s a lot of copy. But putting two CTAs linked to the same landing page right next to each other, as NFLshop does in this email, is fairly novel. The first is your standard “Shop Now” CTA, whereas the second “Be the First to Own It” CTA conveys urgency and exclusivity. On one hand, it’s like they’re A/B testing the two CTAs in the same email; but on the other, they might want to keep both because they appeal to different kinds of subscribers.



Old Navy, 6/3 — ALL Dresses on Sale! + FREE Shipping Every Day
Long time navigation bar tinkerers, Old Navy ties a sub-category navigation bar, expanding from their “women” nav link. The sub-nav is visually striking since it (1) is a different color from the primary nav, (2) is a different shape from the primary nav, and (3) has lots of white space to the right of it.



Dell, 6/3 — What happens in your cave, stays in your cave‏
A twist on the traditional “Get what you really wanted” messaging that arrives after holidays like Christmas, this “Get what you want” email from Dell says why wait till June 19 when you can have it now.



SUBJECTIVITY SCANNER: Select noteworthy subject lines
HP, 6/5 — Give Dad What He'd Get Himself‏
Dick’s Sporting Goods, 6/3 — Get Dad What He Wants This Father's Day!
Costco, 6/3 — Find The Perfect Gift For Dad This Father's Day at Costco.com!
Saks Fifth Avenue, 6/3 — Give Dad a gift from David Yurman‏
eBags, 6/5 — 25% Off the Perfect Gift for Dad + Free Shipping!
B&H, 6/5 — B&H InDepth—Newly Launched Educational Resource!‏
Lowe’s, 6/4 — Our NEW Selector Tool Knows All -- Discover the Appliance That's Best for You
Blue Nile, 6/4 — Top 6 Reasons Blue Nile is the Best Online Jeweler‏
Barnes & Noble, 6/3 — The All-New NOOK is Here! See What Critics are Raving About ...
Nike Store, 6/3 — The LeBron Collection: Battle-Ready Looks for the Finals‏
Alloy, 6/3 — WIN $1000 with Alloy!
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Week-End Trends: Father's Day messaging behind trend

Email activity and seasonal trends during the past week:

The Retail Email Index: The top online retailers sent each of their subscribers 3.1 promotional emails on average during the week ending June 3, 2011. That’s down 1% week-over-week, down 7% from where it was four weeks ago, and up 13% year-over-year.



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



The Retail Email Seasonality Meter: Father’s Day messaging was weaker than in the past, thanks in part to stronger than usual Memorial Day messaging. Normally about 25% of retail emails last week would have included Father’s Day messaging. But this week Father’s Day messaging should accelerate significantly.



Selling Seasons on the Horizon:
Father’s Day (6/19): 2010 Season Finale
Graduation (May-June): 2010 Season Finale
Back to School (June-Sept.): 2010 Season Finale
Independence Day (July 4): 2010 Season Finale
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