Week-End Trends: Email volume tumbles 31% post-Christmas

Email activity and seasonal trends during the past week:

The Retail Email Index: The top online retailers sent each of their subscribers 3.9 promotional emails on average during the week ending Dec. 30, 2011. That’s down 31% week-over-week, down 30% from where it was four weeks ago, and up 24% year-over-year.



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



The Retail Email Seasonality Meter: Last week we got our first reference to the spring back-to-school season, which is generally focused on textbooks. This week we see the first references to Valentine’s Day.



Selling Seasons on the Horizon:
Valentine’s Day (Feb. 14): 2011 Season Finale
Presidents’ Day (Feb. 20): 2011 Season Finale
Leap Day (Feb. 29): Leap Day campaigns from 2008
St. Patrick’s Day (Mar. 17): 2011 Season Finale
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Ping Time: Fulcrum points, popover sign-ups, etc.

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

>>Loren McDonald of Silverpop encourages marketers to find the “fulcrum” point in their email program and focus a lot of attention on that in 2012. >>Follow the ping

>>Mark Brownlow of Email Marketing Reports pulls together a group of experts to discuss the use of popover email sign-up boxes. >>Follow the ping

>>Justine Jordan of Litmus reports on the failure of Facebook Messages to gain any traction with users. >>Follow the ping

>>Tal Nathan of Strongmail writes about the three basic ways we learn about our customers: Data from looking, data from asking, and data from buying. >>Follow the ping

>>Angela Thurmond of Responsys shares a Patagonia email sent on Cyber Monday that takes an anti-commercialism, pro-environment stance that definitely stood out among the highly promotional emails that landed in consumers’ inboxes on that day. >>Follow the ping

>>And for a bit of fun, College Humor presents the Internet Justice League. >>Follow the super-powered ping

>>In Responsys’ latest Email Insider column, Wacarra Yeomans discusses making 2012 the year of mobile email. >>Follow the ping
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AM Inbox: Spring back-to-school 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:

Barnes & Noble, 12/29 — Did You Know? We Have Textbooks -- Up to 90% Off
After Christmas every year we see the return of back-to-school messaging that generally lasts through all of January, but stays at very low levels. Most of it focuses on textbooks, as in this Barnes & Noble email. The interesting twist in this email is that they tie holiday gift card redemptions to their back-to-school message. I’m not sure I’ve seen that approach used before.



SUBJECTIVITY SCANNER: Select noteworthy subject lines
Harry & David, 12/29 — New Year's savings. Free Delivery through this email only.
Lands’ End, 12/29 — Resolve to save up to 60% at the Winter's End Sale
J. Crew, 12/29 — What every guy needs for 2012. Plus, shop new arrivals, in stores & online.‏
Newegg, 12/29 — Making Way for 2012! YEAR-END CLEARANCE + 10% Off All iPads & iPods
1-800-Flowers.com, 12/29 — Free Shipping/No Service Charge - New Year's Weekend Exclusive!
Dell, 12/29 — Score big with our new MVP
Sam’s Club, 12/29 — Make Tyson® Wings Your Party's MVP
Office Depot, 12/29 — Feeling Taxed? Get Relief With Tax-Time Deals + New Tech Deals
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AM Inbox: In with the new, out with the old

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, 12/27 — You Got the Gift... Now Get the Accessories You Can't Do Without
In the weeks following Christmas, there’s always a bit of upsell messaging, asking subscribers if they got a new device, new puppy, or whatever that you need additional things for. With tablets so hot this holiday season, I expect to see a fair amount of messaging around tablet accessories, as in this J&R email.



GameStop, 12/27 — What's in Your Drawers? Bring It to GameStop for Credit!‏
Trade-ins are the flipside of that new gift. In this email, GameStop makes a play for subscribers’ old Apple devices.



Walgreens, 12/28 — Get The Weekly Ad On Your Phone
This is the first time that I’ve seen a QR code in an email from a major retailer. In this email, Walgreens is trying to let desktop readers easily download their mobile app.



SUBJECTIVITY SCANNER: Select noteworthy subject lines
Target, 12/28 — Your GiftCards + our clearance = goodness.
Staples, 12/27 — Save up to 50% on tech accessories.
Spiegel, 12/27 — Note To Self: Shop Spiegel & Get 50% OFF What I Really Wanted!
Blair, 12/27 — Santa let you down? Take 30% off your own gift now!
Sports Authority, 12/27 — Didn’t Get Everything on Your List? Save 25% Online!
J. Jill, 12/28 — Take an extra 25% off our sale and get what you really wanted.
TigerDirect, 12/27 — 42" 3D TV $449...Core i5 PC $499...7" GPS $99...Get What You Really Wanted...and w/ Free Shipping
American Eagle Outfitters, 12/28 — Free Shipping When You Buy 3 Or More Items!
B&H Photo Video, 12/27 — The Best of Holiday 2011: From our In-Depth Learning Library
Victoria’s Secret, 12/28 — New Year, New Bras! Buy One Get One 50% Off. In Stores Only.
Williams-Sonoma, 12/28 — Bar Tools for the New Year - Shop In Stores + Online Today
Costco, 12/28 — Sleep Soundly In The New Year And Save! Up To $500 OFF Sleep Science Memory Foam Mattress
Nike Store, 12/28 — Cold-Weather Running Gear for the New Year
Disney Store, 12/28 — Disney App Store Holiday Sale Ends Soon: Download Today & Save 80%
Urban Outfitters, 12/28 — TOMS Shoes: Now in even more UO stores!
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AM Inbox: Gift card redemption 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:

Victoria’s Secret, 12/25 — One More Gift We Know You’ll Love...
Victoria’s Secret was the first out of the gate with gift card redemption messaging this year. With many retailers with elevated inventory positions and gift card dollars not bookable as revenue until they are redeemed, I expect 22% of retailers to include gift card redemption messaging in their emails, up from 17% last year.



Williams-Sonoma, 12/26 — SALE: Up To 50% Off Sale Items, Online & In Stores
In light of the increased use of “promotional gift cards” (see Dec. 27 AM Inbox), I was interested to see Williams-Sonoma in this email reminding customers to use theirs before they expire.



Urban Outfitters, 12/26 — The Get What You Really Wanted Sale!
“Get what you really wanted” is a strong meme in the days after Christmas. Urban Outfitters pairs that message with some fun imagery in this email.



SUBJECTIVITY SCANNER: Select noteworthy subject lines
Kohl’s, 12/25 — Merry Christmas! Extra 20% Off Everything Online, Plus Free Shipping!‏
Lands’ End, 12/25 — Merry Christmas! And for our fans...
Williams-Sonoma, 12/25 — Happy Holidays! Plus, 20% off a gift for you
Overstock, 12/25 — Happy Holidays + $10 Off
Target, 12/25 — Merry Christmas! Save $10 when you spend $50, good today only.
NFLshop, 12/25 — Happy Holidays New York Giants Fans! Today - Free Shipping On Orders Over $25‏
JC Whitney, 12/25 — Happy Holidays from JC Whitney! 20% OFF! 2 Days Only!
Bluefly, 12/25 — Get What You REALLY Want: Now Up to 80% off 1000+ Already Reduced Items!
ShopNBC, 12/26 — Didn't get what you wanted? Treat yourself!
Newegg, 12/26 — AFTER-CHRISTMAS SALE: Over 100 deals on just what you wanted this year!
Ann Taylor, 12/26 — Get What You Really Want! 50% Off Your ENTIRE Purchase
Musician’s Friend, 12/26 — Sale Announced: Get What You Really Wanted!‏
Ralph Lauren, 12/26 — What's Still on Your Wishlist? Enjoy An Additional 30% Off
SmartBargains, 12/26 — Time To Get What You Wanted, On Clearance!
Spiegel, 12/26 — Get 50% OFF Everything You Wished For & Didn't Receive!
Macy’s, 12/25 — After Christmas Sale & Clearance: Extra 15% off + Free Shipping!
Bloomingdale’s, 12/25 — Save Up To 75% - After Christmas Sale & Clearance Starts Today Online!
Toys “R” Us, 12/25 — After Christmas Blowout Sale! BOGO 40% Off ALL Video games & Movies! Plus, Save on LEGO, Hasbro Games, LeapFrog & More!‏
Frederick’s of Hollywood, 12/26 — Up to 50% off 100s of styles + free shipping on $25. It's Superstar Sale.
TigerDirect, 12/26 — 72 Hour After-Christmas Clearance: Sony i3 Laptop $499...HP All-in-One $59...55" 120Hz TV $579...20" Acer LED Monitor $89
Orvis, 12/26 — Winter Sale. Up to 60% Off!
Walmart, 12/26 — Hurry! Shop Our Year-End Clearance Event, While Supplies Last
Sony, 12/26 — After Holiday Deals | Clearance Sale + Savings up to 50% OFF + More
Crutchfield, 12/26 — Big end-of-the-year savings at Crutchfield
dELiA*s, 12/26 — Save Up To 80%: End of Season Clearance. Plus, Free Shipping.
Lowe’s, 12/26 — Holiday Fun Leaves Holiday Mess -- Tidy Up & Get Organized Today
Walgreens, 12/26 — Year-End Sale! EXTRA $5 Off $30 or $10 Off $50 | 20% Off All Contact Lenses + Spend FSA Dollars Now
Blue Nile, 12/26 — $100 Savings Rings in the New Year – Plan Your Proposal Now
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AM Inbox: eGift Card Day + promotional gift cards

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, 12/23 — Up to 25% off Kenmore appliances + give eGift cards instantly
More than 38% of retail emails on eGift Card Day, which is Dec. 23, mentioned e-gift cards—with half of them making it their primary message. E-gift cards became a little more substantial this year with Sears, Kmart, Overstock.com and others allowing them to be printing. That essentially turns them into instant gift certificates when you don’t have time to get a plastic gift card.



Dell, 12/21 — Last day!‏
Retailers promoted so-called “promotional gift cards” more this holiday season, with American Eagle, Dell, L.L. Bean, Sierra Trading Post, Williams-Sonoma, and others offering them as incentives for purchases. It’s not always made clear that these actually aren’t gift cards at all, but just dollar-off coupons with expiration dates, which has the potential to disappointment customers. For instance, in this email, Dell offers a promo e-gift card when you buy an e-gift card. Reading the fine print, you discover that the promo e-gift card arrives in 6-8 weeks and expires in 90 days. That kind of lacks the quickness implied by an e-gift card.



Harry & David, 12/23 — Save up to 40% on great holiday gifts. While supplies last.
Quite a few retailers tried to get business for gifts that didn’t need to arrive by Christmas, usually by offering free standard or budget shipping after guaranteed delivery by Christmas was no longer an option. In this email, Harry & David offers to send a gift recipient an email announcement letting them know that they’re gift is on the way.



Costco, 12/21 — Still Shopping? Order Eligible Items By 11:59 PM PST Today, That Will Make It In Time For Christmas!
Costco gives us our first reference to the Super Bowl, which is Feb. 5 this year. Because “Super Bowl” is a trademarked term that’s policed vigorously by the NFL who wants to make sure there’s no confusion about which brands are actually associated with the game, most marketers will avoid the issue by referring to it as “the Big Game,” which does double-duty since there are lots of college bowl games in January. “Big Game” references tend to peak in late January at just under 10% of retail email messaging and are usually associated with TVs and entertaining products.



SUBJECTIVITY SCANNER: Select noteworthy subject lines
Backcountry.com, 12/23 — Redeem Yourself - Send A Gift Certificate or Get Saturday Delivery
Lowe’s, 12/24 — Instant Gratification. Grab a Gift Card and These 8 GREAT Gifts.
Home Depot, 12/24 — Still Need a Gift? Give The Home Depot eGift Card Now!
Kmart, 12/23 — Save last minute on featured categories - Still stumped? Print or email a gift card
Lands’ End, 12/22 — Send an E-Gift Card - no time like the present!
L.L. Bean, 12/22 — It's Never Too Late for an Email Gift Card
Cooking.com, 12/23 — The Perfect Last Minute Gift - A Cooking.com Gift Certificate!
J. Crew, 12/21 — The ultimate last-minute gift (no wrapping required)
Musician’s Friend, 12/23 — Instant FREE Delivery On The BEST Last-Minute Gift: E-Certificates!‏
Nordstrom, 12/23 — There's Still Time: Send a Virtual Gift Card in Under 4 Hours
Orvis, 12/23 — The perfect last-minute gift: an Orvis Email Gift Card. Order by 10pm ET December 24.
Hallmark, 12/21 — Send unlimited Christmas e-cards
Blue Nile, 12/23 — Final Chance! Order by 7 PM ET on Friday for FREE Saturday Delivery
J&R, 12/23 — Last Chance for Christmas Delivery. . . Order Today by 3pm EST!
Ross-Simons, 12/23 — Chad, There's Still Time! Christmas Delivery Ends at 3PM ET Today
Gilt Groupe, 12/22 — FINAL HOURS for Holiday Shipping! + Band of Outsiders, Bespoken, Velour, Mirror, Mirror on the Wall, Comfy Sweaters, Mirafiore Barbera, n.d.c. made by hand and more Starts Today at Noon ET
Overstock, 12/22 — Final Hours for Next Day Shipping by December 23
Crate & Barrel, 12/22 — Final hours for guaranteed Christmas delivery.
Sam’s Club, 12/22 — Last day for Christmas orders!
Nordstrom, 12/22 — Last Day for 12/24 Delivery! Order by 3pm EST (Details Inside) | Denim from Hudson Jeans & More
Neiman Marcus, 12/22 — Noon CT: Last Chance for Christmas Delivery
Bloomingdale’s, 12/22 — Save 25-50% On Gifts! + Last Day For Holiday Express Shipping
Orvis, 12/22 — Order by 4PM ET for Guaranteed Christmas Delivery with Next-Day Shipping.
Norm Thompson, 12/22 — 20% Off Everything | LAST DAY TO SHIP FOR CHRISTMAS
Lands’ End, 12/21 — Christmas delivery with express shipping - on Dasher, on Dancer, on Procrastinator
Brookstone, 12/21 — FREE 2-DAY Shipping for Holiday Delivery... Ends Tonight at 7:00 p.m.
Eddie Bauer, 12/21 — Hours Left: Free Guaranteed Christmas Delivery + Ultimate Sale!‏
Macy’s, 12/21 — Hurry! Incredible web busters + free guaranteed delivery ends tonight!
CB2, 12/21 — final hours: free shipping + guaranteed standard Christmas delivery ends at noon CT today.
HP, 12/21 — Great Gifts Still Available! FREE 2 Business Day Shipping Too
Macy’s, 12/21 — Final hours for free guaranteed Christmas delivery!
TigerDirect, 12/21 — Last Chance for 2-Day Delivery...or get Free Econoship Delivery on Orders Over $50...Hurry!
SmartBargains, 12/21 — Wait! You forgot a gift for… You.
Bluefly, 12/23 — Now, a Little Something for Yourself...
ShopNBC, 12/22 — Year-End Clearance & Sale starts now!
Lane Bryant, 12/23 — After Christmas Sale Starts Early – Now Save Up To 60% Online
Omaha Steaks, 12/23 — Pssst...sneak a peek at our After Christmas Sale!‏
Neiman Marcus, 12/23 — Up to 60% off: "After" Christmas Sale starts EARLY!
SmartBargains, 12/23 — Liquidation Starts Now. Up to an extra 50% off markdowns
TigerDirect, 12/24 — Christmas Clearance Starts NOW...Plus Free Shipping on Orders Over $50
Ross-Simons, 12/24 — Closeout Sale Preview: You're Allowed to Peek!
Neiman Marcus, 12/23 — NYE Party Looks
Spiegel, 12/23 — Get It Now: The Best Dresses To Ring In 2012!
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Week-End Trends: Holiday email season extended as volume hits new all-time high

Email activity and seasonal trends during the past week:

The Retail Email Index: The top online retailers sent each of their subscribers 5.7 promotional emails on average during the week ending Dec. 23, 2011. That’s up a fractional percent week-over-week, up 15% from where it was four weeks ago, and up 35% year-over-year.

In recent years holiday email volume has peaked two weeks before Christmas, but this year retailers push hard for holiday sales up until the last minute, offering free or discounted express shipping, directing subscribers to their stores, and promoting gift cards and e-gift cards. This may very well be the new norm depending on how much churn retailers suffer by pushing so hard so late in the holiday season.



The Retail Email Participation Rate: Because of express shipping deadlines, Wednesday was the most popular day to send retail emails last week.



The Retail Email Seasonality Meter: Christmas messaging continued unrelentingly, but retailers will now quickly shift gears to promoting New Year’s and soon Valentine’s Day and “the Big Game” (code for the Super Bowl as well as the college bowl games). In fact, last week we got our first Super Bowl reference.



Selling Seasons on the Horizon:
Christmas (Dec. 25): 2010 Season Finale and Retail Email Guide to the Holiday Season 2011
New Year’s (Jan. 1): 2011 Season Finale
Valentine’s Day (Feb. 14): 2011 Season Finale
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BROWSE... Archive / Post Categories / Selling Seasons / Topics Covered / Retailers Tracked

AM Inbox: Today should be eGift 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:

Barnes & Noble, 12/20 — Last Day For FREE Shipping in Time for Christmas
Today is eGift Card Day, but it should be eGift Day. With smartphone and tablet adoption soaring, digital gifts like apps, books and games have a bright future. In this email, Barnes & Noble shows that they’re ahead of the trend by opening an Instant Gifting store to sell Nook books and apps.



Oriental Trading, 12/20 — Still shopping? Give the perfect last-minute gift...
Oriental Trading gives us our first email with a e-gift card primary message. I expect to see many more of these in my inbox today.



Backcountry, 12/20 — Free 2-Day Shipping Ends Tomorrow, Get Up To 30% Off Now
In yesterday’s AM Inbox, I pointed out the need to update order-by deadline banners. Rather than just highlighting the upcoming deadlines, you can also follow Backcountry’s example in this email and strike-through expired deadlines to create additional urgency. I’ve also seen retailers grey out past deadlines.



SUBJECTIVITY SCANNER: Select noteworthy subject lines
Coldwater Creek, 12/20 — LAST DAY of 40% off and Free Guaranteed Christmas Delivery!
OfficeMax, 12/20 — Daily Deals + Last Day to Order for Christmas Delivery
Overstock, 12/20 — Hurry, Last Chance for 2nd Day Shipping by December 23
Kohl’s, 12/20 — LAST DAY for FREE Standard Shipping to Get it by Christmas + Save Up to 30%!‏
Neiman Marcus, 12/20 — 25% off Gifts + FREE rush delivery
Office Depot, 12/20 — Last Chance: Get FREE Delivery, No Minimum Order - Ends 12/23
Brookstone, 12/20 — LAST DAY FOR FREE SHIPPING
Eddie Bauer, 12/20 — Last Day! Free Guaranteed Christmas Delivery + Ultimate Winter Sale.
Norm Thompson, 12/20 — We'll SHIP FREE by Christmas - order by 2pm ET!‏
Ann Taylor, 12/20 — 50% Off Your Entire Purchase + Last Day For Delivery By 12/23
J. Crew, 12/20 — 30% OFF every purchase, in stores & online (PLUS, LAST DAY FOR FREE HOLIDAY SHIPPING)‏
NFLshop, 12/20 — LAST CHANCE For FREE SHIPPING On New York Giants Gifts That Are Guaranteed To Get There
Williams-Sonoma, 12/20 — Order By Tomorrow 9am PT for Standard Holiday Shipping
Crate & Barrel, 12/20 — Less than 24 hours left for free shipping* and guaranteed Christmas delivery.
Dick’s Sporting Goods, 12/20 — Today's the Last Day for Ground Shipping + Take $20 Off Your Purchase $100 or More!
Ralph Lauren, 12/20 — Last Day For Standard Shipping, Plus Introducing The RL Ecard Collection
eBags, 12/20 — LAST DAY for holiday delivery – order by tonight!
Buy.com, 12/20 — EXTENDED | FREE 2-DAY SHIPPING* | Order by 9AM PST on 12/21
Orvis, 12/20 — There's Still Time for Guaranteed Christmas Delivery with Express Shipping.
Bluefly, 12/20 — Get It In Time! $2 Express Shipping + Last Chance to Save Up to 80% off OUR ENTIRE SITE
REI, 12/20 — FREE 2-Day Shipping + Gifts from Patagonia, Merrell, Keen and more
RitzCamera, 12/20 — Short on Time? Free Shipping Upgrade on Nikon
Omaha Steaks, 12/20 — Forget someone? We'll ship it FREE!
B&H Photo Video, 12/20 — Free Overnight Shipping on Cameras, Lenses, Camcorders and More + Extreme Telephoto Lenses Roundup
Bed Bath & Beyond, 12/20 — The perfect size gift is 2" x 3" [promoting gift cards]
Abercrombie & Fitch, 12/20 — LAST DAY for holiday delivery – order by tonight!
Buy.com, 12/20 — Get Ready for New Year's Eve!
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AM Inbox: When it absolutely, positively doesn't have to be there by Christmas

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

Overstock.com, 12/19 — LAST DAY $20 OFF $100
All gift buying doesn’t stop when guaranteed Christmas delivery deadlines pass because not all gifts absolutely need to arrive by Christmas. Overstock acknowledges this buying pattern by offering free shipping “Now through Christmas Day.” In past years, 1-800-Flowers, Cooking.com, Harry & David and Omaha Steaks have also pitched their subscribers on buying gifts that don’t need to arrive by Christmas—in some cases offering to send the recipient an email notification that their gift is on its way.



Harry & David, 12/19 — Shipping alert: US delivery update for Monday, Dec 19th.
I don’t know that it’s wise to extend shipping deadlines in the same way retailers often extend sales. But I do know that this short, mainly text email with its personalized gift tag image stood out in my inbox.



JC Whitney, 12/19 — Holiday Season Offer: $40 OFF on Your Purchase
During the waning days of the holiday season, there are a lot of different order-by dates that expire almost by the day for some retailers. It’s important to continually update your order deadline banners so that subscribers are focused on the current deadlines. The banner in this JC Whitney email included a standard shipping deadline that had expired three days prior to this email going out.



SUBJECTIVITY SCANNER: Select noteworthy subject lines
Cabela’s, 12/18 — Last Chance for Shipping Guaranteed Express Delivery!
Disney Store, 12/18 — Today is Your Last Chance to Save & Order in Time for Christmas!
Williams-Sonoma, 12/18 — Free Shipping Ends Tonight, 25% Off Cookware Ends Tonight Too!‏
Lane Bryant, 12/18 — Ends Today - 50% Off Online & In Stores + Free Shipping Across All Sites
‏Sierra Trading Post, 12/18 — FREE SHIPPING & EXTRA 25% OFF + Last Chance! Ship it all standard for Christmas by 12/19!
Overstock.com, 12/18 — Hurry, Last Day for Ground Shipping by December 23
Sony, 12/18 — THREE DAYS LEFT | Shop Limited-Time Deals For Holiday Delivery
Barnes & Noble, 12/19 — Last Day for FREE Delivery by Christmas! Plus Great Deals on NOOK & More.
Brookstone, 12/19 — FREE Shipping for Holiday Delivery... Ends tomorrow
Orvis, 12/19 — Guaranteed Standard Delivery by Christmas Ends Today! Save an extra 20% off Specialty Gifts.‏
1-800-Flowers.com, 12/19 — Free Shipping Upgrade – LAST CHANCE FOR CHRISTMAS!
Harry & David, 12/19 — Just hours left! Shop until midnight to save $9.95 Express fees.
The Children’s Place, 12/19 — Last Day for Free Shipping + 30% Off Entire Store!
Cooking.com, 12/19 — Final Day for Free Shipping + Save $90 on Calphalon's Best-Selling Everyday Pans
dELiA*s, 12/19 — LAST DAY: Free Shipping on Everything + Guaranteed by Christmas!
J. Jill, 12/19 — Last chance to get gifts on sale delivered by Friday!
Crate & Barrel, 12/19 — Last 2 days for free shipping.* See our favorite gift.
SmartBargains, 12/19 — New Year's Eve is coming, what will you be wearing?
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AM Inbox: National Free Shipping (No Minimum) 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:

J&R, 12/16 — FREE SHIPPING on Everything for the ENTIRE HOLIDAY SEASON & BEYOND!
Just like they did last year (see Dec. 20, 2010 AM Inbox), J&R came out mocking Free Shipping Day. I’ve been very critical of this occasion because it’s an occasion that asks very little of large retailers, most of which have already been offering free shipping throughout the holiday season, if not year-round (see Alert: As Free Shipping Day approaches, majority of retailers already offering free shipping). However, I was surprised and pleased to see a number of retailers stepping up and injecting some new purpose into Free Shipping Day by offering free shipping with no minimum purchase required—including Backcountry.com, dELiA*s, Dick’s Sporting Goods, J. Crew, JC Whitney, L.L. Bean, Oriental Trading, OfficeMax, and REI, among others.

If Free Shipping Day is simply a day when retailers offer free shipping, then it doesn’t have much of a purpose given the current trends and probably won’t exist in a few years. But if it becomes a day when retailers offer their best shipping offers of the year—whether it’s free shipping with no minimum or free express shipping—then this gimmick of a day may yet have a future.



TigerDirect, 12/16 — LAST CHANCE: Unbeatable DROID Cell Phone Deals + $0 Upgrades for That Special Someone
TigerDirect does some out-of-the-box design thinking on this email, which uses the preheader space for a letter-style address to the subscriber. This approach is sometimes used for apology emails, so it’s likely to catch folks’ attention.



Lowe’s, 12/16 — 20% Off Small Appliances Spreads the Love. Move Over, Mistletoe.
Lowe’s, 12/16 — Move Over, Mistletoe. Save 20% on Small Appliances and Spread the Love.
I noticed these two subject lines that Lowe’s was A/B testing. I don’t know which performed better, but my bet is on subject line #2.

SUBJECTIVITY SCANNER: Select noteworthy subject lines
Brookstone, 12/16 — Hurray for National Free Shipping Day... $49 MINIMUMS!
Oriental Trading, 12/16 — Today Only! FREE shipping on ANY order
J. Crew, 12/16 — Happy holidays: 30% OFF every purchase, in stores & online (PLUS, FREE SHIPPING on every order)
OfficeMax, 12/16 — Preview Our December 18 Ad + Free Shipping No Minimum
1-800-Flowers.com, 12/16 — Free Shipping/No Service Charge - HURRY TODAY ONLY!
Eddie Bauer, 12/16 — 40% Off Everything + Free Shipping! Today Only!
ShopNBC, 12/16 — Free Shipping...
JC Whitney, 12/16 — FREE Shipping NO MINIMUM Extended 'til Midnight!
Bass Pro Shops, 12/16 — LAST DAY for Free Shipping
Avon, 12/16 — Hurry... Last Chance for Guaranteed Delivery
dELiA*s, 12/16 — Free Shipping on Everything + Guaranteed by Christmas! Ends Monday.
eBags, 12/16 — Everything Ships Free – 2 Days Only! Get it by 12/24
Cabela’s, 12/16 — FREE Shipping now extended through Sunday!
Sam’s Club, 12/16 — Free Standard Shipping on select gifts this weekend
Art.com, 12/16 — Our Best Free Shipping Offer + SALE!
CB2, 12/17 — yes, there's still time for free standard shipping + best gifts of 2011.
Buy.com, 12/17 — FREE 2-DAY SHIPPING*
Cabela’s, 12/17 — Last Chance for Free Shipping!
Harry & David, 12/17 — Free Delivery countdown. Just 2 days left.‏
Sportsman’s Guide, 12/17 — Free Shipping NO Minimum + Today Only Flash Sale from The Guide
J. Crew, 12/17 — Cross it all off: 30% OFF every purchase, in stores & online (PLUS, FREE SHIPPING)
Crate & Barrel, 12/17 — Free shipping* + our red-hot holiday gift.
Neiman Marcus, 12/17 — Top 100 for Him & Her + FREE RUSH DELIVERY
Hallmark, 12/17 — FREE expedited shipping, plus 30% off orders of $50 or more
Dell, 12/17 — Find the perfect gift + FREE 2nd Business Day Shipping
Williams-Sonoma, 12/17 — Free Shipping Extended - Your Last Chance To Ship Free This Year
Victoria’s Secret, 12/17 — The Plushest Pair: Velour Essentials + Free 2nd Day Shipping.
TigerDirect, 12/17 — Free Shipping Online…No Stress… No Lines…No Waiting
Neiman Marcus, 12/16 — Michael Kors gifts + Last day FREE GIFT PACKAGING
TigerDirect, 12/16 — Free Shipping Black Friday
Macy’s, 12/16 — Super Saturday: extra 20% off + Free Guaranteed Christmas Delivery!
Toys “R” Us, 12/17 — WOW! Over 35 Doorbusters In Store! Super Sale Saturday! Plus, 2-Day Mega Sale! Save on LEGO, Xia-Xia & More!
Brookstone, 12/17 — They've got the iPad. Time to accessorize.
Bluefly, 12/16 — Introducing Belle & Clive. Are you ready? Be first.
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Week-End Trends: Volume surges back to all-time high on sales worries

Email activity and seasonal trends during the past week:

The Retail Email Index: The top online retailers sent each of their subscribers 5.6 promotional emails on average during the week ending Dec. 16, 2011. That’s up 8% week-over-week, up 34% from where it was four weeks ago, and up 26% year-over-year.

After raking in stellar sales during the 5-day Thanksgiving holiday weekend, many retailers have been alarmed by softening sales. In that light, holiday email volume jumped last week, matching the all-time high set during the week of Cyber Monday. For many retailers, the last day for guaranteed Christmas delivery with standard shipping is this Monday, so time is running out and messaging will shift to promoting express shipping, in-store pickup, store sales, and e-gift cards.



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



The Retail Email Seasonality Meter: Despite some hoopla around Free Shipping Day, it remains a minor messaging footnote. For the week, Free Shipping Day was referenced in only 1.6% of emails. On Friday, it was referenced in 10% of retail emails, up from 6% last year. For more on how Free Shipping Day played out, check out Monday’s AM Inbox.



Selling Seasons on the Horizon:
Christmas (Dec. 25): 2010 Season Finale and Retail Email Guide to the Holiday Season 2011
New Year’s (Jan. 1): 2011 Season Finale
Valentine’s Day (Feb. 14): 2011 Season Finale
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AM Inbox: That’s not an S-curve…THIS is an S-curve!

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, 12/15 — Top-rated products
S-curve designs—where images and text alternate between right and left placements—are proven to draw the eye down through an email. The S-curve in this Sephora email is probably the most literal that I’ve ever seen. Very cool and eye-catching.



Home Depot, 12/15 — Last Chance for FREE Shipping in Time for Christmas + Save Up To 40%‏
’Tis the season to pun off Christmas sayings and song lyrics. Some get more than a little overused, but I enjoyed the freshness of the pun in this Home Depot email that promoted gift cards.



SUBJECTIVITY SCANNER: Select noteworthy subject lines
Blair, 12/15 — Only 10 days till Christmas. Use this free express upgrade!‏
Harry & David, 12/15 — Free delivery today. Shop now for on-time holiday delivery.
J. Crew, 12/15 — Unwrap more: UP TO 30% OFF, plus FREE SHIPPING on any order! Online only.
NFLshop, 12/15 — TODAY! Get Free Shipping On New York Giants Gear + Gifts That Are Guaranteed To Get There!‏
JC Whitney, 12/15 — FREE Shipping No MINIMUM ends Midnight!
Sportsman’s Guide, 12/15 — Free Shipping (No Minimum) + One Day Flash Sale! Skechers Shape-ups as low as $20 from The Guide
Crutchfield, 12/15 — Want free stuff? Who doesn't?
Sports Authority, 12/15 — Weather the Weather in Under Armour Storm Fleece!
Ann Taylor, 12/15 — Introducing Cold Weather Chic + 40% Off Your Full-Price Purchase
Nordstrom, 12/15 — Sequins: Evening Dazzle for New Year’s Eve | Free Shipping (Details Inside)
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AM Inbox: For free shipping, decipher this code: FR?ESHIPP?NG

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

Bloomingdale’s, 12/14 — Save an Extra 20% Online Today when you decipher the code!
I think discount codes are a fun branding opportunity (see Dec. 31, 2008 AM Inbox), so I was intrigued but ultimately a little befuddled by this Bloomingdale’s email that asks subscribers to decipher the discount code. Now I’ve seen complex scavenger hunts to get codes and sweeps entries, like Dick’s Sporting Goods has done (see Jan. 26 AM Inbox), and I’ve seen fun, simple quizzes that reward you even for wrong answers, like Chadwick’s has done (see Columbus Day 2011 Season Finale). While this Bloomingdale’s email is clearly at the simple, easy end of the spectrum, there’s really no challenge or discovery in figuring out the code. It’s an interesting idea, but the execution was so shallow that I was left scratching my head. What do you think?



American Eagle Outfitters, 12/14 — Give A Gift Card To Get A $10 Money Card!
This holiday season I’ve seen more “promotional gift cards” being offered, which really aren’t gift cards at all, but just dollars-off coupons. I appreciate that AE calls theirs a “money card” rather than a kind of “gift card,” which can be misleading and set the wrong expectations.



SUBJECTIVITY SCANNER: Select noteworthy subject lines
Cooking.com, 12/14 — Final Day to Get Best Gifts in Time for Christmas via Super Saver Shipping
Gilt Groupe, 12/14 — Last Chance for Free Shipping + Hickey Freeman Clothing & Sportswear, J. Lindeberg & J. Lindeberg Golf, Puma Apparel, Foster the People, nuLOOM Contemporary Rugs and more Starts Today at Noon ET
Orvis, 12/14 — Don't delay--order by 4p.m. (ET) on Monday.
Montgomery Ward, 12/14 — Only 3 Days Left Before Ground Shipping Ends
Staples, 12/14 — Office party deals! Candy, toffee popcorn, cups and more.
Office Depot, 12/14 — 4 Days Of Savings Begin Now | Save Up To $200
1-800-Flowers.com, 12/14 — Save 15% Sitewide - Forward to Friends, Family and Santa too!
Sears, 12/14 — Santa Claus is coming to Sears + make a candy cane photo frame
Spiegel, 12/14 — Give Luxury: 60% OFF The Silk-Cashmere Collection!
Lane Bryant, 12/14 — Here’s A Happy Holiday Treat – 50% Off Your Entire Order
Ann Taylor, 12/14 — 'Tis The Season...40% Off Your Full-Price Purchase!‏
eBags, 12/14 — Did you miss out? Facebook fans get 30% off today!
Sony, 12/14 — Spend a Little, Give a Lot | Sony Gifts Under $100
Crate & Barrel, 12/14 — Top-rated coffee gifts under $100 + free shipping.*
Harry & David, 12/14 — Holiday favorites for under $40. Plus Free Delivery.
Avon, 12/14 — Stuff the Stockings with Gifts Under $10
Lowe’s, 12/14 — Build Your Own North Pole. Save up to 50% on Tools
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AM Inbox: Returning to successful campaigns

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

Toys “R” Us, 12/13 — Save BIG When You Buy Online & Pick Up In Store! Up to 40% OFF! Today Only!
When marketers rerun a campaign from previous weeks or months or years, I almost always interpret that as a good sign that the campaign was successful. That’s how I’m interpreting Toys “R” Us’ move to hold another in-store pick up sale. They promoted the last one in a Dec. 6 email (see Dec. 7 AM Inbox).

Norm Thompson also recently repeated a past used creative. In a Dec. 9 email, they reused a long, skinny email with a stocking as the primary focus. Norm Thompson had used that creative in 2009 and 2007 (see Dec. 17, 2009 AM Inbox). If a campaign is successful, look for opportunities to reuse it, freshening it up, if possible.



The Children’s Place, 12/13 — 25% Off The Entire Store + Lowest Prices Of The Season!
Email marketing doesn’t stop with a well-executed email. The landing pages that sit behind the email are also part of a campaign. If there’s a disconnect between the two, then any success that the email achieved has been lessened. Unfortunately that’s the case with this Children’s Place email. When you click through the email…



…the landing page is simply the home page. That itself wasn’t problematic in this case because the email content and home page content were pretty much identical, creating a smooth transition from email to landing page. The problem arises when you try to click on any of the products featured in the primary content block. It turns out that none of them are clickable—in fact, there are only three areas that are clickable, which I’ve highlighted with black boxes. That forces you to search for the product or use the navigation bar links and scroll through lots of products you’re not interested in. A thoughtful and streamlined click path from email to landing page to checkout page can increase conversions significantly.



SUBJECTIVITY SCANNER: Select noteworthy subject lines
Sportsman’s Guide, 12/13 — Free Shipping $0 Minimum... Hurry One Day Only from The Guide
JC Whitney, 12/13 — FREE Shipping NO MINIMUM Ends Today!
Tiffany & Co. 12/13 — Enjoy Complimentary Shipping from Tiffany & Co.
Cabela’s, 12/13 — FREE Shipping! Get it there by Christmas!
Coldwater Creek, 12/13 — 30% off...We Wish You a Merry Gift List!
Office Depot, 12/13 — Do You Hear What I Hear? Savings On Hammermill + Even More! Details Inside.
Barnes & Noble, 12/13 — Holiday Gifts Up to 50% Off -- And Check Out NOOK Color, Now Better than Ever
Linens ’n Things, 12/13 — Last Day to Order for Christmas Delivery!
NFLshop, 12/13 — Exciting Holiday Gifts From NFL Auction
1-800-Flowers.com, 12/13 — Share our Holiday Favorites with your Favorites!
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AM Inbox: Shipping deadlines banners

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, 12/12 — Last Chance To Save $125 Or More – Now Extended Thru Monday
Most large retailers don’t have a single order-by date. There are different deadlines for ground shipping, expedited shipping and overnight shipping; for drop shipping and ship-to-store services; for delivery to different regions of the U.S. or to different countries; and for different deadlines for customized, personalized, oversized, digital, etc. products. In this email, Lane Bryant reassures subscribers that there’s still plenty of time for ship-to-store and home shipping, pitching ship-to-store as a free delivery option.



Disney Store, 12/12 — It's Magical Monday! Save Up to 25% Today Only
In this email, Disney Store lays out the order-by deadlines for personalized and non-personalized products.



Abercrombie & Fitch, 12/12 — Last day! 25% off your purchase plus $5 shipping on all orders!
In this email, Abercrombie’s shipping deadlines banner focuses on international orders, listing the order-by dates for the U.S., U.K. and E.U., Canada, and elsewhere.



SUBJECTIVITY SCANNER: Select noteworthy subject lines
Linens ’n Things, 12/12 — Only 36 Hours Left for Christmas Delivery!
Toys “R” Us, 12/12 — Green Monday Cyber Sale! Today Only! Up to 60% OFF Thousands of Toys!
Home Depot, 12/12 — Shop the Last Cyber Monday Savings of 2011
Kohl’s, 12/12 — Top 5 Gifts: Get Them During Our Christmas Countdown Sale!
1-800-Flowers.com, 12/12 — Share 15% Off with Friends & Fa-La-La Family!
Brookstone, 12/12 — "Argh... where are those darn sticky notes?" [promoting electronic writing tablets]
Spiegel, 12/12 — Travel Checklist: Ponté Knits, Now 60% OFF
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Alert: As Free Shipping Day approaches, majority of retailers already offering free shipping

Fifty-five percent of major online retailers are offering free shipping all holiday season long, according to Responsys research. Half of those retailers have adopted an “Every Day Free Shipping” policy, while the other half is offering free shipping just for the holiday season. The remaining 45% of retailers offer free shipping for limited periods of time, offer it on just a narrow selection, or don’t offer it.



Free shipping is the most popular and effective online promotional offer, with consumers consistently valuing it more than it costs retailers to provide it. That’s why we’re seeing more and more retailers move to an “Every Day Free Shipping” policy—which is in turn forcing other retailers to keep up by offering free shipping more often, including for the duration of the critical holiday season. At any given time during the holiday season, at least 3 out of 4 major online retailers is offering free shipping.

Free Shipping Day Is Dec. 16

For fear of creating confusion about their order-by deadlines for Christmas delivery or about when they will offer free shipping for the last time during the holiday season, retailers have hesitated to publicly embrace Free Shipping Day beyond promoting themselves on freeshippingday.com.

For instance, on Free Shipping Day last year (Dec. 17), only 6% of promotional emails sent by the major online retailers I tracked mentioned “Free Shipping Day” by name—with one retailer mentioning it only to mock it. By contrast, 70% of promotional emails sent on Nov. 28 this year mentioned “Cyber Monday.”

Free Shipping Day is a solution to a problem that has largely been solved. While Dec. 17 will be a big email and ecommerce day, it will have little to do with the fact that it’s Free Shipping Day and a lot to do with the fact that it is the Friday before the last full shopping weekend before Christmas. What consumers could really use is a Free Return Shipping Day—perhaps on the first weekday after Christmas. Currently, only 6% of retailers offer free return shipping.
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AM Inbox: This is what you're missing

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

Sportsman’s Guide, 12/10 — One Day Only Private Sale Top Sellers... plus Free Shipping!... from The Guide
If you have a loyalty program or premium membership, it’s important to remind non-members of benefits that they’re missing out on. For instance, in this Sportsman’s Guide email, they highlight the free shipping offer for members of their Buyer’s Club next to the non-members offer with a higher purchase threshold. Sephora is a retailer that does this well in promoting their Beauty Insiders loyalty program.



Orvis, 12/9 — Save on handsome pairings & make gift giving easy.
In this email, Orvis ran a nice upsell promotion with a touch of educational messaging. Instead of a straightforward “buy one, get one” promo, they are offering discounts on combos, which gives subscribers guidance on which products pair nicely. The execution on the product pages is a little rough; a custom landing page for the deals would have made things cleaner. Perhaps if this promotion does well, they’ll repeat it using a custom landing page approach.



SUBJECTIVITY SCANNER: Select noteworthy subject lines
Eddie Bauer, 12/9 — 12 Days of Gifts Begins Today! Get 50% Off Our Cloud Layer Fleece.
Musician’s Friend, 12/9 — Our 12 Deals of Christmas Start Today!
Costco, 12/9 — 12 Deals of Christmas Starts Today! Check Back Daily for a New Deal!
Cooking.com, 12/9 — Save on the 12 Deals of Christmas!
Lands’ End, 12/11 — On the 14th day before Christmas, Lands' End gave to me... 40% off any item!
SmartBargains, 12/9 — Black Friday Coupons Are Back. Up To An Extra 50% Off.
Office Depot, 12/9 — We've Gone Back to Black Friday Pricing, Like USB Drives For Only $9.99 Now - Saturday!
J&R, 12/9 — We're Going Back2Black Again! Black Friday Pricing All Weekend Long
TigerDirect, 12/9 — Black Friday's Back…1 Day Only: 50" 3D TV $799...Core i3 6GB Laptop $399...1TB Ext HFriday III: 50" 3D TV $799...Core i3 6GB Laptop $399...1TB Ext HD $99...$1.99 Headphones...32GB USB $19.99…
OfficeMax, 12/9 — We're Still Celebrating Black Friday - $79.99 Kodak Printer
Sears, 12/10 — Earlybird Doorbusters: 5am CT online, 7am in store
Urban Outfitters, 12/9 — This Weekend Only: Free Shipping! No Minimum, No Code...
JC Whitney, 12/11 — FREE Shipping No Minimum - Today Only!
TigerDirect, 12/9 — Free Shipping This Weekend Only
Bass Pro Shops, 12/11 — Final Week for Free Shipping
Lowe’s, 12/11 — Our Elves Are Hard at Work -- Find the Latest Gifts From THE Workshop
Abercrombie & Fitch, 12/11 — The hottest Fragrances for a Privileged Christmas!
Orvis, 12/11 — The next best thing to staying in bed. [promoting sleepwear and slippers]
Lands’ End, 12/10 — Something new - meet Lands' End Canvas ;)
Brookstone, 12/9 — Meet Plow & Hearth, and get 20% savings for the next 4 days!
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Week-End Trends: Holiday email volume peaks week earlier

Email activity and seasonal trends during the past week:

The Retail Email Index: The top online retailers sent each of their subscribers 5.2 promotional emails on average during the week ending Dec. 9, 2011. That’s down 8% week-over-week, up 28% from where it was four weeks ago, and up 12% year-over-year.

Holiday email volume has peaked a week earlier than last year because of the big expansion of email messaging around Cyber Monday and because fewer retailers are running “12 Days of Christmas” daily email campaigns and some of those are starting later than usual.



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



The Retail Email Seasonality Meter: “All Christmas all the time” should continue through Christmas and into the days before New Year’s. Messaging for New Year’s won’t tick up for another couple of weeks.



Selling Seasons on the Horizon:
Christmas (Dec. 25): 2010 Season Finale and Retail Email Guide to the Holiday Season 2011
New Year’s (Jan. 1): 2011 Season Finale
Valentine’s Day (Feb. 14): 2011 Season Finale
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Ping Time: Email Insider Summit, 2012 predictions, etc.

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

>>Justine Jordan of Litmus shares tweets from the Email Insider Summit about mobile email. >>Follow the ping

>>Martin Lieberman of Constant Contact lists his five top takeaways for small businesses from the Email Insider Summit. >>Follow the ping

>>Email consultant Jordie van Rijn aggregates a number of email predictions for 2012. >>Follow the ping into the future

>>BtoB Magazine shares data from Epsilon showing that email open rates have increased and clicks stayed steady even as email volume has increased, further proof that the industry is healthy. >>Follow the ping

>>Return Path unveils new research showing that email viewing on iPads was up 73% between April and September, among other findings. >>Follow the ping

>>In my latest Email Insider column, I share the findings of our Email Engagement & Deliverability Study, which found that the majority of retailers continue to email subscribers who haven’t opened or clicked on emails for more than 40 months. >>Follow the ping
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AM Inbox: Abandoning email design best practices

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

HP, 12/8 — Exclusive: HP's First Ultrabook is Here
I’m a big fan of email design best practices, but I’m also a big fan of occasionally ditching those best practices to stand out in the inbox. For instance, in this HP email, they jettison their preheader text and navigation bar and increased their email width to 800 pixels from 570. Those changes helped put more focus on the hero image of their new ultra-thin laptop.



Home Depot, 12/8 — Free Shipping on Christmas Decor
Social campaigns tend to be simple during the holidays because people are so busy and tactical in their interactions with retailers. But the social campaign in this Home Depot is a step up from the typical “Like us on Facebook to enter the sweepstakes” or “…to get a sneak peek at our Black Friday deals.” People who are proud of their Christmas decorations are likely to have already taken pictures, which lowers the time commitment required to enter this contest. And people who enter are likely to inspire others to decorate their homes. This is a solid example of how promotional content and social content can complement each other. I also like how the primary call-to-action pooches outside the grid on the right.



SUBJECTIVITY SCANNER: Select noteworthy subject lines
Lowe’s, 12/8 — Pick and Click. Buy Your Tree Online and Get Straight to the Trimming.
Barnes & Noble, 12/8 — Wishing You Happy Shopping with an Extra 20% Off
Kohl’s, 12/8 — Use Your Extra 20% Off Shopping Pass + Shop Our Biggest Christmas Sale!‏
Crate & Barrel, 12/8 — top-rated host gifts starting at $2.95 + free shipping with no minimum purchase.
Northern Tool, 12/8 — Free Gift Card + Power Tools Ship Free Everyday
Foot Locker, 12/8 — Celebrate Kicksmas with Free Shipping!
Orvis, 12/8 — Receive a $50 Gift Card when you buy a leather jacket.
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AM Inbox: Is every product review-worthy?

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

Home Depot — Rate and Review Your Recent Home Depot Purchase
First, kudos to Home Depot for being sophisticated enough to match my in-store purchase with my online account information using my credit card. Because of that connection, they were able to send me this product review request email recently. However, as you can see, the products I purchased are not terribly exciting. I would deem them not review-worthy—an assertion that seems supported by the fact that the two products have a total of three reviews, all five stars and not really useful. While shoppers should obviously be able to review any product, I do wonder if retailers should be sending review requests for every product.

What do you think? Should retailers not make assumptions about review-worthiness or try not to waste customers’ time with silly requests?



Sephora, 12/7 — Drop a hint
Email messaging encouraging subscribers to create wish lists has been the lightest in years. I don’t have a bead on the shift in consumer behavior, but suspect that Sephora is on the right track in trying to pursue wish-listers on Facebook. This might be a compelling reason for retailers to set up stores on Facebook, a step that very few major retailers have taken. All in all, I’ve seen very little Facebook-commerce experimentation from retailers this holiday season. Retailers are clearly not at all convinced that giving more power to Facebook is in their best interest.



SUBJECTIVITY SCANNER: Select noteworthy subject lines
Bass Pro Shops, 12/7 — Countdown to Christmas Sale + Free Shipping
Avon, 12/7 — 12 Beauty Deals, 12 HUGE Savings
Neiman Marcus, 12/7 — 12 days of GIVEAWAYS!
Cabela’s, 12/7 — FREE Shipping! Cabela's Christmas Hot Buys - 25 Days of Deals
Buy.com, 12/7 — What's on YOUR Wish List?
J. Crew, 12/7 — Guest editors: shop the wish lists of a few of our favorite people
Montgomery Ward, 12/7 — Budget-Friendly Gifts + Fine Foods for Holiday Dining
Eddie Bauer, 12/7 — Holiday Sale: Gifts from $14.99 + Free Shipping!
HP, 12/7 — 10 Great Gifts Under $159.99
Crutchfield, 12/7 — Why fight the crowds? Stay home and save with Crutchfield
Target, 12/7 — Get a $10 GiftCard when you spend $50 in stores.
Costco, 12/8 — Santa Shops at Costco.com for All The Best Holiday Deals!
JC Whitney, 12/7 — Prepare for Safe Winter Motoring | $30 OFF
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AM Inbox: In-store pick up sale

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

Toys “R” Us, 12/6 — In-store pick up sale! Save up to 40% and pay no shipping fees!
In-store online and online only sales are common, but I think this is the first in-store pick up sale that I’ve seen. In-store pick up services are promoted fairly heavily during the final week before Christmas as a last-minute option, along with express shipping, e-gift cards and store hours. This sale is likely to get more subscribers to try the service for the first time, making their last-minute messaging more effective.



Victoria’s Secret, 12/6 — 6 Gifts on Every Supermodel's List...
I really expected more retailers to be experimenting with selling via Facebook—F-commerce—but this is one of the few references I’ve seen. Based on what I’m seeing in my inboxes, retailers aren’t relying on social very much this holiday season.



SUBJECTIVITY SCANNER: Select noteworthy subject lines
Hallmark, 12/6 — Take a moment for yourself and enjoy your holiday newsletter!
Brookstone, 12/6 — This year even your iPad has a list
Yoox, 12/6 — Yooxmas Party: Green Gifts and More
CB2, 12/6 — shop our new catalog for affordable urban goodies + free shipping.
RitzCamera, 12/6 — Holiday Savings on Great Gifts plus Holiday Lights Photo Tips
L.L. Bean, 12/6 — Up to 60% Off, Plus Free Shipping + "Best Darn Slippers"
Spiegel, 12/6 — Holiday Style Solution: 60% OFF Effortlessly Chic Silk-Cashmere!
dELiA*s, 12/6 — $10-$15-$20 Holiday Sale + FREE Shipping - 3 Days Only!
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