June 2010 Archives

From: Kate Spade
Subject Line: a father's day gift guide from jack spade
Date: Friday, June 4, 2010

Leave it to Kate Spade to come up with a fresh, fun way to feature products! It's so cute, I had to click through to the website (even though I already bought my dad a present). And, I always love the "gifts under..." option, so I don't waste time looking at products out of my price range.

Improve your customer retention program by instating a birthday email!

From: The Container Store
Subject Line: Happy Birthday! We have a special gift for you!
Date: Tuesday, June 1, 2010
The Container Store's email doesn't say what the gift is, you have to go to the store to claim it. Making your gift exclusively available in-store is a good way to drive traffic to your store, but I would prefer if the email said what the gift was.

From: World Market Explorer (Cost Plus)
Subject Line: Guess what? You've earned a Reward!
Date: Sunday, June 13, 2010
Cost Plus's email doesn't say Happy Birthday anywhere in the email or subject line, only on the landing page (thumbs down). Also note that you have to click in order to see your reward, which doesn't bother me and helps drive traffic to the website.

From: Disney Movie Rewards
Subject Line: Amy, Happy Birthday!
Date: Friday, June 18, 2010
My favorite. I was looking forward to this one after getting it last year. Although the movie selection is exactly the same as last year's. Offering an awesome reward like this can do 3 things: 1) Build customer loyalty. If the gift is worth it, you can bet people will stay subscribed to get the same perk next year. Until then, you have a better chance of reeling them in on other offers. 2) Build your List. If I got a great deal on my birthday, I'd tell my friends to sign up for your emails. 3) Increase your conversion rate. By giving a gift, you may be reminding an inactive customer just how great your products are -- and get them buying again.

From: ING Direct
Subject Line: Happy Birthday from ING DIRECT!
Date: Friday, June 18, 2010
I liked how this email gave 3 product suggestions for using my 15% discount.

From: Nature Made
Subject Line: Happy Birthday From Nature Made
Date: Friday, June 18, 2010
I like how Nature Made included my name in the email. They also used the opportunity to cross-promote a product.

From: Piperlime
Subject Line: Happy Birthday! Here's a treat.
Date: Friday, June 18, 2010
The offer on this one wasn't as great as some of the others ($15 off a purchase of $60).

From: Various Email Footers
Date: June, 2010

Way back in October 2009, when Smith-Harmon became Smith Harmon, a Responsys Company, we went through a change of email platforms. I kept telling myself that I would learn to like the change and/or just get used to it, but I have finally come to the reluctant conclusion that neither of these options are ever going to happen. I don't want to name names, but "old platform" = 1 click to create new folder, and "new platform" = many more steps and lots of clicks and changing of (ahem) windows to create new folders and organize emails. Once the number of emails in inbox passed the half-way mark to 5 digits territory (I probably shouldn't be admitting to the world how unruly I let things get), I decided it was time to take action; I opened a new email account to house my collection of Retail Emails, and am currently in the process of trying to switch my email address over on all the lists to which I subscribe.

Turns out, this is surprising difficult in some cases. Here is a random sampling and reviews of my experiences with attempting to change my email address (listed in no particular order):










• Victoria's Secret didn't have Email Preferences link in footer. As with many of the others, the unsubscribe link took me to an Update Your Email Preference Page. It made me laugh that that they have a Continue Shopping button on this page. Good for them for not missing an opportunity, but I was frustrated at not finding where to change my email, and not particularly in the mood to shop.










• Barney's did well over all. While they only had an unsubscribe link in their footer, it took me to the best preferences page of the bunch: 3 simple options to either reduce frequency, unsubscribe, OR change email address - all with Barney's trademark, super-sharp copy-writing, I might add. The follow-up "Thank You" page was spot on as well (and preferable to an email).







• Kate Spade's graphical unsubscribe link was unclickable, so had to take a long-winded approach to unsubscribe. But then on the bright side, they had a link to join their mailing list and get 15% off my "first order"... Hmmm maybe I'll just unsubscribe and resubscribe every time I want to purchase something from KS. ;)












• Urban Outfiitters had an Email Preferences link in footer, but it did not lead to an option to change email address. Also, IMHO their preferences page was too busy and asked too many questions.




















• Daily Candy had a link to "Change your e-mail address" in their footer, but no actual place to do so when clicked. What gives?











• Tablespoon had no preferences link in their footer nor an option to change email address when I clicked the unsubscribe link, but politely asked if there was a reason why I wished to unsubscribe, and wanted to know if there was anything  they could be doing better.





















• Horchow gets the highest marks from me for ease of email address change. Their footer had one link to change preferences or unsubscribe which led me to a nicely designed and simple page to do everything at once (which was perfect since Horchow was previously on my worst-offender list of over-sending!).

In summery, if I found it too difficult to change my email address, I simply unsubscribed, which is a pity, because that was not at all my original intent. (Plus, is there a retailer in the whole world wants to unnecassarily lose its subscribers?!). My suggestion to all email marketers, would be to add an email change and/or preferences link to your footers, and to make the following page is simple to use.

From: Moosejaw.com
Subject Line: Hottie Poster for Gentlemen who might be Dads
Date: Thursday, June 17, 2010

This Father's Day, I got my dad a special tea mug. It had a steeping basket and a lid built in. I thought it was pretty cool. But apparently I am kind of a square--the real cool kids get their dads...posters of "hotties." Their own dads (or husbands or brothers). Ew.

I know Moosejaw is well known (and celebrated) for their snarky, rambling, copy-heavy emails, and I usually enjoy them a lot. It's important to push limits once in a while so you keep your content fun and distinctive, especially for a brand like Moosejaw.

But this email crosses a line for me. It's a little too sleazy to be funny (who calls another human being a "random"?), and a little too gross to be good-humored. There's nothing wrong with speaking to particular segments of your readership, of course--but at the same time, you don't want to alienate a large portion of your list, which I would argue has been done here. I think this copy could have been spun in a more respectful, but still funny and edgy, way.

From: Origins
Subject Line: You're Invited
Date: Wednesday, June 9, 2010

I love getting these gorgeous emails from Origins every month. I was excited to learn from this email that they have a recycling program for their products. However, when I clicked on the banner to learn more about the program, I was directed to a store locator page and was prompted to enter my home address. I'm not a big fan of giving out my address, so in hopes of learning more about the program, I only entered my zip code (which ended up working!). Much to my dismay, I was only shown the nearest store -- the program info was nowhere to be found.

I'm not sure if this was a ploy to get home addresses or if it was a genuine mistake, but I was pretty disappointed.

From: Nike
Subject Line: Running with Purpose
Date: Tuesday, March 8, 2010

As I was cleaning out my inbox the other day, I came across this Nike email that immediately caught my eye - with the images disabled!

What a great trick to use background colors to make this email pop when images are turned off. When I turned the images on, the images matched their background colors!

Nike could do a better job with the alt tags, but otherwise, a job well done!

From: opening ceremony online
Subject Line: OCNN: Keds for OC Tribute London
Date: Tuesday, June 1, 2010 4:51 PM

Love OC's use of animation in this Keds message.
Ah, the colors of my youth...

Check out the newsletter in its entirety here >

From: Athleta
Subject Line: Full Support Swimwear is Getting Into the Mix
Date: Tuesday, June 1, 2010

I've been reading a lot about the rhythm of language and how it adds beauty to your writing. I think Athleta has been checking out the same books, because there is a very crafty copywriter behind this email. It takes a lot of work to make something that sounds so effortless. Notice the symmetry in the sentences? "Full-Support Designs For Full Sport Days" is concise, balanced and pleasing to the ear, without sacrificing the message. I also love the use of puns and wordplay to add a light, inspirational tone. The copy, especially "perfect set," nods toward the image (which, talk about inspirational) without being obvious. It doesn't have to scream VOLLEYBALL for the reader to get the point. I do wish the image and copy had been a little more integrated visually, but ah well--a girl can dream!

"Send Me a Copy" Example	Personalized Subject Line	Nice Use of Branding
	Nice Cross-Promotion	Personalized Text Stands Out
With all the hype about sharing with your network, don't forget to also include a Forward to a Friend (FTAF) link in your emails. Not everyone has a facebook account, but almost everyone has an email address. It's also fewer steps to share an email with a specific person this way. Using the email program's forward functionality can distort your code and your email may not render properly. Having a FTAF button will ensure that your email looks as you intended it to. In my search for the perfect FTAF experience, here's what I found... In the FTAF Form: Allow the sender to add a personal message (and make sure to include that message in the forwarded email). Add a check box allowing the sender to receive a copy of the forwarded email. Include your branding and logo on the FTAF form page. Allow the sender to forward to more than one person, but don't overwhelm the page with boxes. I suggest 3 fields, or 1 taller box allowing the sender to separate email addresses with commas. Include a reassuring note that your friend will not be added to your mailing list. Do not ask for the sender or recipient's name if you don't plan on using it. I suggest not using it to make the forwarding process quick & easy for the sender. Do not ask for the sender's email. You can generate this info yourself, don't require extra work for the sender. Subject Line: I suggest doing what Godiva and Guess do. Have "Subject Line" as one of your form fields. Auto-populate it with the original email's subject line, but give the sender the option to overwrite it with their own message. A personalized message can increase open rates and the auto-populated field will save the sender time/hassle. In the page following the form submission: Give a simple "Thank you, your message has been sent to [email address]" message. Cross promote similar products that the email featured, add/or add a button to shop the website. In the Forwarded Email: Make the personalized message easy to spot and place it at the top of the email. Separate the message from the forwarded email so it doesn't get lost/overlooked. If you can make it look nice, kudos to you! Include a link to sign up for your emails. BUT, place it below the personalized message or your message may look like spam to the recipient. Other Thoughts: Should the "From" line of the email be: 1) the sender's email 2) the sender's name or 3) retailer's name? ...What do you think? (See samples below)

From: net-a-porter.com
Subject Line: The Editors' Sale Picks
Date: Sunday, June 6, 2010 7:00 AM

We are forever brainstorming ways to contextualize sale product in a way that's meaningful and interesting. Here, NET-A-PORTER has done just that. By pulling editors' sale picks, they've managed to take out the trash with class ;). The Thakoon dress is a little bit amazing :)!!!

From: The Hatch at Hayneedle.com
Subject Line: June 2 to June 4 ... see what's in The Hatch this week!
Date: Wednesday, June 2, 2010

Hayneedle is a collection of over 200 online specialty stores, and IMHO they are doing a lot of things right. I would like to nominate them for the poster-child of following best practices of all things e-commerce related. Headquartered in Nebraska, they do not have retail stores or snail mail catalogs, nor do they employ any "old-fashioned" marketing strategies whatsoever: no print or TV ads. Instead, they seem to have conquered all things internet related: SEO, domaine names and email marketing.

When it became time to upgrade my kids' sleeping arrangements to bunk beds a couple of months ago, I had not previously heard of Hayneedle. My initial awareness of Hayneedle came about because of their perfect use of SEO (Search engine optimization). Whatever I Googled, from "bunk beds" to "loft beds" to "Bunk beds and loft beds for kids", a Hayneedle site was always well placed on the organic search "Top 10". What is even better is that Hayneedle is basically an aggregation of over 200 websites into one. "Hayneedle.com" itself isn't exactly a mind-sticker, but their well named collection of domaine names (everything from hammocks.com to adirondackchairs.com to aquariumsdirect.com) along with excellent search engine placement are another thing.

Once I had clicked through to simplybunkbeds.com, I was totally sucked in and felt no need to leave the site (which isn't to say that I didn't do my due diligence - I spent about a month searching beds before making the final plunge). Again, Hayneedle had done everything right: easy product zoom view, similar products links, customer reviews all within a fantastic layout. It also didn't hurt that the bunk beds we ended up purchasing came with free mattresses and had a mere $25 shipping cost (Even the delivery man was nice!).

Naturally, I joined the Hayneedle email list... and the perfection just continues. I find that the volume of emails I receive from them to be just the right amount, and that they are mostly very relevant to me and my shopping proclivities. This email for "The Hatch" (Hayneedle's newly launched "by invitation only" weekly savings and sale) has the exact sense of urgency necessary, without applying too much pressure (3 days) and 2 out of the 3 the featured products happened to be items I was already contemplating purchasing - items I don't recall brewing at Hayneedle. What, are they psychic or something? (When I returned to the Hayneedle site to view something I had previously browsed, an enticement in the form of 10% Off Promo Code popped up.)

The icing on the cake was the "Compare Our Price" link, which with one click, instantly showed that it was indeed the best deal to be found on the internet. Now, I'm just waiting for the new sandbox to arrive. :)

From: Shopbop.com
Subject Line:
Great Style/Great Price: 8 Chic, Comfortable Looks for a Week in Europe
Date: Friday, May 28, 2010 6:53 AM

Many of us have been challenged with messaging full-price product during less that full-pocketed times. Here, shopbop does some excellent value-focused messaging to highlight chic looks for ... relatively less, anyway ;).