Email Marketing RulesFew Retailers Respond to Abandoned Carts on Cyber Monday
Posted on December 17, 2013
In my second guest column for ClickZ this holiday season (here’s the first), I take a deeper dive into the cart abandonment email research that’s highlighted in our Email Insights & Trends from Thanksgiving, Black Friday & Cyber Monday #Infographic.
On Cyber Monday, ExactTarget clicked through the promotional emails sent that day by more than 90 major online retailers and filled our shopping carts with more than $100 of merchandise. Then we walked away, closing our browser after each shopping session.
Only 21% of those retailers sent a triggered email in response within 3 days. Emails that follow up on shopping carts that are abandoned by subscribers often mean the difference between a completed sale and a lost sale on this high-value shopping day. So the low adoption of shopping cart abandonment emails presents retailers with a wonderful win-win opportunity to serve shoppers better with service and product information and increase their sales.
Our research also uncovered several opportunities to implement these triggered emails better, which I discuss in the column.
>> Read my column on ClickZ.com
1st Mobile Christmas Greeted with Rise in Email Mobile-Friendliness
Posted on December 13, 2013
In this guest column for ClickZ, I take a deeper dive into the email mobile-friendliness research that’s highlighted in our Email Insights & Trends from Thanksgiving, Black Friday & Cyber Monday #Infographic.
Looking at the promotional emails of nearly 110 major online retailers, we found that from early October to late November the percentage of retailers using mobile-friendly email design rose by more than 40%—from 23% to 32%. That substantial increase bodes well for gains to come in early 2014.
The details are even more encouraging, with responsive design making a huge jump and positive signs among those retailers still using largely desktop-centric designs as well.
>> Read my column on ClickZ.com
Infographic: Email Insights & Trends from Thanksgiving, Black Friday & Cyber Monday
Posted on December 10, 2013
The Thanksgiving Holiday Weekend includes some of the busiest email marketing days of the year, including top email day Cyber Monday, famed Black Friday, and the up-and-comer Thanksgiving Day. However, consumers behave differently on each of these days, which means retailers have to use different approaches on each day.
Based on our anonymous tracking of nearly 110 major online retailers, our latest infographic examines email volume patterns during the critical Thanksgiving Holiday Weekend, in addition to addresses issues that are unique and important to Thanksgiving, Black Friday and Cyber Monday. For example, on Black Friday we looked at whether retailers’ email were mobile-friendly or not.
Overall, our findings indicate that there continue to be great opportunities for retailers to gain a competitive advantage by addressing consumer needs and expectations when it comes to email marketing.
The Last Word on November 2013
Posted on December 5, 2013
A roundup of articles, posts, tweets and emails you might have missed last month…
Must-read articles, posts & whitepapers
Consumers Expect Optimized Mobile Experiences, Retail Sites Need Improvement (MediaPost)
Subscriber Engagement Over Time (MailChimp Blog)
A How-To Guide For eReceipts (Marketing Land)
A common preference request error that’s easily fixed (Zettasphere Blog)
Insightful & entertaining tweets
@ScottDorsey: Cyber Monday record at @exacttarget – our customers have sent over 1 billion permission-based digital messages today! Awesome! cc: @Benioff
@rcadden: If your email unsubscribe page requires me to enter my email address or has a captcha, I’m just going to report you as spam. #makeiteasy
@brbarrett: Amazon drones will guarantee thirty minute delivery of free Cyber Monday marketing for Amazon and that’s about it.
@MikeBloxham: What you’ll receive when your Amazon Drone delivery goes astray http://t.co/yCz9RBvi1X
@LorenMcDonald: An estimated 4% of recipients open emails on multiple devices – @litmusapp – those that do are very likely to convert #emailmarketing
@markbrownlow: If Santa was an email marketer… 1. Open rates would mean something (and 15 more like that) –> http://t.co/0TrjbKOiZN
Great additions to the Email Swipe File pinboard
Zulily email sent on 11/13/13 >> View the pin
QVC email sent on 11/14/13 >> View the pin
Frank & Oak email sent on 10/9/13 >> View the pin
Lowe’s email sent 11/1/13 >> View the pin
Noteworthy subject lines
Banana Republic, 11/30 — 40% off + win a Hilton weekend getaway!
Costco, 11/30 — Additional Black Friday Weekend Deals on Costco.com!
Michael’s, 11/29 — 7PM – 10PM Only! Friday Night Madness
ThinkGeek, 11/29 — ThinkGeek’s #000000 Friday deals + 20% off sitewide!
Zulily, 11/29 — Black Friday Special: 100% off crowds + guaranteed cute
Lenovo, 11/30 — My boss didn’t love that last email
Lenovo, 11/29 — Ever tried to gift wrap a pony?
Toys “R” Us, 11/28 — Set Your Alarm Now! NEW Doorbusters Start Tomorrow at 5AM
Target, 11/28 — Black Friday starts tonight. Doors open at 8pm!
Home Depot, 11/28 — Turkey Can Wait…Save Up to 40% NOW!
West Elm, 11/28 — Up to 25% off EVERYTHING. Shop from your sofa!
Karmaloop, 11/28 — This Ain’t No Thanksgiving Leftover: New Arrivals Every Hour from Crooks & Castles, LRG, & More
ModCloth, 11/27 — It may be Wednesday, but our Black Friday Sale is ON!
Jos. A. Bank, 11/27 — Starting at Midnight Tonight… BLACK FRIDAY DOORBUSTERS with FREE Shipping, No Minimum!
Toys “R” Us, 11/27 — Black Friday Savings Start Online Tonight at 12:01!
Six Flags New England, 11/27 — Black Friday/Cyber Monday Sale!
Express, 11/25 — Black Friday starts online at midnight TONIGHT – and in-store tomorrow!
Sony, 11/25 — Black Friday Deals Start Now | Save up to 50%
Lego, 11/25 — Exclusive “Brick” Friday Offers start Friday, Nov 29 at 12 am EST!
Expedia, 11/27 — Start saving early: Black Friday deals all week
Walmart, 11/27 — Be prepared with your Black Friday Ad and Map
Gander Mountain, 11/21 — Black Friday Pricing Without The Crowds!
Walmart, 11/21 — Why wait? Pre-Black Friday specials are now online!
St. Jude Children’s Hospital, 11/25 — Today only: Feed the BuzzMeter #ThanksandGiving
Sephora, 11/22 — #WantThemAll
Pier 1 Imports, 11/21 —Holiday lights, no wiring.
Barneys New York, 11/21 — Give Thanks: Shop Gifts for Your Holiday Hostess
Michael’s, 11/20 — Have you created your holiday cards?
Banana Republic, 11/18 — Enjoy merry savings (even more for Cardmembers).
Crate & Barrel, 11/16 — Is your turkey toolkit ready?
Blue Nile, 11/17 — Try Our New Mobile Shopping Experience
The Container Store, 11/15 — Help us collect 15,000 Coats
Volkswagen of America, 11/13 — Zero reasons to wait.
The Container Store, 11/13 — Wrapped up in Hanukkah
Moosejaw, 11/13 — We lied last time. THESE are the best Moosejaw jackets ever.
JCPenney, 11/13 — Pinterest faves for your home for 20-50% off!
Godiva Chocolatier, 11/13 — NEW! GODIVA on Mobile & iPad (+ Save on Truffles)
Jos. A. Bank, 11/12 — All Clearance REDUCED 25% – Plus Buy 1 Suit, Get 2 FREE + ‘Give’ 1 to a US Military Veteran
Toys “R” Us, 11/1 — Sneak Peek – The Great Big Toys“R”Us Wish Finder Catalog!
ThinkGeek, 11/1 — Be the first to get ’em: holiday gift sneak preview!
Lego, 11/1 — Give the Gift of Better Building!
REI, 11/1 — Great Gifts for Everyone on Your List
Gap, 11/1 — Our top 6 cozy must-gives
TigerDirect.com, 11/1 — 73 Hour Early Christmas Sale: 24″ LED Monitor $129 | New 22″ All-in-One PC $429 | 28″ LED TV $129, more
Hayneedle, 11/1 — Pre-holiday-season savings: up to 60% OFF + room makeovers, bar stools, accents & more.
Saks Fifth Avenue, 11/1 — It’s Your Moment: Holiday For Her
Clinique, 11/1 — Our Holiday Shop is Open + All Orders Ship FREE
Olive Garden, 11/1 — For Military Family Appreciation Month, we’re honored to serve.
The Container Store, 11/1 — Real Daylight Savings – UP TO 40%!
SkyMall, 11/1 — Turn Back the Clock Sale! Save 20% Site Wide
Most popular posts on EmailMarketingRules.com
1. The Many Uses (and 2 Drawbacks) of Animated Gifs
2. The One-Two Punch of Subject Lines and Preheaders
3. 2 Key Techniques for Making Email Content More Mobile-Friendly
4. Audience Growth Swipe File Debuts: Ideas to Reach More Consumers
5. My Dreamforce Presentation: The Good, the Bad, and the Best
Nov. 2013 B2C Email Volume Jumps: Retailers Sent 20.5 per Subscriber, Non-Retailers 7.0
Posted on December 4, 2013
During November, retailers sent each of their subscribers 20.5 promotional emails on average, up 15% from October. Non-retailers sent each of their subscribers 7.0 promotional emails on average, up 13% from the previous month.
This data is based on the anonymous tracking for more than 150 B2C brands, including retailers, restaurants, manufacturers, travel and hospitality, political groups, and nonprofits.
Among both retailers and non-retailers, increases in per subscriber email volume were driven by holiday messaging, including a busy Thanksgiving Week. For more on seasonal email marketing trends, check out the Email Marketing Holiday Calendar and this month’s update…
>> Email Marketing Holiday Calendar 2013: November Review & December Preview
My Top 3 Email Marketing Insights from Thanksgiving, Black Friday and Cyber Monday
Posted on December 3, 2013
In my latest Email Insider column for MediaPost, I share my top 3 insights from the Thanksgiving holiday weekend, which are that…
1. Thanksgiving Eve is the new Thanksgiving
2. Black Friday prompted an increase in mobile-friendly email designs
3. Cyber Monday is the busiest email marketing day of the year…but perhaps only for the next two weeks
For all the details…
>> Read my Email Insider column on MediaPost.com
More Insights on Birthday Email Programs
Posted on November 20, 2013
Our Birthday Emails Infographic clearly showed that there’s a big opportunity for brands to collect birth dates and use that information to send triggered birthday emails. In this follow-up, I share five more insights from our research, which involved more than 180 B2C brands:
- A lack of follow-up on birthday email offers.
- Too many birthday offers involved printing out coupons.
- Some brands promised birthday emails but didn’t follow through.
- Don’t ignore the other birthdays in your subscribers’ lives.
- Subject line trends from birthday emails.
>> Read the full post on the ExactTarget Blog
Exclusive #DF13 Book Giveaway: Get Your Copy of “Email Marketing Rules”
Posted on November 18, 2013
In celebration of Dreamforce 2013 and the Salesforce ExactTarget Marketing Cloud, Salesforce is providing complimentary copies of my book, Email Marketing Rules, to attendees of any email marketing session during Dreamforce. Copies will be on the seats when you enter the session or available at the end of the session as you exit.
Through 108 easy-to-understand rules, Email Marketing Rules is your guide to understanding the practices that lead to spectacular email marketing results, while steering you clear of trouble. Youtility author Jay Baer calls it “the best book ever written about email marketing,” and Internet Retailer Magazine says it is “a must-have for any email marketer.”
So don’t forget to grab your copy of Email Marketing Rules and also be sure to check out my session, “Marketing Cloud: The Good, the Bad and the Best Email Practices,” on Wednesday at 2:30, as well as all the other great email marketing sessions at Dreamforce.
2 Key Techniques for Making Email Content More Mobile-Friendly
Posted on November 11, 2013
On the sliding scale of mobile-friendliness, most brands are just starting to get a grip on the fundamentals of email content design. In fact, ExactTarget research performed in early October found that out of nearly 160 B2C brands — including retailers, restaurants, manufacturers, travel and hospitality companies, and nonprofits — only 12% use responsive email design and 10% use mobile-aware design, while the remaining 78% still use largely desktop-centric email designs.
Here’s a breakdown of the three major gradations of mobile email design and where the industry is with each of them…
>> Read my entire article on the Content Marketing Institute Blog
Welcome! Email Marketing Rules is your guide to understanding the best practices of this complex, often misunderstood channel as you craft the best executions for your brand. Every week, we’ll explore strategies and tactics, discuss tips and inspiration, and dig into industry news and trends.
Chad S. White
Head of Research
Oracle Digital Experience Agency
Author of Email Marketing Rules and nearly 4,000 articles about digital and email marketing
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