bluehornet research study: consumer views of email marketing

Email Marketing Trends for 2012: A revealing look at what

how consumers use email

Ryan P. PhelanVice President, Strategic ServicesBlueHornet@ryanpphelan

Industry Experience• Director, Email Marketing & Acquisition at Sears

Holdings• Responsible for East Coast Operations at

Responsys• Director, Email Marketing & Online Advertising

at infoGROUP, IncThought Leadership• DM News: Email Gets Personal (Cover Story)• Keynote address – March 2012, EEC12• Recent Article: Changing Consumer

Perceptions of the Email Channel, Simms Jenkins - bit.ly/RP_P1

• Co-Chair of the EEC List Growth & Engagement Roundtable

• Member of:

Various Email Discussion Groups on:

Ryan PhelanVice President, Strategic Services

Think…

1,000 CONSUMERS

• U.S. Based Consumers• 77% own a smartphone• Selected ages between 18 and 45• 79% were employed• Diverse ethnic mix• 77% earned $35,000+• 35% live in urban area; 65% in

suburb

Do you add retailers to your address book to ensure delivery of their emails?

© Digital River Inc. , Source: BlueHornet Online Email Behavior Survey, Feb 2012 n=1,000

How many personal email addresses do you have?


Is it OK to get promotional emails if you made a purchase but didn’t sign up to receive promotional emails?


Goals for Today

> See the results of our consumer survey

> Listen to what real customers think

> Learn from Ryan on actionable strategies

1Why do you sign up to receive emails from companies?

In addition to email address, what information are you generally comfortable sharing with a brand or company?


Which of the following are your most important reasons for signing up to receive emails from companies seeking your business?


What are the most important reasons to sign up for email?

Discounts: 95.4%

Product Updates: 56.5%

Love the Brand: 56.1%

Product Research: 38.2%

Other: 2.8%

Key Takeaways> Incorporate preference centers into your welcome process

> Gather relevant information and test the amount

> Don’t take advantage of the trust

> Test pricing and discount strategies in your emails

> Test calls to action between “Learn More” and “Buy Now”

2What do you expect to happen after you sign up for an email list?

Do you expect to get a welcome email when you sign up to receive email notifications?


How much do the following have in causing you to purchase from an email?


Do you expect to get a welcome email when you sign up to receive email notifications?

Yes: 75.7%

No: 24.3%

Key Takeaways:> Make sure that you have a welcome email sent instantly

after registration

> During registration, test asking what they want out of the relationship

> Price and Discounts are the top reasons for purchase from email (Free Shipping is a close third)

> Cadence should be rooted in relevant content to the consumer at each phase of development

> Don’t bombard the consumer

3If you receive a mobile email that doesn’t look good, what do you do?

If the email you receive looks bad, does that influence your perception of the brand that sent it


If you get a mobile email that doesn’t look good, what do you do?


Do you click on the “view this email online” link when viewing an email on a mobile device?


Do you use your mobile device to sort through your emails before you read them on your desktop?


If you get a mobile email that doesn’t look good, what do you do?

Delete it: 69.7%

Unsubscribe: 18.0%

View on Desktop: 17.7%

Don’t know: 9.4%

Read it Anyway: 7.6%

File it: 3.5%

Key Takeaways:

• Don’t be lazy marketers, optimize your emails for mobile devices

• Use effective subject lines and pre-header text to assist in the “triage”

• Use segmentation to group mobile users from desktop users and track performance

• Over half of respondents triage email

4Why would you unsubscribe from an email list?

When you unsubscribe, what is the primary reason?


Source: Forrester’s The Best And Worst Of Email Marketing, Q4 2010Base: 64 marketing emails

When you unsubscribe, what is the primary reason?

Relevance: 31.4%

Frequency: 30.7%

Inbox Overload 22.7%

Tired of Brand 12.4%

Other: 2.8%

Key Takeaways

• Relevancy (31%) and Frequency (30%) are still the top two reasons for unsubscribe

• An overloaded inbox is the third most popular reason why someone would unsubscribe at 22%

• Think strategically first, tactically second about your email program

• Make sure your emails provide value

• Use segmentation to send engaged groups emails – utilize Win-Back Programs

5If you’re about to unsubscribe, is there anything the brand could do to change your mind?

If you click to unsubscribe and are presented with the option to “opt-down” (change frequency, topics, etc.) would you remain on the list?


If you’re about to unsubscribe, is there anything the brand could do to change your mind?

Never: 59.4%

Sometimes: 25.6%

Always: 15.0%

Key Takeaways

• 40% of consumers might stay on your list if given options – implement an opt-down program

• Offer choices of cadence and subscription in an opt-down program

• Implement Win-Back Programs to engage the customer and renew the trust

• Ask a survey of those that are going to subscribe

Conclusion

• Think strategically first, tactically second about your email program

• Make sure that you have a welcome email sent instantly after registration

• Cadence should be rooted in relevant content to the consumer at each phase of development

• Don’t be lazy marketers - optimize your emails for mobile devices

• Relevancy (31%) and Frequency (30%) are still the top two reasons for unsubscribe

• 40% of consumers might stay on your list if given options – implement an opt-down program

There are real people getting your emails – don’t forget that!

Questions?

Ryan PhelanVice President, Strategic [email protected] x36113

Want to learn about email marketing? Follow me on Twitter and watch #emailmarketing!

> @ryanpphelan@bluehornetemail

bluehornet research study: consumer views of email marketing

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