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May2012
Ten InboxSec re t sWhateyet rackingrevea lsaboutde s ign ingmore ef fec t i ve ema i l s
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Contents
3
Abo ut Red C
Ten Inbox Secrets
First Impressions Count 4-5Creating enticing and effective opening screens
EmailAnatomyClass6-7Engagingdesignandstructuretechniques
DigitalSignposting8-9Converting browsing into action using navigation
Clickability10-11 TheroleofCTAdesigninincreasingclick-throughs
ContentKings 12-13Thekeyaddedvaluecontentthatdrivesparticipation
WordsThatPaint1,000Pictures 14-15 Whycopytrumpsimageryinasoundbyteenvironment
DigitalSalesmanship16-17 Optimisingproductpresentationtoclosemoresales
GraphicAssets18-19 Usinggraphicstoovercomeinertiaanddriveclicks
NoStoneUnturned 20-21 Winningincrementalclicksbyexploitingeveryopportunity
PeripheralVision 22-23 Theimportanceofrelativeproximityofdesignelements
Methodology 24
AdirectanddigitalmarketingcommunicationsagencybasedinSalfordQuays,Manchester,withsignicant
experienceofbothemailmarketingandeyetrackingresearch.Theagencyhasbeenconductingeyetracking
researchstudiesonmarketingmaterialforover15yearswithProfessorAlastairGaleandhisteamatLoughborough
University.RecentlyRedChasinstalledaTobiiwidescreeneyetrackerin-housetofacilitatestudiesforclients.
TheagencyalsodesignsandbuildsemailprogrammesforanumberofbluechipUKclients,includingtheSwinton
InsuranceGroup,EuropeantrainoperatorEurostar,photographicretailerJessopsandFreemansGrattanHoldings,
theUKhomeshoppingarmofOttoVersand.Theagencyhasrecentlypickedupseveralawardsforitsemailwork,
includinganMiGoldBestCRMStrategyforitsemailprogrammeforJessopsandaDMASilverforSwintons
triggeredemails.
About th e Auth orsAdrianRoweHonFIDM
ChairmanofRedCandoftheInstituteofDirect
MarketingNorth,Adrianisanexperienceddirectand
digitalmarketingconsultantadvisingclientsacross
arangeofsectors.HewasawardedHonoraryLife
FellowshipoftheIDMin2001forexceptionalservices
totheprofession.Hiscommitmenttoeyetracking
asaresearchmethodologycanbetracedbacktoan
extraordinaryseminargivenbyProfessorSiegfried
Vogeleatthe1985MontreuxSymposium.
LorenzoBurridgeMA
WithaMastersinthePsychologyofAdvertisingfrom
theUniversityofLancaster,Lorenzoiswellequipped
tounderstandandinterpretthendingsfromour
eyetrackingstudiesandhispassionforThaiboxing
meansyoudontlightlychallengehisconclusions.He
managesallaspectsoftheeyetrackingservicethat
RedCofferstoitsclients.
Introduct ion
BackinApril2011,whenwerstconceivedtheideaofconductingaseriesofstudiesonemailsbysector,wefelt
thatitcouldprovearichsourceofinsight.Theagencyalreadyhadsignicantexpertiseintheareafromwriting,
designing,buildingandanalysingemailsforbluechipclients.Weknewalotaboutwhatworkedwewantedto
knowmoreaboutwhyitworked.
Oneyearlater,withmorethan50emailsstudiedamongover100participants,thisdocumentrepresentsa
distillationofsomeofthemostimportantndings.Wewantedittobeusefulforemailmarketingpractitioners,
andwehavestructureditforthoseatthesharpend,illustratingeachpointwithexamplesweuncoveredofboth
goodandbadpractice.Ithasgivenussomeoutstandinginsightsintothetechniquesthatencouragerecipientsto
engagewithandrespondtoemails,andwehopeyouwillnditusefulindesigningmoreeffectivelyfortheinbox.
AdrianRowe
May 2012
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Intro paragraph
Title
store environment provides a good
analogy, and one that we will come
back to again in this paper. I the
subject header was the window poster that
persuaded us through the doors, consider that
the opening screenul is that frst step through
the doors, when we orient ourselves and
search or the visual cues to draw us into the
store environment. Finding helpul, relevant
visual cues in the frst screen o an email is
just as important as in a store, perhaps even
more so you cant delete a store at the
touch o a button!
Remember that recipients who open your
email have many diering reasons or doing
so. You must ensure that you cater or all o
them to maximise your engagement unnel.
In particular, bear in mind the dierent needs
o purposeul openers against those who
are just dropping in. Purposeul openers
may head straight or the navigation to help
them access the most relevant part o your
website, or they may read what you have to
say frst. Make sure your navigation is clear
in the opening screen. Openers who just
drop in are in browsing mode perhaps they
like your brand or theyre in the market or
your products, but youre not the only option.
The best-perorming emails in our studies
maximised clicks by accommodating both.
Freemans do this well in their Style Bible
email, illustrated here, by giving readers extra
short-cuts to sub-categories o womenswear
(or those already in buying mode), but also
making immediate eye contact and opening a
conversation about a latest ashion trend with
compelling, personalised copy (or browsers).
We ound that engagement, and preerence,
was inuenced signifcantly by the time
spent viewing the email. I n turn, time spent
was inuenced primarily by the success o
the email opening screen in drawing readers
through the second and third screens. Its
vital to provide plenty o good content in
the opening screen to maximise success,
especially in the orm o irregular shapes,
compelling inormation and graphic oer
elements. One atal error in many o the
least preerred and least successul emails
rom our studies was the use o a big imageon the opening screen. It may be tempting
to aim or the wow actor, but in the market
sectors we studied, including ashion and
holidays, opening on a big image let subjects
searching in vain or visual cues. Consistently,
the most engaging emails worked hard in the
opening screen to provide reasons to read on
or click through in equal measure.
Design plays a big role in maximising
engagement throughout the email, as we will
demonstrate in the next section, but on the
Wereademailsonescreenatatimeeachnewscreendetermineswhetherwecontinuetoscrollorhitdelete.Sotheopeningscreenfulishighlyinuentialontheoverallemailperformance.Directmaillettersworkonesentenceatatime,andagoodcopywriterknowsthatthereaderspropensitytoreadthesecondsentenceisbasedonthepersuasivepoweroftherstsentence.Theprincipleisexactlythesameforemail.Sustainingattentioninanemailhasitsownengagementfunnelandthebattleforarecipientscontinuedconsiderationstartsattheveryrstscreen.
First Impressions Count
henrstviewinganemail,readerswilltypicallyfocustheirattentionat
thecentreofthepagewhileitloadsandorienttheirattentionfromthere.Thisorientingphaseenablesthemtoestablishthepagesidentityandscanforvisualcuesasitbecomesvisibleonthescreen.Astheelementsonthepageareloading,theyformpatternsthatcorrelatewiththerestofthecontent.Fromhere,thereaderisthenabletoexploitthisinformation
toaidtheminsearchdurationsandnavigation
Subjectscaneasilybecomedistractedbymultiplestimulipresentedtotheminanygivenenvironment.Asattentionisselective,muchoftheinformationgetslteredout,leavingthatwhichisinterestingandvisuallyengagingtotheindividual.Inanemail,thisprocessoccursveryquickly,requiringthattheveryrstscreenfulperformseffectivelyinthecognitiverecruitmentofthosethatview it
Asthisopeningscreenislimitedtothesizeoftheemailclientorinternetbrowser,itiscrucialthatthespaceisutilisedeffectivelytoencouragefurtherviewing.Largescreenful-sizedimagesareviewedtooquicklyanddonotprovideenoughvisualencouragementtoscrolldownfurther.InourCottageHolidaysector
study,alloftheemailsopenedwithimagesthattookup20-30%ofthearea,butaccountedforlessthan5%ofuserattention.Additionally,largeblocksoftextposeahindrancetoattentionlevelsasthetaskdifcultybecomestootaxing.
Amoreeffectivewaytomakeuseoftherstscreenistoconnectwiththereaderonanemotionallevel.Thiswasapparentinseveralemailswestudiedthatusedfullorpartialgureshots,oraddressedthereaderdirectlywithanintroduction.Otherstudieshavereportedthatindividualsrecognise
andreacttofacesfasterthananyotherelementonapage,andthosethatmakedirecteyecontacthavethegreatestemotionalimpactofall.Thisinstantlydrawsattentiontothescreen,andcanalsoencourageattentiontootherareasusingdirectionalgazetechniques.
Introductory copy creates anintimateinteractionbetweenthereaderandtheemail,particularlywhenpersonalised.Thiscommands
immediate attention and creates apositiveassociationwiththebrandonamorepersonallevel.Ourstudieshaveshownthatthistechniquepromotesfurtherreadingandhigherpreferenceratesoveremailswithout.However,directtestingforthiswaslimitedastruepersonalisationtestingwouldrequirethemodicationofemailstosuiteachparticipant.
ANALYSTS PERSPECTIVE
5
How to do it An effectiveopening screenful from
Freemans using eye contact tocreate engagement
How not to do it Marsdens forced
their readers totackle a big block ofcopy in the openingscreen to establish
what was on offer
AW
The exception to the rule this big opening screenshot
from Not on the High Street usesa busy tagged product shot,
diagonal product placement andshallow depth of eld
opening screen it is important to structure
elements to give readers pathways through
the email and keep them scrolling. A good
example o this, which at frst glance appears
to break the big image convention, is this
email rom ecommerce site Not on the High
Street. I t defes the convention by providing
a busy image packed with Christmas
cookery products, arranged diagonally to
subconsciously draw attention down, and
shot with a shallow depth o feld. Whats
more, each product is tagged, with product
copy and pricing strategically placed below
the image, resulting in high levels o attention
and engagement as shown in the heatmap.
So here is our frst secret o email success
make a good frst impression and some
techniques on how to achieve it. Just like
when your prospective customers frst enter
the store, you have to help them orientate
fnd their bearings, i you like and skilully
steer them in the right direction. Now
that we have made the frst step into the
engagement unnel, lets look at how we can
continue on the right path.
Key techniquesEnsuretherstscreenfulcatersformultiplereasonsforopening
Combineirregularshapes,graphicsandtextelementstosustainattention
Offerrecipientspathwaysdowntheemailviatextorgraphicdevices
Avoidthetemptationtouseapressadstructuredesigninscreenfuls
Its vital to provide plenty of
good content in the opening
screen to maximise success,
especially in the form of irregular
shapes, compelling information
and graphic offer elements.
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Intro paragraph
Title
7
Email Anatomy Class
Terric design
structure from
Next, using product
cut-outs to draw thereader down
One o the most commonly observed
design techniques emerging rom
our studies was the use o diagonal
structures among the most successul emails
in terms o engagement and preerence.
The email rom multi-channel retailer Next,
illustrated here, provides a masterclass in
design technique, maximising the engagement
unnel by making good use o eye contact,
with angled images supported by well-written
ashion copy and connected by cut-out shots
o the ideal shoes to accompany the dress.
The aggregated heatmap shows clearly how
our subjects ollowed the visual cues on a
pathway down the email.
Excessive use o linear templates and
rectangular panels create subconscious
barriers to engagement, and were a common
actor in many o the least successul emails
we studied. Its not a hard and ast rule
though we ound some very eective email
designs that overcame a linear structure
and maintained engagement using other
techniques, or
combined linear and
non-linear sections
to create changes o
pace within the email.
This email rom Top
Man was well-liked
by our male study
subjects, despite
being designed on a
grid, because the
cut-out shots
contained in each
section and the
eective use o
colour and text
sustained attention
right to the bottom
and provided clear
pathways through
the email design.
Another email
design that
overcame linear
constraints was
the daily deal
oer rom KGB
Deals, shown here,
because the subject
matter was high
interest. Food shots are always attention
grabbers, and the lead oer rom KGB wasno exception. However, the section with the
highest level o attention in this email was
the middle, the second screenul. Encouraged
by the leading deal, subjects were keen to
view the other deals on oer and ound it
easy to navigate each deal rom the intriguing
picture consistently positioned on the let,
reading right where the oer was o interest.
There has been an explosion o growth in
signing up or daily deal providers in the UK
recently, and the personalisation o oers by
region is undoubtedly an important actor. All
the oers here related to Manchester and the
North West, where our subjects were located.
So a good overall design structure is the
second secret o email success. But each
element within the design also harbours
secrets which can inuence the click rate,
and in the next section we examine the frst,
and perhaps the most important o these, the
impact o navigation.
Whetheryouremailisalengthynewsletteroradigitalpostcard,theunderlyingdesignstructureiscrucialindetermininglevelsofsubconsciousengagement.WehaveobservedadifferenceinemailpracticebetweenUKandUSmarketersinrecentyears.USemailprogrammestendtofavourhighfrequency,singlemindedemailsdigitalpostcardswhiletheUKhasgenerallyevolvedlowerfrequencyemailswithrichercontentdigitalnewsletters.Bothstrategieshavetheirmerits,butdesignandstructureplayabiggerroleinsustainingengagementinrichercontentemails,whereconvertingbrowsingintopurchaseintentismoreimportant.
ANALYSTS PERSPECTIVE
Keeping users engaged is highlydependent on design structure.Studies have shown that
when looking or useul inormation,individuals have a tendency to scanor something engaging to attractthem. Linear design structures canconstrain this action to an extent, butcan also hinder processing progression.In this case it is ar more benefcialto adopt the use o diagonal designstructures throughout the email.
By positioning elements in acontinuous zig-zag layout down thepage, individuals are able to fxate oneach one in turn, leading their gazenaturally down the page. Furthermore,as each screenul can only display acertain amount at a time, by havingthe elements in partial view at theold, readers will eel they need toscroll urther to view it in its entirety.This eective technique has beendemonstrated to encourage readingo the whole email rom the openingscreen to the close. Taking theseprinciples into account, designers canapproach eective email design inscreenuls rather than as a whole.
From a design perspective, it isimportant to be aware that peoplewill not always pay attention to allo the inormation displayed on thescreen. Due to the repetitive actionsusers take, much o it oten getsunconsciously fltered out, so that
they only pay attention to what isimportant to them. Making elementsmore prominent where necessary (e.g.colourul graphics, product cut-outs),can aid in overcoming thisexclusive saliency.
I there is a lot o important copy todisplay on the page, it is better tobreak it down into smaller paragraphs.Individuals process inormation moreeasily this way and are much less likelyto become overwhelmed by excessiveblocks o text. As a large amounto cognitive processing is taken upreading text, the load can be lightened
by other means. These includeincorporating visual elements such asimages and graphics, that are quickand easy to process, or alternatively,one could eature additionalmotor elements (clicks and mousemovements) that create a break inreading and oer a less demandingactivity. This makes reading the emailmuch less o an arduous task and armore mentally engaging, which hasbeen demonstrated in our testing toresult in more efcient absorption and
higher preerence rates.
The gaze plot reveals clearpathways down the email
Excessive use of lineartemplates and rectangularpanels create subconsciousbarriers to engagement
Arcadia use design
and colour to greateffect to attract and
sustain attention in this
Topman email
Key techniquesDiagonaldesignframeworksworkespeciallywellinascrollingenvironment
Designemailoutlinesinscreenfuls,mindfulofenticingthereaderdown
Avoidlineartemplatestheyoftensubconsciouslyinterruptscrolling
Mixcolour,imageryandgraphicstosustainattentionandengagement
Irregularshapescombinedwithnon-linearplacementarehighlyeffective
KGB Deals uses colour,
images and graphics to
overcome a linear design
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Intro paragraph
Title
9
Digital Signposting
Grattans secondary navigationhighlights fashion categories, and
supports the email content effectively
S
Goodnavigationcanaccountforoveronethirdoftotalclicksonawelldesignedemail.Whatsmore,weknowfromactualdataonanumberofemailprogrammesthatnavigationclicksaremorepurposeful,withahigherpropensitytoconvert.Bestpracticeoftenadvocatesmirroringthenavigationonyourwebsitewithinemails,butthisismostcertainlyapoorpieceofadvice,anddoesntaccountfortheverydifferentobjectivesofwebsiteandemail.Mostcommercialwebsiteshavethekeyobjectiveofclosingthesale-maximisingtheconversiontosaleordesiredactionvisitthestore,booktherestaurantorsignupforthecourse.Whileemailprogrammeshaveobjectivesmuchfurtherupthesalesfunnel-creatingpurchaseconsideration,launchinganewproduct,announcingasale,orsimplymaintainingengagementandshareofmind.
ANALYSTS PERSPECTIVE
A
andthenprovidingusefulextranavigation
allowingreaderstoshopbybrand.Jessops
knowthatmanycameraenthusiastsare
intenselybrandloyal,andcaterforthis
withgoodshort-cutstotheir
favourite brand
Finally,manygoodemailmarketers
understandthevalueofusingcolourand
iconsinemailnavigationtodrawattention
to important signposts Contrasting
coloursforimportantnavigationelements,
suchastheuseofredfortheSalelink,or
simpleiconsthatimproveabsorptionand
understandingoftheroutestothewebsite,
can be very effective in directing attention
andcapturingextraresponse.
speoplebecomemoreandmorefamiliarwithusingemailandtheweb,theybecome
accustomedtothewaywebpagesandemailsaredesigned.Theydevelopamentalmodelofwhereitemsareplacedduetotheirpriorexperienceandexpectations.Uponloadingapage,theyareabletoquicklyidentifywhatitisaboutbythefamiliarshapesandpatternsthatarecapturedthroughglimpsesintheirperipheralvision.Thismightincludenavigation
elementssuchasmenubarsandbuttons,typicallyplacedatthetoptoprovideuserswithquickaccesstoaspecicareaofawebsite.
Incorporatingsuchdesignfeaturesinanemailworkswellinthisrespectduetosimilarityinbasicwebdesignstructure.However,foremailtheinformationisbeingsoldtothereaderandisdoingsoinaveryshortspaceoftime.Therefore,therulesneed to be adapted to accommodatefasterandmoresupercialscanning.Theuseofasimpler,quick-to-processtaxonomyisaneffectivewaytoassistausersnavigationpreferences,meetingobjectiveswithlittleresistanceandinashortertime frame
Inonerecentstudywefoundthatwhenusersencounteredambiguityinawebsitestaxonomy,confusionensued.Forexample,thelinkfor
arefrigerationpageontheAGAwebsitewastitledChilledAGA.Eyetrackinganalysisrevealedthatthistitlecausedalotofconfusioninparticipants,leadingtotheamendednameAGARefrigeration.Thischangeledtoamuchimproveddigitalsignpostanduserswerequicklyabletoidentifythelinkandwhattoexpectfromit.
Onceindividualsarecondentinwhatanemailisaboutandwheretheycanndinformationtheyarelikelytoengagewithitforlonger.Indoingsotheyoftenreachthefootof
theemail,wherewehaveobservedthatsecondarynavigationcanbeeffective.Inplacingnavigationatthefootoftheemailaswellasthetop,thechanceofencouragingaclick-throughisenhanced.Itnotonlyservesasareminderbutalsoprovidesonemoreeasy-to-ndcalltoactionwithouthavingtoscrollbacktothetop.
How to do it - Arcadia emailsalways follow good practice andthis one from TopMan uses both
good header and footer navigation.
ogoodpracticeforemailnavigation
istoaccommodatethereasonsfor
openingandsupportthethemes
andcontentoftheemailinthedigital
signposts.Ifyouremailisallaboutfashion,
considerincludingsecondarynavigationforfashionsub-ranges,asGrattandohere.If
yoursubjectheaderannouncesasale,give
openersthechoiceofgoingstraightthere
withaprominentbuttonandcleartaxonomy
ShoptheSaleorbrowsingtheemailto
ndoutwhatsinthesale.Forrecipients,
emailnavigationoffersthepromiseofa
short-cuttoexactlywheretheywanttobe
onyourwebsitethemorerelevantthe
signposts,thebetteryourchancesofaclick.
Dontbeboundbyyourwebsitenavigation
considerthemosteffectivedigitalsignposts
onanemailbyemailbasis.
Oneimportanttechniqueforimproving
visibilityof-andpropensitytoclick-
navigationbuttonsistoavoidisolatingyour
emailnavigationbarfromotherelements.
Thishappenedmostcommonlyinourtests
withemailsthatmadethemistakewe
highlightedearlierofopeningwithabig
image.Wherethisoccurred,navigationbars
oftenbecameseparatedfromthehigher
attentionelementsoftheemail,andmissed
altogether.Onawebsitepage,visitorsare
attunedtotheconventionsandseekout
navigationinfamiliarplacesinanemail,behaviourisquitedifferent,asreadersseek
visualcuestoestablishwhatisonofferand
whetheritisofinterest.Theemailfrom
Hoseasons,illustratedhere,demonstrates
thedilemma.Notonlyisthenavigation
isolatedbythefullscreenimage,butitis
difculttodistinguishinperipheralvision
fromthecolourfulshot.
Anothergoodstrategytoincreaseincrementalresponsefromnavigationis
byincludingextraorrepeatednavigation,
especiallyatthefootofemails.Most
engagedreaderswillreadtothefootof
anemailand,ifpersuadedbythecontent,
considervisitingthewebsite,soitmakes
sensetoincludeextraoralternativedigital
signpostshere.Ifyourproductrangesor
servicesaredeep,tryusingadditionalsub-
navigationinrelevantpositionswithinthe
email.Allcanproveproductiveincapturing
incrementalpurposefulwebvisits.
ThemiddlesectionofacontentrichemailfromJessops,shownhere,makesgooduse
ofextranavigationwithintheemailatthe
pointofconsideration,promotingthree
differenttypesofcamerawithaleadoffer,
One important technique forimproving visibility of - andpropensity to click - navigationbuttons is to avoid isolating youremail navigation bar fromother elements.
Key techniquesAvoidisolatingnavigationfromthehighattentionelementsofyouremail
Usenavigationatthefootaswellasthetopmostengagedreadersreachhere
Alwaysuseextraorsecondarynavigationwhenitwillactasausefulshortcut
Makenavigationevenmoreeffectivewithiconsorcolourcoding
Camera retailer Jessops understandthat many o their customers are
loyal to a particular brand, and givethem shortcuts to their avourite
The large image andcolourful foliage isolate and
hide the navigation in this
Hoseasons email
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Intro paragraph
TitleThe must -do steps (continued)
There are hundreds o blacklists in operation but some are more
inuential than others. For example, Spamhaus, Spamcop and MAPS(Mail Abuse Prevention Centre)are all considered to be hugelyinuential and are used by the
major ISPs.
It is
increasingly
I you all oul o spam traps or i IS Ps receive complaints about your emailprogramme you are then in real danger o being blacklisted. As the name sug gests,a blacklist is a list or database o IP addresses that are viewed as being spammers.The lists can be populated through consumer complaints but are just as likely to bepopulated independently o consumer eedback. ISPs subscribe to these blacklistdatabases in order to flter out spam sent across their network or to the subscribers.
THE BLACKLIST6
11
ExPERT VIEw
Clickability
learwinnersinourteststudieswere
thoseemailsthatfeaturedmultiple
callstoactionthroughouttheemail,
well-positionedtobeincloseproximity
tothefeaturedproductorservice.Longer
emailstooklessthan60secondsonaverage
tobefullydigestedbysubjectsinourtests
shorter,digitalpostcardformatsengaged
attention for around 10 seconds
Sodecisionstoclick,ornottoclick,are
madeinmilliseconds.Whatsmore,
whileaHighStreetstorecanberevisited
inashoppingtrip,anemailalmost
alwayshasjustoneopportunityto
stimulatethedesiretopurchasebefore
itsdeleted.Soitisvitaltoexploitthe
immediatevicinityoftheproductorofferby
providingawell-wordedcalltoactionthere
andthen.
TheGotoDealbuttonthatfeatures
prominentlyonFrugaloosdailydealemail,
shownhere,islocatedincloseproximityto
thedetailsofthedealanddirectlyadjacent
tothepriceandsavingspanels,whichwe
foundtobeveryhighinterestelements,
astheheatmapshows.Theformatof
Frugalooscalltoactionalsodemonstrates
anotherofourconsistentndings,whichisthatconventionsforbuttondesignare
wellunderstoodbyviewersofemailsand
websites,andsuccessfulemailsexploitthis.
Makeclickableelementslookclickable!
Contrastthisapproachwiththedilemma
faced by one of our respondents viewing an
ASOSemail.Havingshownhighinterest
inthesummerdressshewasbeingurged
toLove,Want,Need,ourtestsubjectcan
beclearlyseeninthisgazeplotstruggling
toidentifythebuttonthatwouldtake
herthere.Goodemailmarketingisabout
makingiteasyandremovingobstaclestothe
saleinadigitalenvironmentwhereactions
aretakenopen,click,deleteinvery
compressedtimescales.
Frugalooalsodemonstratesanotherkey
successfactorforenhancingclickability.
Gooduseofcolourandlanguage.Each
buttonisconsistentlypositionedandusesa
stronglimegreenwhichisabsentfromthe
surroundings,givingitprominenceevenin
peripheralvision.Moreover,thelanguage
GotoDealisclearandunequivocal,witha
strongsenseofunderlyingurgencywell-
suitedtoadeal-basedproposition.
WehavefoundthelanguageofCTAsto
be a decisive factor in many of our tests
Recipientsdonotwanttobeperplexedor
Successfulsalesmenknowthateventhemostskilfullycraftedsalespitchiswastedunlesstheyaskforthebusiness.Ineverysalesconversation,inertiaistheworstenemyitsvitaltoclosethesalequicklybutfacetoface,thesalesmancantailortheconversationtotheprospectsinterest.Inadigitalenvironment,wedonthavethesameadvantage.Themostsuccessfulemailsclosethesaleeffectivelybyfeaturingstrongcallstoactionateverypointofconsideration. lickabilityincorporatesthe
effectiveuseandplacementofcalltoactionelementsinemailsandwebpages.Studieshaveshownthattaskdemandsandstimulusinformationstronglyinuencecognitivestrategyduringvisualactivity,promptinguserstoplanandmoderatetheirscanningofavisualeldaccordingly.Theirabilitytolocateandactupontheirtaskdemandseffectivelyisdirectly
inuencedbythepresentationofelements.Byclearlydeningrelatedelementssuchasaproductimage,textdescription,andbuttonincloseproximitytooneanother,wecandirecttheusersattentioneffectively(fromimagetotext,andtexttobutton).Thisallowsforaswifttransition of unconscious processing(implicitattractionfromperiphery),toconsciousprocessing(controlled,focused attention)
Calltoactionelementsshouldthereforebedesignedandimplementedwithcare.Whiletheirplacementandproximityareimportant,itiscrucialthattheyareclearlyvisibleasacalltoactionsoasnottobemissedcompletely.InmarkedcontrasttotheASOSemailillustratedearlier,whichonlytwoofourtenstudyparticipantsspotted,anotherfashionretailer,Freemans,demonstratesamuchmoreeffective
designstructureforproductlinks.Withtheuseofthree-dimensionalbuttonsthatareclearlydenedandwellpositioned,itisevidentinthisgazeplotthattheuserhasnotroubleidentifyingthelinksinanaturalgazepathfromthetextandimages.Theproximityofthebuttonservestoeliminatevisualconfusion.Infact,eightofourparticipantsnotedtheCTAbuttonsinthissectionoftheemail.Moreover,thefactthatthelinkisabuttonratherthanjusttextinstantlyrevealsitasaclickablelinkand encourages action fromthereader.
Thesetypesofdesignstructuresareparticularlyimportantforrsttimevisitorswhoareunfamiliarwiththewaynewelementsaredisplayed.Clear,coherentcompositionofinter-relatedelementsenablestheusertoadoptamuchmoreproductivebrowsingbehaviour.Theseparationofrelatedelementshasbeenshowntobedetrimentaltothisbehaviourandslowsdownprocessing.Itisthereforecrucial
tokeeprelatedelementsincloseproximitytoavoidconictandallowforsmoothperipheraltofovealshiftsin attention
How to do it goodproximity o the CTAs to thehigh attention elements in
this Freemans email
How not to do it thisASOS gazeplot reveals a
hard-to-nd CTA
ANALYSTS PERSPECTIVE
C
c
Key techniquesUsingmultiplecallstoactionthroughoutanemailensuresproximityatthe
pointofconsideration
Buttondesignconventionsarewellunderstoodbyconsumersmake
clickableelementslookclearlyclickable
Colour,font,language,sizeandpositioningofCTAbuttonsallimpactonrecognitionandclickpropensity
We have found the language ofCTAs to be a decisive factor inmany of our tests. Recipientsdo not want to be perplexed orintrigued, but they may not bequite ready to buy what is on offer.
intrigued,buttheymaynotbequiteready
tobuywhatisonoffer.Manyecommerce
brandsuselanguagethatreectsthestage
inthepurchasefunnelthatthereaderhas
reachedViewtherangeorFindout
moremayprovemoreclickablethanBuy
nowforjustthisreason.
Whenconsideringcalltoactiondevices,the
keyimplicationsfromourstudyareabout
improvingclickability.Proximity,colour,
font,language,designandshapeallplayan
importantpartininuencingrecognition
and propensity to respond
Inthenextsection,welookatsomeofthehighinterestelementsofcontentthatcancreatemoredigitalfootfallthroughouttheemail.
Frugaloos daily deal emailmakes economic use o space toattract attention and positions aprominent call to action in close
proximity to each deal
Frugaloos Go to Deal button is aprominent and unequivocal CTA
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Content Kings
13
heprimeobjectiveofanyemail
programmeistomaximisedigital
footfallclosingthesaleisatask
forthewebsiteandthebesteCRM
programmesexploitthissynergistic
partnership.Allthingsbeingequal,people
buyfrompeopletheylike,andtheright
addedvaluecontentinanemailcanproveinvaluableincreatingapositiveenvironment
forthesaleprocess.Wefoundanumber
ofexamplesamongstourstudyemails
ofcontentthatdidnotdirectlysell,but
wassuccessfulinattractinghighlevelsof
attentionandincreasingthepropensityto
visitthewebsite.
Arcadiabrandsfrequentlyusethistechnique
intheiremailstodrawattentionto
theirfashionranges,offeringadviceand
inspirationinasectorwherebotharemuch
appreciated.MissSelfridgeincludesa
behindthescenesvideopreviewofthenew
seasonsfashionintheemailshownhere,
whichwascitedasareasonforpreference
bysomeofourrespondents.Another
Arcadiaemail,thistimefromTopShop,
offersanonlinevirtualmakeovertoolwhich
promisestohelpshoppersmastertheart
ofDiscoGlammakeup,accompaniedbya
videotutorial.Whilstclearlydemonstrating
howwellthesebrandsunderstandthe
motivationsoftheirtargetaudience,such
contentalsoenhancesbrandengagement
andincreasesthelikelihoodofasale.Both
alsousethetriangleconventionwhich
consumersreadilyrecognise.Wehaveseen
thisactasaverypowerfulcalltoactionin
our studies
Anotheremailwetested,arichcontent
weddingphotographyemailfromJessops,
scoredhighlevelsofattentionfromhead
tofootbyskilfullyblendingsalesmessages
andadviceandtechniquesforcapturing
bettershotsatweddings.Greatcamerasfor
thebigdaywerefeaturedamongstTop5
weddingphotographytipsandsomeadviceoncopingwithlowlightconditionsonthe
henorstagnight.
Addedvaluecontentnotonlyactsto
increaseengagementwithanemail,but
alsohasabigimpactonpreferenceand
positiveassociations,inuencingpropensity
toopenfutureemailsfromthatbrandand
potentiallyreducingunsubscriberates.
Anemailprogrammethatconsistspurely
ofthelatestoffersisonlylikelytobe
openedandstudiedwhentheconsumer
isinpurchasemode.Aprogrammethat
providesaricherandmorevarieddietof
content,includingadvice,humour,video
elementsoraccesstohelpfulonlinetools
suchastheonefromTopShop,helpstobuild
asustainableandengagedaudience,and
createsincrementaldigitalfootfall.
Itsoftenarguedthatwebsiteswithoutgood,originalcontentaremorelikelytofailcontentisking.Andwhileemailsdonothavetocompeteforsearchenginerankings,goodcontentisjustasimportant,becausetheyhavetocompeteforattentionincrowdedinboxes.Emailprogrammesthatfocussingle-mindedlyonsellingmaydowell,buttheyaremissingoutonincrementalbusinessbyfailingtoemotionallyengagewithrecipients.Inourtests,emailsthatincludedaddedvalueelementscontentnotdirectlyrelatingtothesalebutvaluedbythereaderoftenscoredhighlyforattentionandpreference.
Whilethesalesmandoesnotexistinamarketingemail,thistechniqueofreciprocitycanstillbeappliedintheencouragementofaclick-through.Astheonlymainsellingtoolsavailablearetextandimages,companiesareaimingtoincreasethepushto
salewithaddedvaluecontent.
Whilenotovertlyrelatingthiscontenttothesale,marketerscanincreasethechancesofclick-throughswithcontentrelatedtotheproducts.Thiscouldtaketheformoffashionortraveltips,instructionalvideosanddiagrams,orusefularticlesandreports.Notonlydoesthisincreasethelikelihoodoftheviewer to pay more attention totheemail,butitalsogivesthemsomethingforfree,developingtrustinthecompany-consumerrelationship.Therefore,intheactofreciprocity,theyaremuchmorelikelytoclickthroughtothewebsitetoseewhatelsethecompanyhastooffer.
ANALYSTS PERSPECTIVE
mongthe50emailsusedinourresearch,therewereonlyaselectfewthat
includedwhatwewoulddescribeasaddedvaluecontent(AVC).Thiswouldeffectivelyincludeadditionalinformationthatwasnotadirectexhortationtobuy,butofferedsomethingtotherecipientforfree.Examplesincludedphotographytips,fashionadvice,productrecommendationsandusefulor
exclusiveonlinevideocontent.Irrespectiveofthemarketsector,ourdataconsistentlyreportedhighengagement and preference rateswiththistypeofemailabovethosewithoutanyaddedvaluecontent.
OurndingsalsoindicatedhighlevelsofattentiontotheAVCareas,andanincreaseinthenumberofxationssurroundingit.ThishaloeffectworkedbestwhenAVCareaswereplacedincloseproximitytotheproductinformation,leadingthemthroughapathofnaturalviewing progression
IntheJessopsweddingemail,forexample,subjectswerefoundtospendalongeramountoftimereadingtherestoftheemailandtheproductinformationiftheyhadviewedtheaddedvaluecontent.Accordingtoourqualitativedata,thepersonaltips
and recommendations providedtheencouragementtoreadonanddiscovermoreofwhatthecompanyhadtooffer.Weencounteredsimilarndingsinsomeofourfashionemails,wherestyleadvicewashighlyvaluedbyourtestsubjects.
Itwasclearfromourresearchndingsthatconsumersreactpositivelytothiskindofcontentstimulus.Perhapsunsurprisingly,womenandmeninterestedinfashionappreciatedadviceonstyle,coloursandtrends.Photographyenthusiastswontbeinthemarket
foracameraeverymonth,butretailerscanstayfrontofmindbysharingtheirpassionandofferingusefultipsandtechniques.Prospectiveholidaymakersconsideringtheirnextholidaycottagevalueinformationonthingstodointhearea,orwhichlocationsarebestforthosewithchildrenor pets
Allofourstudyparticipantshad
expressedaninterestinthesectorwewereaskingthemtoviewemailsfor,andwererecruitedtoanappropriatetargetdemographic.Theseafnitiescouldclearlybeseenintheviewingbehaviourandsustainedattentionlevelsthatsubjectsexhibitedtowardsaddedvaluecontent.Foremailmarketers,thelessonisclearemotionalengagementwithemailprogrammescanbeconsiderablyenhancedbytheuseofsuchelements.
Miss Selridge and Top Shop,both using video content
eectively to drive extra clicksand enhance engagement
T
A
Top Shops Disco Glammakeover video proved
o high interest
Added value content not onlyacts to increase engagementwith an email, but also has a bigimpact on preference and positiveassociations
Key techniquesRelevantvalueaddedcontentinemailscanincreaselong-termengagement
and reduce unsubscribes
Headliningaddedvaluecontentinsubjectheadersfrequentlyboostsopenrates
Goodexamplesincludeadvisoryfeatures,hintsandtips,humorouscontent
andonlinetools
Blendingsalesmessagesandadviceinanintegratedwayisveryeffectivein
sustaining attention
This timely wedding photographyemail rom Jessops sustains
attention with useul tips orgetting great shots on the big
day and at the hen or stag night
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Words Tha t Paint 1,000 Pictures
15
here are two important actors that
make or eective copy in an email
what you say, and where you say it.
The boys toys git retailer Firebox does both
well in the Christmas git email illustrated
here. The ten gits eatured in this email all
attracted sustained attention using well-
written and humorous copy, incorporating
headline, sub-head and three to our lines o
body copy in a short, newspaper style column.
Positioned close to the product image and
deal graphic, and substantiated by the price,
savings and prominent call to action, each
product box made efcient use o space and
was easy or our subjects to scan, process and
determine interest.
This Christmas themed email rom Marks
& Spencer proved even more eective interms o copy engagement, integrating
easily-absorbed snippets o copy into the
overall design alongside high interest cut-out
product shots. The design structure makes
good use o text, graphics and imagery to
maintain the readers momentum whilst
imparting persuasive sales messages quickly
and efciently. As we have already noted
in this report, there is real click synergy in
integrating imagery, text, graphics and pricing
inormation in close proximity and the M&S
email is an excellent example with high
preerence scores in our study.
Another very eective copy technique is
the use o hypertext links within blocks o
copy the convention is well-understood by
consumers, and is oten treated as a potential
deep linked short cut, acting as an additional
call to action. Substantial blocks o copy
should be avoided wherever possible, as they
can act as barriers to urther readership. I
lengthy copy is needed to explain a complex
oer, devices such as hyperlinks, wrapping text
around supporting images and using columnsto shorten line length all help to sustain
reader attention.
Themostengagingemailsinourtestsinvariablycombinedcopyandimageseffectivelytoattractandsustainattention.Weareattractedbytheimagesofproducts,justaswescantheshelvesinshopstondsomethingappealing,butwegaincondenceandmakepurchasingdecisionsfromthesupportinginformation,perhapsonthepricetagorthelabel.Howmuchisit,andisitinmypricerange?HowdoesthisproductcomparewithothersimilarmodelsIveseenelsewhere?Wehavealreadysetoutourassertionthat,inthemain,itisdifculttocompletethesaleintheemailalonebutwecanenhancethelikelihoodofasalebywhatwedointheemail.Wecansendpeoplethroughtothewebsitewiththeirwalletsandpursesout,ifweusecopyeffectively.
ExPERT VIEw ANALYSTS PERSPECTIVE
henreading,apersonseyes move in a seriesofsaccadesrather
thansmoothlyacrossthepage,andconsistentlyjumpbackwardsandforwardsoverthetext.Factorssuchassize,font,languageandproximityallinuencehowthetextisprocessed,whichinturnaffectthenumberofxationsandtimexatedonit.Imagesontheotherhandarenotonlyquicktoprocess,butthey
canalsobeviewedinperipheralvisionrequiringverylittlefocusandconcentration.Thisgivesuserstheoptiontoattendtoorignorethemcompletelywithoutdirectlyfocusingonthem.Duetothespeedofthisprocess,themajorityoftimeistypicallyspentontextelementsforinformationretrieval.
Whilereadingismoretaxingandrequiresadditionaltime,itdoesconveymoreinformation,helpingreadersdeterminewheretolooknext.Moreover,textcanservetosupportimageelements,cementingbrandmemoryandrecall.Thiscanbeachievedwithtitlesandheadlinesthataremeaningfulandemotionallycharged,ascommonlyusedindailynewspapers.Additionally,theuseofsimplerlanguageandfewersyllableshelpstospeedupprocessingandaidspontaneousrecall.
Howthetextisdisplayedcanalsoaffecthowitisreceived.Generally,largebodiesofcompactedtextareshunnedbyviewersastheybecomeoverwhelmedbythereadingtask.Thiscanbeovercomebybreakinguptextintomanageablechunks,separatedwithelementssuchasheadings,bulletpoints,orimagery.Thisbreakinconcentrationlevelprovidesthereaderwithavarietyofdifferentelementstoattendto,helpingtoachieveconsistentengagementthroughout.
Simplefontsworkbest.Complexorunusualtypefacescaninterferewithhowreadersrecognisetextpatterns,whichinturncanslowdowncomprehension.Linelengthcanaffectthespeedatwhichtextisreadonapage.Studiesreportthatpeopletypicallyprefertoreadinshortercolumns-around45-72characters-asitfeelseasiertoabsorb.Severalofourstudyemailssupportedthis,includingsomeofthedailydeal,
holidayandChristmasgiftemails,wheresubjectsseemedabletoeasilyreadandnavigatemultipleoffers.
T
W
The gazeplot or this Groupon emaildemonstrates good text placement,
ollowing the product image andleading directly to the CTA. Readerscan extract everything they need toknow about the deal in a matter o
seconds, and its the systematicallyecient design and neat concise
copy that gets them there.
Key techniquesIntegratecopyelementswithimageryandgraphicstocreatea
balancedemail
Textabsorbsmoreattentionbutimpartsmoreinformationhyperlinks
withintextareeasilyunderstoodanddriveextraresponse
Personalisationwithinemailsattractshighattentionlevelsandisa
powerfuldirectionaldevice
Bulletpointlistsworkwellbyhelpingreadersrapidlyabsorb
relevantinformation
Direct marketers are expert in the use
o copy devices to tell a story, and one
classic technique that we saw work well
in our study was the use o a bullet point
list. The middle section o a Hoseasons
email marketing short break apartments,
shown here, is an excellent example o
the device. Having engaged readers with
some attractive shots o the apartments
and prices, the bullet point list below
immediately begins to substantiate and
convince with benefts such as lower prices
per person than equivalent hotels, DVDs
and home cinema oten included and
Access to gardens and balconies in
many apartments.
This is the kind o good supporting
inormation that helps to build confdence
and create the environment or a sale. Well
return to this theme in the next section as
we discuss the art o digital salesmanship.
There is real click synergy inintegrating imagery, text, graphicsand pricing information in closeproximity
Firebox uses humorous copyin a column ormat to sustain
attention to its range o unusualChristmas gits
Good integration o
text with very high
interest cut-out
product shots in this
M&S Christmas email
Hoseasons used a bullet point list o
benets or their city break apartments
very eectively mid-email to
substantiate and convince
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Digital Salesmanship
17
Oneofthebestinstructorsweeverusedinourcompanyusedtoteachusthatagoodsalesmanorpresentergotthreethingsrightinequalmeasurethewords(thecontentandlanguage),themusic(thetoneofvoice,pitchandemphasis),andthedance(thebodylanguage).Inprintandinonlinecommunication,justasinthephysicalworld,theresarealskillinsalesmanshipbutwehavetouseothercommunicationtechniquestomakeupforthelimitedrangeofsensoryelementsatourdisposal.Inadigitalenvironment,themessageswedisplay,thecontextinwhichwedisplaythemandhowweexploitperipheralvisionaretheskillsmostneededtoclosethesale.
ExPERT VIEw ANALYSTS PERSPECTIVE
mong more than 50 emails in our
test studies, a very small number
seemed to exhibit something special
in terms o engaging subjects in a particular
product the ability to sustain positive
subject attention or an unusual length o
time in the soundbyte environment o email.
In the same way that a charismatic salesman
or market trader can command attention
rom a crowd, these emails presented
products in a manner that created sustained
attention and strong recall we termed this
eect digital salesmanship.
O all the examples we studied, by ar the
most fnely crated was this Bank Holiday
Sale email rom camera retailer Jacobs,
which eatured an Olympus Pen camera at
a reduced price o 299 as the leading oer.
According to our camera enthusiast subjects,
this was a high interest product, one o a
new generation o compact system cameras
incorporating many o the eatures o higher
end cameras such as interchangeable lenses
but at more aordable price point. So it
was not surprising that the product attracted
sustained attention and had strong recall, but
this product panel which accounted or only
15% o the area o the email commanded
over hal o all the time spent viewing the
email by our respondents. Studying the
gazeplots o our individual subjects, we
observed a synergy o attention between the
product image, the price point and savings
starburst and the product copy details.
There is an elegant efciency about the
design o the product panel. The use o cut-
out shots or the camera and the lens helps
integrate the eature into the Bank Holiday
Sale message above and the alternative,
higher-priced bundle deal below, and gives athree dimensional eel to the panel. The Save
80 starburst graphic neatly connects the
product image with the body copy. The use o
a head and shoulders shot in the viewfnder
is a clever device throughout our studies
we ound subjects inexorably drawn to make
direct eye contact with acial imagery.
A number o the other emails in our study h ad
product eatures that demonstrated a similarsynergy o design elements. Both Marks &
Spencer and Not on the High S treet among
our Christmas git sector emails and ashion
A
henanindividualxatesonaparticulararea,thereareseveralprocessesthat
occur.Theseincludeencodingofthevisualstimulus,peripheralsampling,andthepreparationofwheretolooknext.Eachtypeofstimulusonthepage(i.e.text/image/price)requiresvaryinglevelsofattention,andisconsequentlyattendedtoinaverysystematicapproach.Througheyetrackingweareabletoidentifythe
orderinwhichitemsareattendedtoandforhowlongbeforetheusermovesontothenext.Oncethesepropertiesareestablished,elementscanbesubtlyemphasisedand arranged in a format to attractattentionaccordingly,andthuscreateshorter,moreefcientscanpaths.
IntheexampleforJacobsCameraswefoundresultstosupportthis,demonstratingthatusersattentionisordinal-xatingonelementsinturnbeforemovingontothenext.Withaneffectivedesignformat,theemailtakesusersonadirectedscanpathfromimagetotext,topriceandclick-throughlink,allinanorderofcloseproximity.Thiscreatesaverybalancedlevelofprocessingthatproducesanefcientabsorptionofinformation and sustained attentionWeknowthatbotharekeyfactorsindeterminingrecallandpreferenceand,byimplication,propensitytoconsider and buy
Thisprocessisidentiedineyetrackinganalysiswiththeuseofgazeplotswheresustainedattentionisshownwithillustrativexationpoints.However,itisthebalanceofxationdurationandasteadypathoflittledeviationthatindicatesprocessingprociency.Asimagesarequicktoprocess,theuseofdetailedandangledshotsprovidehighleveldetailandarethereforeviewedforlonger.Thetextiskeptshortandconcise,resultinginanequalamountoftimespentonthemastheimage,
creatingabalancedlevelofattentionoverall.Wefoundthatimagesandbodycopyeachreceivedabout25%ofxationtimeintheopeningscreen,demonstratingtheeffectivebalanceintheelements.Thenetresultisahigherlevelofengagementwiththeemail.Jacobsmakeeffectiveuseofdetailedimageryandconcisetext,whilereducingcrowdfactors(unrelatedsurroundingelements)inordertoguideasteadygazeover
thematerialthatisfocusedandpurposeful.
Key techniquesExploitthesynergisticrelationshipbetweenproductimages,copy,pricepoints
andgraphicstosustainattention
Integratingtheelementsworksbetterthanimposingagridstructure
Ensureproximityofelementstomaximisemessageabsorption-adjacencies
Integratingtherightcalltoactionisvitaltoclosingthesale
W
Every effective product offer weobserved exploited the positioningof elements to maintain continuousengagement within the readersperipheral vision
retailers Freemans and Next included well-
designed integrated product presentations
that exploited digital salesmanship, and
eatured highly among the most recalled
and most preerred or our test subjects.
What characterised all o these high
attention product panels was the use ocut-out product shots whether ashion,
cameras or Christmas gits soundbytes o
product copy, strong headlines, subheads
and price points, oten with attention-
grabbing graphics employed to link and
integrate the elements. Every eective
product oer we observed exploited
the positioning o elements to maintain
continuous engagement within the
readers peripheral vision. In maintaining
eye contact like the successul salesman,
each o these emails used a combination
o persuasive techniques to ensure the best
chance o closing the sale.
Superb design integration o product
shots,copy, price points and graphics
to create a high interest and
well liked opening screen
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Graphic Assets
19
Inallkindsofmarketingcommunications,gooddesignersknowhowtoexploitgraphicdevicestodrawattentiontoimportantmessagesanddramatisekeyoffers.Graphicdevicescanconveyurgencyorexclusivity,shoutaspecialofferorwhisperasubconsciousbrandattribute.Foremails,wherethetimescalesforconsumerengagementandinteractionarebrief,graphicscanbeespeciallyeffectiveinvisuallyconveyingahierarchyofmessagesandinuencingthepathtakenthroughtheemail.
ExPERT VIEw ANALYSTS PERSPECTIVE
nce again, Top Shop provides a
good example o the use o graphic
devices to draw attention to oers
in this case Free Next Day Delivery in a
roundel, positioned just above the navigation
and to provide a subliminal route down
the email using three headers Maxi Style,
Midi Length and Pencil Perect deliberately
positioned on a diagonal slope. The
aggregated heatmap o our recipients viewingpatterns shows clearly how eectively these
messages were absorbed while increasing the
attention to the products.
A more overt directional graphic device is
very eectively demonstrated in this monthly
newsletter email rom fnancial services
company Swinton. Insurance is a low interest
product or most consumers, and Swinton
have used cute cartoon robins to create
engagement or this winter-themed email.
But note how they have incorporated a scar
graphic to cleverly sustain reader momentum
and connect elements within the email.
Another Arcadia ashion email, this time
rom Dorothy Perkins, makes novel use o anotebook and pen graphic to support a set o
New Year ashion resolutions, each resolution
attached to relevant products.
The angled presentation o the notebook and
the diagonal sight line o the pen are both
important small touches in inuencing eye
movement in the direction that the designer
intends drawing attention to the product.
Its not just ashion emails that are exploiting
graphic devices eectively the opening
screen o this Comet January Sale email also
shows skilul use o graphic elements, rom
the use o arrows as an additional product
CTA or to encourage scrolling, to the inclusion
o small illustrations, such as photo prints,
remote controls and snowakes, to connect
O
eoplearemotivatedtokeepseekinginformation,butdontliketoworktoohardforit.
Theeasieritisforthemtondit,themorelikelytheyaretocontinueengagingininformation-seekingbehaviour.Withoutcarefuldesignconsideration,content-richemailscanbecomeconfusingforreaders,riskingthemclosingtheemailinsecondsasitbecomestoobewildering.
Eyemovementshavebeenfoundtobeaffectedbyboththedesignofthepageandhabituallypreferredscanpaths.Throughtheeffectiveuseofgraphics,itispossibletodrawattentiontoitemsofimportance,embellishonspecialoffers,andsubconsciouslyinuencethepathtakenthroughtheemail.Brightcolours,plainfont,andconcisetextareallusefuldesigntacticsthatwehaveseenattractattentioneffectivelyinourstudies.Bycatchingreaderattentionwithagraphicrst,theycanquicklyabsorbtheinformationandthenmovestraightontotheneighbouringelementitdirectstowards,resultinginmoreprocientprocessingoftheemail.
Thisprocesscanbeseeninactionbyviewinggazeplotdatathatindicateshowusersendupatelementswiththeuseofgraphicdeviceleadership.
TheBurtonemailillustratedherepositionsthegraphicsinadiagonallayoutbetweenotherelements,providinganaturalprogressiveowdownthepage.Thishelpstoreduceuncertaintyandimprovesthechancesofabsorbingotherimportantinformationbenetingfromthehaloeffectofthegraphicinperipheralvision.ArelativelysmallgraphicelementinoneofourstudyemailsfromBoden,aroundelofferingan11%discount,scoredhighattentionandrecallfromalltheparticipants.Thisemailalsoincorporatesseveralothergooddesignpracticestocreategooddiagonalsandpaths
throughthecontent.Inemailsthatare constrained by design features(i.e.gridformat),graphicdevicesthataremeticulouslypositionedcanovercometheboundariesandcontinuetoleadapersonsgazewherenecessary.
Key techniquesGraphicdevicesarejustaseffectiveinemailasinotherformsofmarketing
Usepricepointandoffergraphicsnearproductimagestoaidfastabsorption
Graphicelementscanalsohavearoleindeterminingpathsthroughtheemail
Mostimportantly,thegraphicelementssetthetoneurgency,exclusivity,
femininity,offer-based
P
Graphics are used purposefully toshowcase the product, to directattention and to create pathways
Burton have used graphic deviceseectively to connect product
elements in this menswear email
The 11% discount roundelscored highly or attention and
preerence in this well-designedemail rom Boden
Top Shop draw attention to the oer
and products and sustain momentum
using colourul graphic devices
Dorothy Perkins uses a New Year
resolution notebook and pen
to draw attention to their latest
ashion products
Small graphic illustrations help to
connect an otherwise very linear
design structure
elements within the email and inuence
eye movement.
In all these emails, graphics are used
purposeully to showcase the product, to
direct attention and to create pathways,
oten helping to overcome the limitations
o a linear underlying design structure. It
is impossible or us to know what was in
the minds o the designers, but in eachcase they have clearly demonstrated an
Swinton makes highly eectiveuse o graphics to heighten
engagement and direct readers
down the email
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No Stone Unturned
21
Inastore,everysquarefootrepresentstheopportunityforasale.Inanemail,everypixelshouldbeexploitedtogainanextraclickorincreasethelikelihoodofconversion.Whatsmore,unlessyouareLouisVuttonorMulberry,wherespaciousambiencelendsexclusivity,themoreproductsyouofferandthemorebenetsyoucanshowcasethebetter.Foreverythousandreaderswhoopenyouremail,thereareahundreddifferentreasonsfordoingso.Themoreyoucancaterforwithina well-designed,balancedstructure,ofcoursethebetteryourresponserate.
ANALYSTS PERSPECTIVE
S
esign and layout aect allaspects o the interactionbetween the email andthe user, rom ease o
use to overall eelings towards thebrand. While it is important to notovercrowd the page, it is equallyimportant not to create too muchempty space. When used correctly,space can signiy areas o importance,lighten the cognitive load whenprocessing, or serve to point out call
to action links.
The Miss Selridge email illustratesan eective way o using space toaccentuate images and encourageusers to ollow a clear path to thebottom o the page. This is a good wayo making sure nothing is easily missedby the viewer. The spacious layoutgives the reader the sense o unhurriedbrowsing, allowing or detailed viewingand ensuring more time is spent onconsideration. It is also very clear tosee how the ashion products relateand co-ordinate as a result o the caretaken with product positioning andpresentation the digital equivalento window dressing. Our emale testsubjects reacted well to this email,remaining engaged and demonstratinghigh recall o the eatured products.
In marked contrast, empty spacecan also be ineective and even
detrimental to attention when poorlyexecuted. In this Farm & CottageHolidays email, images are small, linearand widely dispersed. Considering thatimages are very quick to process, thisdesign approach is counterproductiveas they are hastily scanned over andmuch less likely to be recalled or aectpreerence and purchasing decisions.The dispersed structure encouragedour subjects to assimilate the contentso this email very quickly, and resultedin very low recall and preerencescores. In eect, the design structurehas ensured that readers rapidly loseinterest in the content.
ome o the most successul emails
among those we studied requently
contained more than 30 clickable
links product links, oer links, hypertext
links, multiple calls to action, secondary and
tertiary navigation or the reader, the clear
implication was that they were being oered
a great deal o choice. The choice to buy now,or fnd out more. The choice
to view a specifc product, or shop the whole
range. The choice to look at only Canon
cameras, or just Nikon models. The option to
view a video about the latest catwalk trends.
From a customers perspective, presenting
options is empowering and o course, as
we have observed elsewhere, it demonstrates
classic sales psychology not so much do
you want to buy or not?, but which do you
preer, the red or the blue?
Freemans recognises the dilemma that older
women ace in choosing a swimsuit to suit
their shape in the email illustrated here, and
oers a video or each shape, such as Apple,
Pear and Hourglass, which proved o high
interest to our test subjects. They make
optimum use o the email space angling the
shots to provide pathways, dramatising the
key beneft within the copy soundbyte, and
providing a small but helpul shape illustration
near the Watch video call to action. This
hard-working email space incorporates several
o the techniques we have described in this
paper, including the use o Zoom as an
additional call to action on the product image,
rather than Buy or View More.
Many o the emails we studied incorporated
integration with social media, either by
encouraging sign-up at the oot o emails, like
this one rom Firebox, or by integrating the
option to Like or Tweet products throughout
the email, as DealZippy do. Fewer, though,
oered readers a concrete reason or doing so.
As a general rule, emails that allowed too
much space between points o interest
gained little engagement rom our test
subjects, and as a consequence were rarely
positively recalled. This camera email rom
Currys, with elements widely dispersed in a
linear structure, was not eective at sustaining
attention or attracting preerence, despite
the act that the subjects in this case were
all interested in cameras. Almost without
exception, the emails best received in our
tests let no stone unturned in attempting to
engage and sustain interest and exploit every
opportunity or incremental responses.
D
Key techniquesSuccessfulemailsfrequentlycontain30+clickablelinkshypertextlinks,
multiplecallstoaction,secondarynavigationandfooterlinksalldrive
incrementalclicks
ConsidermultiplecallstoactionforasingleproductZoom,Viewthe
Range,FindOutMore
Providedeeplinksthatgettherecipientdirectlytotheirareaofinterest
From a customers perspective,presenting options is empowering
Freemans makes optimal use o
the space around eatured product
videos with multiple calls to action
Although overall this Miss Selridge
email seems spacious,good use
o diagonals and multiple calls to
action ensure sustained attention
right to the oot
Lack o substance in the content,
coupled with a poor positioning o
elements,resulted in low attention,
recall and preerence or this
cottage holiday email
How not to do it this email
rom Currys loses engagement
rapidly with an uninspiring,widely
dispersed design
DealZippy eature social
media links against all
the deals in their email to
tease out opportunities or
valuable reerrals
Firebox take the opportunity
to encourage readers to Like,
Followand Viewon social
media at the oot o their emails
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Weinterpretwhatweseedifferentlydependingonthecontextandenvironment.Whatmightseemanexceptionalbargaininadepartmentstorewouldbeperceivedverydifferentlyinadiscountstore.Inemails,theuseofelementsinperipheralvision,andimageryespecially,canreinforcepositiveperceptionsandaidunderstanding.Throughoutthispaperwehavediscussedtheimportanceofpositioningandintegrationforamarketingchannelthatislikenootherinitsdependenceonscrollingtosustainattention.Foremaildesigntobesuccessful,itisvitaltofactorinnearandperipheralvision.
ExPERT VIEw
Whilethesalesmandoesnotexistinamarketingemail,thistechniqueofreciprocitycanstillbeappliedintheencouragementofaclick-through.Astheonlymainsellingtoolsavailablearetextandimages,companiesareaimingtoincreasethepushtosalewithaddedvaluecontent.
Whilenotovertlyrelatingthiscontenttothesale,marketerscanincreasethechancesofclick-throughswithcontentrelatedtotheproducts.Thiscouldtaketheformoffashionortraveltips,instructionalvideosanddiagrams,orusefularticlesandreports.Notonlydoesthisincreasethelikelihoodoftheviewer to pay more attention totheemail,butitalsogivesthemsomethingforfree,developingtrustinthecompany-consumerrelationship.Therefore,intheactofreciprocity,theyaremuchmorelikelytoclickthroughtothewebsitetoseewhatelsethecompanyhastooffer.
IntheexampleemailfromJessops,itprovidestherecipientalargesampleofaddedvaluecontent.Thisincludesexpertadviceonhowtotakethebest
weddingphotographs,personaltips,andrecommendationsforrelatedproducts.Thisworkswellasitprovidestheconsumerwithsomefree,usefulinformationthatleadsontotheproductsthatcouldhelpthemachievethebestresults.Alltheyhavetodoisclickthroughtothewebsitefromthere.
TheTopshopemailprovidespeoplewiththefreeuseoftheironlinevirtualmakeovertool.Thisconsistsofaseriesofvideoclipsallowingusersto
Inanormalstoreitisthesalesmanwhoprovidesallthecontentandreassurancesneededtodriveapurchase.Onewaythisisachievedmightbetoofferafreegiftinreturn,orpriortomakingthepurchase.Thisactofreciprocitygeneratesanunconsciousobligationintheconsumertogivesomethingbackinreturnfortheactofkindness.
henanindividualviewsanobjectintheirenvironment,theydoso
withvaryinglevelsofperceptionintheirvisualeld.Inbroadtermsthisincludesthreeregions:1)thefoveatypicallyconsistsofseveraldegreesofthevisualeldwherevisualactivityiscentredandofhigh-leveldetail;2)theparafoveaaroundvedegreeseithersideofthefovea,whereacuitybecomesgradually
reduced;and3)theperipherytheareaonthefurthestpartofthevisualeld,whichisofthelowestdetail,butprovidesinformationonwheretoorientfovealrecognition.
Asourhighestlevelofattentionislocatedatthefovealregion,thesurrounding areas serve to supportthisbyprovidinginformationwhichcanbeviewedfromthecorneroftheeye.Anexampleofhowweusetheseregionseffectivelycanbedemonstratedwhenweidentifyapotentialhazardinourenvironment.Somethingcatchesoureyeinperipheralvision,ourbrainthenalertsustoit,andwesubsequentlyfocus on it in order to avoidpossibledanger.
Inrecentpsychologicalstudies,theparafovealregionhasalsobeenshowntosignicantlycontributeto
theprocessofreading.Indoingso,itallowsthereadertoabsorbtextat
amuchfasterrate,viewingmultiplewordsatatimeratherthanfocusingoneachindividualword.Onawebpage,thisregionmightalsoallowforattractingattentiontoelementsincloseproximitytothetext(i.e.imagesorbuttons),divertingthegazefromthefovealregionandrepositioningtothenewareaofinterest for focusing on
Withregardtoimagery,asitrequireslessprocessingtoextractinformationfrom,muchofitcanbeviewedintheperipheralvisualeldwithoutevenbeingfocusedon.Thiscanbeutilisedforoptimisingtheamountofinformationtransferbyplacingpictorialelementsincloseproximitytoimportanttextelements.Whenanindividualisattractedtoanareabytheimagetheymightthenbeencouragedtoreadtheneighbouringtext,whereasthismayhavebeenlesslikelywithouttheimage.
Thelevelofvisualprocessingcanbeaffectedbystimulusdesignfeatures,suchaslayout,colour,contrast,pattern,animationandproximity;and eyes become attractedtoaspectsthatareattractive,distinctive and informativeTherefore,bycarefullycraftingthedesignofastimulus(i.e.awebpageoremail),andtakingthesefactorsintoaccount,onecanoptimizeusersattentionlevelswhenviewing
thestimulus.Themoresalientanelementis,themorelikelyitistoattractattentiontotheviewerforfocusingon.Thiswouldresultinareductionincognitiveload,allowingformoreefcientprocessingacrossthepage,anddeliverability of information
Aneffectiveexampleofthisinanemailmightincludeanattractiveimagewhichisincloseproximity
toimportantandrelevanttextualinformation,followedbyaclearlydenedbuttonwhichwouldleadtheusertothepointofpurchase.Thecorrectplacementofsuchelementsisessentialtoaidingthisprocesswithminimaldifcultyfortheuser.Theperipheraleldofvisionisthereforeavitalconstructtobearinmindwhendesigninganeffectivemarketingemail.
Peripheral Vision
T
FoveaPerceivemost
detail
Paravovea
Periphery
Rapid decrease inamountofdetail
perceived
This grouping o text withneighbouring image and buttonworks well in directing attention
ThesaccadicmovementofreadingLoremfuga.
Namintendestdenissedestiamexplabipsape
23
The saccadic movement o reading
his Christmas git email rom
Debenhams illustrates the principle
very eectively. By positioning a
secondary set o navigation buttons between
a discount graphic and the irresistible
subliminal attraction o eye contact, the
email measurably increases the likelihood
o noticing, and acting on, the buttons.The diagonally structured Big Git Event
headline can still be assimilated in peripheral
vision at this point. The email continues
to use eye contact to attract, and discount
oers to substantiate, throughout the email,
maintaining reader momentum, as can be
clearly seen rom the heatmap.
Many o the most eective emails we
tested employed the technique o ensuring
that the attractor (most oten an image
or graphic) was in close proximity to the
substantiator (typically copy on product
benefts, prices or savings), together with one
or more calls to action. The daily deal sector
emails in our study all used this approach
eectively to present multiple deals in a
standardised ormat that was easy or our
subjects to absorb rapidly important or
a high requency email programme - and
determine which were o interest. As you
would expect in this context, price and savings
are the substantiator, and Frugaloo used a
series o eye-catching images combined with
prominent price and savings boxes, in close
proximity to the Go to deal call to action.
Peripheral vision is an important inuence on
eye movement and direction, and can be a
decisive actor in encouraging email recipients
to maintain engagement to keep scrolling.
Designers can judge the eectiveness o their
designs quite simply using the thumb and fst
technique. I the thumbnail at arms length
is a good representation o the immediate
ocal point, making a fst will indicate the
nearby elements that will guide the readers
next move. Considered placement o all the
elements in the email design structure can
signifcantly increase attention throughout the
engagement unnel.
Key techniquesGoodplacementofelementsaidsvisualprocessingandincreasesthe
likelihoodofaresponse
Alwayscombinetheattractor(oftenanimageorgraphic)innear
proximitytothesubstantiator(typicallycopy)andthecalltoaction
to optimise success
Usethethumbandstatarmslengthwhenjudgingdesigntopredict
pathsthroughtheemail
Debenhams usesperipheral vision
eectively to maintain
reader momentum
ANALYSTS PERSPECTIVE
W
The circles on these two emails
represent paraoveal vision,and
clearly show how this infuences
the subjects gaze path
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Participantswererecruitedlocallyviapostersandemailresponsesandwerescreenedaccordingtothedemographicrequiredperemailsector(e.g.cameraenthusiastsforcameraretaileremails).Betweentenandtwentyparticipantswereusedforeachemaileye-trackingtest.Participantagerangevarieddependingonthetestbuttypicallycomprised ages between 18 and 55 yearsAnequalbalanceofbothmaleandfemalesubjectswasusedfortheentire study
TheTobiiEyeTrackingT60XLsystemwithhigh-resolution24-inchTFTwidescreen monitor was used to carry outtheeye-trackingprocedure.TobiiStudioanalyticsoftwarewasusedtodisplaystimuliandproduceresultsdata.
Abasicquestionnairewasgiventoparticipantsatthestarttoestablishgeneralpersonalinformationandtodeterminedemographic.Anexampleincludesthefollowing:HowwouldyougoaboutchoosingaUKcottageholiday?
Atotalof50differentemailsacrosseightdifferentsectorswereusedfortheeye-trackingstimuli.Eachemailwascarefully
selectedtopresentadiverserangeofdesignsforeachsector,withthepurposeofprovidingdetailedconclusiveeye-trackingresults.
Participantswerebriefedandgiventhequestionnairetolloutpriortotesting.Followingthistheyunderwenteye-trackingcalibrationtoestablisheyepositionandmovement.Theywerethengivenashortinstructionandpresentedwitheachemailonthescreeninturn.
Thenalstagerequiredaconcludingsetofquestionsdetailingtheirexperienceandemailpreferences.Anexamplequestionincludes:Outoftheemails,whichonedidyoulikethemost?Participantswerethendebriefedandgiven a monetary incentive fortakingpart.
PARTICIPANTS MATERIALS PRoCEduRE
Methodology
25
The Sectors Studied
Ten Inbox Secrets Revealed
Emaildesignisnotasciencesuccessrequirescreativeair,goodcustomerknowledgeand,ofcourse,greatproductsbuttheinsightsfromourstudyrevealsomepowerfultechniquesthatyoucanemploytoteaseoutextraclicksandconversions.Fromcreatinggoodrstimpressionswithopeningscreenfulstomaintainingmomentumandengagementusinggraphicassetsanddigitalsalesmanship,weuncovereddozensofexamplesofeffectivepracticesthattranscendmarketsectorandcustomerdemographics.Distilledintoourteninboxsecrets,wehopethatyouwillndthisresearchpaperarichandpracticalsourceofideasandinspiration.Emailisanexcitingandexiblechannelthatyieldsawealthofmeasurabledata.Testingissimpleandveryfasttoimplement.Andlikealldigitalmedia,emailisconstantlyevolvingasemailmarketers,itsvitalthatwecontinuetohoneourdigitaldesignpractices.
Words that Paint1,000 PicturesSustainattentionandsubstantiateinterest
usingintegratedsoundbytecopy
Digital SalesmanshipIntegrateofferelementstooptimise
productpresentationandclosemoresales
First ImpressionsCreate enticing and effective opening
screenstomaximiseengagement
Email AnatomyUsedesign&structuretechniquesthat
maintainscrollingmomentum
Digital SignpostingConvert browsing into action using
navigationtodrivepurposefulclicks
ClickabilityAlwaysaskforthebusinesswith
multiple,well-designedcallstoaction
Content KingsUseaddedvaluecontenttoincrease
emotionalengagementandparticipation
Graphic AssetsUsegraphicdevicestoovercomeinertia,
create momentum and drive response
No Stone UnturnedWinincrementalclicksbyexploiting
everyemailpixeltoadvantage
Peripheral VisionExploittherelativeproximityofdesign
elementstoreinforcepositiveperceptions
Photographic Retailers
Womens Fashion (18-35)
Holiday Cottages
Womens Fashion (35-55)
Daily Deal s & Vouchers
Short Break Holidays
Mens Fashion (35-55)
Christmas Gifts
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