Email Marketing Practices of the Top Online Retailers

September 22, 2009

Agenda

• Study Overview

• Study Findings / Examples & Best Practices

• Questions & Answers

Study Overview

Silverpop Analyzed Email Programs of …

+ 395

more retailers that did not

make the Top 500 ranking

Year-to-Year Study Comparisons

Study Areas Discussed Today

Home Page Opt-in?

Opt-in Options?

# of Emails in First 30 days?

Unsubscribe Alternatives?

Drum roll please…

C-

Key Takeaways

• Missing opportunities to grow your list

• Not capturing data/preferences to drive relevance

• Many still fumbling the start of the relationship

• Likely driving customers away through increased volume

• And not deploying the basics to keep them

1. Opt-in on Home Page?

Opt-in on Home Page - 96% of Top 500

…but what I see is this…

Better Location

Calls to Action At the Top

Above the Fold

2. Choices offered to registrants

Retailers Opt-Down on Choices

http://www.littletikes.com/

Why Preference Centers?

•Demographics & interests•Up to date/changes

Data Capture

•“My Email”•Better retention

Subscriber Empowerment

•Preferred frequency, lists•Basis of personalization, segmentation

Increased Relevance

Preference Center Touch Points

Opt-inWelcom

e

Regular Emails

Web Site

Transactional Emails

Opt-out

No Data, No Relevance

Logical Personalization?:

• Gender• Marital status• Age ranges on signup• Wedding anniversary• Significant other’s birth date

3. Number of emails received during a 30-day period

Mixed News?

51% are mailing 5+/month

24% are mailing 11+/month

22% send NOemails

20 Emails in 22 Days

Free Shipping20% off

$5, $10 off

What’s the Potential Impact of Over Mailing?

5 times per month

5 times per month

12 times per

month

12 times per

month

Revenue – Churn – Reputation….

Retailer – Increased Frequency

Unsubscribes and spam complaints went through the roof

Financial Impact of Increased Mailings

Start With A Good Welcome Program

• Text• Single email• IT Generated• No marketing messaging

• HTML• 2-part email series• Marketing generated• Promotions, education

75% increase in conversions

Move to Triggers, Behavior, Lifecycle…

Cart Abandonment Reminder Campaign

Big Results after One Month:(compared to all previous email

campaigns)

48% lift Click through rate

129% lift in Net Conversion rate

Accounted for 10.4% of the total revenue from email marketing

while representing only 2.7% of the total email volume.

4. Unsubscribe links leading to preference centers

Should I Stay, or Should I Go?

Alternatives at Opt-out?

Why Recipients Unsubscribe

• Too Frequent

• Irrelevant Content/Offers

• Also, lack of email address change functionality

So What are the Alternatives?

Alternatives

Frequency

Format

ChangeEmail

Profile/Preference

s

Channel

OtherEmails

Promote Alternatives In the Email

50% of one company’s subscribers presented with alternatives to unsubscribing stay!

3 Key Options

Staples – Really Good, But Not Perfect

Missing:- Frequency Option

- RSS or catalog option- Contact info.

So What’s It All Mean?

• Look for competitor weak spots• Evaluate current practices

– Potential impact– Resources required

• Act on best opportunities first• Test everything

Resources

• White Paper– Top Online Retailers Study

• Resource Center– White papers– Webinars– Blogs– Case studies– Newsletters– http://www.silverpop.com/marketing-resources/index.html

Q & A / Reminders & Contacts

• Loren McDonald– lmcdonald@silverpop.com– Twitter: @LorenMcDonald

www.silverpop.comTwitter: @Silverpopwww.slideshare.net/silverpop