email marketing practices top retailers shop.org 2011

Email Marketing Practices of the Top Online Retailers

September 13, 2011

@LorenMcDonald@Silverpop

+ 130

more retailers that did not make the Top 500

ranking

Silverpop Analyzed Email Programs of …

How does your company stack up against other Top Retailers?

Opt-in Processes

Welcome

Emails

Cart Abandonment

Social Sharing Links

Opt-outAlternatives Study Aspects

Looked at Today

So let’s dive in…

1. Opt-in Process

47% hide opt-in at the bottom

36% highlight opt-in at the top

18% go for mid-page opt-in

Top 500 Remaining Retailers0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

90

100

92%84%

8%16%

YesNo

Majority Feature Opt-in Prominently Throughout Website

2008 2009 20100

5

10

15

20

25

30

35

28%

33% 33%

14%

23%21%

Top 500

Remaining Retailers

1/3 of Retailers Offering Options at Opt-in

Shopping Preferences

Channel Preferences

Frequency Preferences

0 10 20 30 40 50 60

56%

35%

33%

All Retailers

Types of Preferences Offered by Companies Who Gave Subscribers Options

Tips

2-Step Process

66% of people prefer social sign up

AdsPoint

OfPurchase

Billboards

SMS Text to Email Opt-in

iPad POP-IN Mobile Opt-in

• Point-of-sale• Tradeshow booth • Events• Customer service reps

2. Use of Welcome Emails

Welcome emails may be the most important email your company sends.

But 32% of you are sending this...

Zippo.Not much of a welcome, is it?

Tips

Single Email Welcome Email Series

Welcome to the Tafford Community

Tafford #1

Three Reasons You Will Love Tafford + A Special Offer

Tafford #2

Personalize Your Tafford Experience

Tafford #3

Welcome #1 Performs 6X Better!

Sample Welcome Series Indexed Results…

The Future

“Welcome” programs evolve into “Onboarding”

3. Use of Cart Abandonment Emails

60% - 70% of Shopping Carts are Abandoned

“How much money are YOU leaving on the table?”

17%(only)

Of Top 500deploy cart recovery email

programs

76%

20%

4%

1 Email2 Emails3 Emails

# of Emails in Cart Aband. Campaigns

76% use a single email

51%49% Yes No

1/2 Offer Incentives in Cart Recovery Emails

Abandoned Cart Emails

All Promotional Emails

Comparison

Open Rate 37% 8% 4.6x

Click-through rate

41% 14% 2.9x

Conversion rate

20% 5% 4.0x

Sales/email $7.46 $.08 97x

Sample Results: CAR vs Promotional Emails

Abandon Cart Emails

0.3%

Promotional Emails99.7%

Relative VolumeAbandon

Cart Emails18.6%

Promotional Emails81.4%

Relative Sales

0.3% Volume but 18.6% of Email Revenue

4. Social Links

Transition: Share>Find>Follow>Like

2009 20100

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

90

60%

78%

43%

54%

Top 500

Remaining Retailers

78% Including Social Links in Emails

11%

71%

18%

Social Sharing Only

Like/Follow Only

Both

More Than 2/3 Include Like/Follow

Promote Likes/Follows

Make It Shareworthy

5. Opt-out Alternatives

2/3 Offer Some Variation of this

UGH!

2008 2009 20100

5

10

15

20

25

30

35

40

45

31%

40%

34%

23% 24%22% Top 500

Remaining Retailers

1/3 Offer Preferences at Opt-out

Alternatives

Frequency

Format

ChangeEmail

Profile/Preferences

Channel

OtherEmails

So What are the Alternatives?

Often 20-30% of subscribers presented with alternatives to unsubscribing stay!

Promote Alternatives In the Email

Option to “Snooze”

Optimize Opt-in Processes

Turn Welcome

Into “Onboarding”

Cart Abandonment

Just Do It!

Use Email to Promote Social

Provide Opt-outAlternatives

Takeaways

Q & A / Contact Info

• Loren McDonald• lmcdonald@silverpop.co

m• Twitter:

@LorenMcDonald

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