'Net Features : retailers

E-Commerce Email: Welcoming the Customer

Allison Howen — Mon, 21 Jan 2013 20:35:00 GMT

The World Wide Web of 2013 provides online retailers with a variety of options for reaching customers – from social networks to digital advertisements. Yet one tool tends to outperform the rest – email.

In fact, a recent study from marketing automation platform provider Eloqua found that email still drives more traffic than social media, which is likely because email provides a direct line of communication between businesses and consumers. Moreover, the most successful email campaigns are personalized and targeted so that messages not only grab attention, but are also relevant to each recipient.

That being said, you can learn a lot about a company from their email campaign. For example, an initial “welcome” email means that a company takes customer acquisition very seriously and is trying to foster a relationship with consumers, while a retargeting message that features items from an abandoned cart shows that the company is taking every step necessary to avoid a lost sale.

Luckily, merchants can learn from the email campaigns of other online retailers without filling up their inbox, because Website Magazine conducted an in-house experiment to analyze the email strategies of 10 retailers on the ’Net. The first installment of E-Commerce Emails will take a look at the tactics merchants use to welcome their customers, while Part 2 will analyze how merchants guide consumers through the purchasing cycle via email.

EDITORS NOTE: Website Magazine decided to analyze the email campaigns of online shoe retailers for this experiment. However, regardless of the type of items your e-commerce store sells, there are still many takeaways that can be gleaned from these merchants’ email strategies.

Only 80 percent of the targeted retailers for this experiment actually sent out welcome emails. Here is the list of the targeted retailers: DSW, Zappos, Macy's, Toms, Skechers, ShoeDazzle, JCPenney, Steve Madden, Overstock and JustFab.

DSW

DSW not only personalizes the subject line and message by using my first name, but also adds social elements by offering an incentive for me to “like” the company on Facebook.

Zappos

While Zappos didn’t personalize this message, the company does welcome me as part of the “family” and highlights its outstanding return and shipping policy at the top of the message. Additionally, Zappos uses a smart strategy by asking recipients to add the company to their address book at the top of the message, because this will ensure that future messages aren’t marked as spam.

Macy’s

Macy’s also didn’t personalize their subject line or message, but the company does offer a 15 percent off promotion and free shipping.

Skechers

Skechers attracts attention from recipients by personalizing their message, offering a promotional code and featuring a large and bright call-to-action button.

TOMS

The design of Toms’ email leaves a lot to be desired, however, the company does personalize both the subject line and message of their welcome email. Moreover, the company outlines the benefits of creating an online user account, as well as offers contact information for customer service needs.

ShoeDazzle

ShoeDazzle doesn’t mess around with promotions. Not only does this retailer offer the largest welcome discount at 25 percent off, but the company also tells consumers that the discount is only good for a limited amount of time. This gives customers a sense of urgency, especially if they are already considering making a purchase from ShoeDazzle.

JCPenney

JCPenney’s welcome message takes a similar approach to the aforementioned TOMS. It features a very simple layout, thanks consumers for registering with the company and outlines the benefits of having an account on jcp.com.

Steve Madden

Steve Madden doesn’t personalize their welcome message, however, the company does thank new subscribers and offers a 10 percent discount for the consumer’s next online purchase. Furthermore, the company tells new subscribers what type of future messages they can expect from Steve Madden.

Overstock

Although I did not receive a welcome message from Overstock.com, I did already receive a retargeting message from the company when I abandoned by shopping cart. However, most consumers will want to be welcomed before they are pushed into the sales cycle. Stay tuned to learn more about Overstock’s retargeting message in next week’s Part 2.

JustFab

After double checking my spam folder, it is safe to say that JustFab has made no attempt to reach out to their new subscriber via email yet.

Five Ways Retailers Can Compete with Summer

Allison Howen — Mon, 09 Apr 2012 19:30:00 GMT

As the days get longer and the temperatures get hotter, retailers on the Web must be prepared for the stiff competition that the next five months will bring – Summer.

Summer, although a wonderful thing for those of us with vacation and sick days stored up, is also a slow time for many merchants, both on and off the Web. However, with a well thought out and sizzling-hot strategy, merchants can sweat out the slow summer months by encouraging customers to make purchases and engage with their online properties. Check out these five tips below:

Competitive Pricing

Not only do merchants need to keep their pricing lower than competitors all year long, but pushing pricing down during the summer months can give consumers the extra bit of incentive that they need to frequent your e-commerce site daily. Additionally, adding a summer clearance section on your site will not only boost sales, but also help clean out your inventory for the holiday season that is right around the corner (yes, already).

Local Social

Since consumers will be checking their social feeds in-between their trips to the beach and summer night get-togethers, it is important to utilize social media to not only promote your brand and products, but also to bring people out of the hot sun and onto your website or into your brick-and-mortar store. For example, use Foursquare and Yelp to promote deals and specials for local customers, use Facebook and Twitter to create customer loyalty by engaging and interacting with consumers, use YouTube to provide consumers with informative product tutorials, and use Pinterest to feature your business’s newest products and summer trends.

Email Strategy

Many consumers are looking at their inboxes on-the-go, therefore it is important to make sure emails are mobile-ready so that consumers can read and interact with them easily from wherever they are. Furthermore, marketers should retest the time-of-day that emails are sent out, because many times the change in seasons brings a change of schedule, which could effect the optimal time for emails to be sent out for a specific audience. Merchants should also have fun with summer emails – create a summer product list, summer tips or summer sales email and always use a sizzling hot subject line, because the subject line alone will influence whether your audience will want to read the mail from the pool, or send it straight to the spam folder.

Promotions and Events

Ever heard of Christmas in July? Although summer time is full of holidays that retailers can create marketing sales and events around (Mother’s Day, Memorial Day, Father’s Day, Fourth of July, Labor Day), this doesn’t mean that merchants can't come up with other unique events and holidays to promote their products around. For example, create a Christmas in July sale to let consumers know that they only have six months left before the biggest holiday of the year, promote a rainy day sale if the forecast in your local area calls for some wet weather (which every brick-and-mortar retailer knows is great shopping weather), or give away a summer themed product for purchases that exceed a certain amount, for example, any purchase more than $50 will receive a free bottle of sunscreen or a visor.

Maximizing Online Time

Because the time your customers spend online this summer may be limited, it is important to get the most out of every minute that they are engaging with your brand. If your site doesn’t already include recommended product functionality, this is a good time to implement it because consumers will be inclined to look at more products if your site is taking some of the research work away. Augmented Reality is another feature that will surely increase your consumers' average time on site, because they will want to virtually try products on. And of course, great product videos, photos, promotions and sales (as mentioned above) will also intrigue visitors to spend more time on your site, as well as follow-up coupons, surveys and even gamification features.

Got more summer marketing tips? Leave them in the Comments section below!

Retail Competitiveness Index Survey

Pete Prestipino — Tue, 02 Sep 2008 17:43:00 GMT

On-demand, multi-channel retail management software developer CoreSense today announced the launch of the company’s Retail Competitiveness Index Survey, an interactive self-assessment tool designed to help small and medium retailers get a clearer picture of how effectively they are competing in five different areas of retail management.

Developed in-house by CORESense using best-in-class retail management practices, the survey is free to use and provides a personal score-card with recommendations on how the retailer can improve their ability to reach and acquire new customers, convert shoppers to buyers, deliver customer service, build customer loyalty, and achieve a faster return on their IT investment.

“We developed this survey as a creative and engaging way to provide valuable information to SMRs,” said Chris Martin, Director of Marketing at CORESense. “There are many things that retailers can do to improve how they measure up against their competition. By doing a quick and easy self-assessment, SMRs can walk away with tangible advice based on their own current practices on how best to close the gap with their competitors.”

To complete the Retail Effectiveness Survey, go to .

Counterfeits Lurk Among Online Discounts

Pete Prestipino — Tue, 02 Sep 2008 17:40:00 GMT

Research by OpSec Security, a global brand protection and anti-counterfeiting company, found that on average, online auction sites were discounting popular back-to-school items at approximately twice the rate of discounts offered by authorized online retailers. Deeply discounted pricing for new, back-to-school items is sign that counterfeiters are lurking.

Competition among retailers to attract shoppers during this difficult economic time has led to especially creative promotions and discounting. Determining product authenticity based solely on pricing becomes far more challenging for online shoppers when authorized retailers offer significant discounts. This evens the playing field, making it easier for counterfeiters to sneak into the game unnoticed.

OpSec monitored the online auctions landscape for new back-to-school items, including laptops, sneakers, jeans and backpacks. All items searched were new, in-season products. The study covered a 30-day timeframe between July and August 2008. Authorized online retailer discounts averaged 33%, while the average discount on auction sites was 58%. The chart below describes average discounts on authorized online retail sites and on auction sites for each of the product groups studied.

What does this mean for Retailers & Brand Owners?
Retailers & brand owners should monitor highly trafficked online auctions and other ecommerce platforms to determine whether their products are being offered at deep discounts. If counterfeit product is identified, leverage Right's Owners programs (i.e. eBay's VeRO program) to remove listings. Proactively addressing these online issues will allow brand owners and retailers to maintain strategic pricing structures.