If you read my last post, Analyzing 12,500 emails from eTailers Part 1, The Bad; you now know how many components there are to crafting a great eCommerce campaign.
We studied:
- How many Emails eTailers Sent their consumers on a monthly basis – the average was 6 a month
- How eCommerce stores sent Welcome Emails
- If eCommerce stores were sending emails based on shopping cart abandonment
- Were eTailers missing opportunities when consumers unsubscribed?
Remember I Haven’t Opened a Single Email In Over 1 Year
- As you read last week there were 132 eTailers that insisted on sending me emails even after I hadn’t opened a single one in over 365 days. (Bad Practice)
There were 38 eTailers that stopped sending me emails when I became unresponsive and the better email marketers got creative with it. (Good Practice)
Below are 3 examples of companies cleaning their email list and the optimal method for unsubscribing customers.
Ethan Allen says goodbye to me after sending 215 emails, from March 2013 to January 2014
Ethan Allen sends a creative email 2x with different subject line in the month of January to clean up their list.
Bonobos asks me if I am still alive after sending me 39 emails from April to April
Bonobos emails me a great goodbye campaign on the 21st and 23rd asking if anyone is home and if I am still alive.
I also should mention this was a GIF with the wheels spinning, in this Bonobos goodbye email.
Ten Thousand Villages Tells me I am in charge after sending me 10 emails from April 2013 to January 2014
A Great example of how to engage customers to target their preferences by Ten Thousand Villages.
What Is The Best Method For Unsubscribing Visitors?
Sweet Candy Company leads me back to their website after unsubscribing, but not option to change email preferences.
OverstockArt.com allows me to update my subscription while driving me back to their website.
Last week we saw some horrific unsubscribe processes where consumers are automatically unsubscribed or worse can’t figure out how to unsubscribe. The best method is leading the email subscriber back to your website where you give them the option to change their preferences or confirm unsubscribing. It’s ludicrous how many eCommerce companies miss out on driving traffic back to their site after a consumer clicks unsubscribe. Lead them to your website on a nicely designed landing page offering them news on social media instead of email, and who knows you might make a conversion.
Any eCommerce company that is trying new things and testing deserves to be applauded. If you have fallen into the routine of sending cookie cutter emails that don’t hone in on customer behavior or preferences you are telling your customers that you simply don’t care.
Just remember nobody likes getting blasted, and ask yourself what would you do if you received the email you are about to send.
