Break The Mold--Think BEYOND "Above The Fold"

As we rate and review clients’ acquisition score cards, we preach the good word on moving email enrollment to a prominent spot above the fold on the website, but is that really the best that we can do? To be fair, ecommerce teams do put up a solid argument to occupy that same real estate with more customer-centric site search or social plugins. So what now? Does email sign up get demoted to the footer? Or maybe for the adventurous, a test homepage kicker? I think not--and neither does Neiman Marcus.

I’ve been paying close attention to their recent beta site re-launch, Facebook chatter about the release and supporting emails sharing, “we heard you, check out the enhancements, and continue to tell us more.” This retailer is clearly focused on a path of self-improvement and using the “customer voice” to catalyze change (thanks ForeSee or Bizrate)…or just doing a great job at socializing that the NM customer experience is top of mind.

To support these changes,  Neiman Marcus is testing or has launched a very smart email acquisition strategy and it’s directly on the product page--a pop up!

 

Why is this so great?  This is the synergy of 2 very successful acquisition tactics at play.

1) Pop Up

In testing opt-in strategies for a multi-channel retailer, this strategy yielded a 3X increase in email opt-ins during a 30-day test. Also, a pop up doesn’t deter the customer from a specific product page. A customer’s site experience is unaffected if they choose to X out.

2) Product Detail Targeting

Asking for email centimeters away from an exclusive product that a customer is browsing. You get them right where you want them: looking at YOUR content!

 

Now to optimize this, add some flash to the call to action/sprinkle in an offer and voila: Asking a customer to share a crucial piece of information can bridge the gap between browse and buy!

 

If not now-then make an offer later down the line. At that point, if you know the exact product that drove the email sign up, why not serve up a welcome offer with this specific browsed product & toss in free shipping to sweeten the deal!

Moral of the story….as retailers become more aggressive, customers become savvier, and the inbox continues to crowd—what will your brand do to stand out and get the opt in?   

 

Anna McCarthy, Strategy, Client Services, e-Dialog

Returns and Exchanges: Operation Domain-ation: A Call to Unsubscribe

As email marketers, we identify any wave of deliverability instability as an urgent call to examine list health. How old is our list? Do we have the safest opt-in practice? Are we segmenting? Are specific acquisition sources, aka “sweeps” tanking our performance? Are we over mailing? Why then are our subscribers hitting that devilish SPAM button?

More often than not, retailers pull the victim card and directly follow up with their Email Provider to sway the Postmaster to play nice. “Our email list is not contaminated… we have a double opt-in process, our buyers want to be on our list-they didn’t uncheck that pre-checked sign up box.” Oy, we’ve heard it all! And truthfully, your friendly email team empathizes; a dip in delivery will directly impact subscriber engagement, brand affinity and revenue potential. These are considerable losses, and you need to act now to mitigate issues down the line that will inevitably impact your bottom line. 

So what can you do before the “Post Bouncer” crosses your brand off the list? A call to unsubscribe!

As your email team constructs and deconstructs your reactivation strategy, you can start “operation domain-ation” with an executionally painless and impactful re-position of your unsubscribe link. Athletic retailer Lululemon recently launched this clean up approach. Check out their email header, and find an option to unsubscribe in a clear, clutter-free location in the upper right hand corner--prime real estate usually inhabited by a forward to a friend or “Share” link.   

Note: not buried in footer legal

    

This tactic is certainly not new, it's often suggested to “complaint-prone” retailers to help avoid SPAM feedback. Easier said than done? Still debating whether lost emails contribute to lost potential revenue? Remember-if bad emails cause spam trap complaints and blocks-the negative impact is inevitable.

Why not try this tactic for a 1-off campaign, for a week, or target a problematic segment?  Whichever one you choose, do your brand a favor and don’t hesitate. Present subscribers with an organic opportunity to fall off before they do so via feedback loop or undel bounce. It’s not hard saying goodbye to dead weight if the return is higher engagement, retention and profitability!

Plus… it’s a good way to stay on the “Guest List” and not have to pay your way in the backdoor!

 

Anna McCarthy, strategy specialist, client services, e-Dialog