10 Retail Emails to Automate
- 1. 10 Retail Emails to Automate January 2013
- 2. 2 Following are 10 emails/programs that retailers should automate and consider adding to their email marketing program. Why? Recipients love them or they provide value to them; they typically deliver high conversion rates; and since they are automated – they deliver revenue for you every day while you focus on other parts of your program. What are your waiting for, get started!
- 3. 1. Welcome / Onboarding 2. Browse Abandonment 3. Cart Abandonment 4. Recommendation 5. Product Review Request 6. Happy Birthday 7. Replenishment / Reminder 8. Cross Sell 9. Purchase Anniversary 10. Re- engagement Contents 3
- 5. Welcome / Onboarding Emails: Playbook • What: Email or series of emails triggered upon opt-in. • When: Immediately upon opt-in and follow-on emails over a period of days or weeks. • Why: Controlled initial experience; educates new subscriber on brand and email benefits; can lead to immediate conversion, reduces inactivity. • Best Practices: – Send within minutes of opt-in – Create a series of emails – often 2-4 emails, each designed with a specific objective – Better yet, create on onboarding series that is unique to each subscriber – with personalized content and offers based on pre-opt-in behavior and preferences/profile data. 5
- 6. Within two months of opt-in, the open rate typically falls 20% to 25%. Source: MarketingSherpa
- 7. 1/3 of U.S. largest retailers Send zero welcome emails Source: Silverpop study of the Internet Retailer 500
- 8. Single Email Welcome Email Series
- 11. Move to onboarding based on behavior/preferences…
- 13. Mint Welcome 13
- 14. Mint Activation 1 14 Users who have not added their banks after 7 days
- 15. Mint Activation 2 15 Users who have not added their banks after 14 days
- 16. Mint Mobile Welcome 16 New Mint users from mobile channel
- 17. Additional Resources • The Welcome Email Is Dead! – article • AlohaWelcome Email & Unsubscribe Best Practices – Webinar presentation • Engage New Subscribers with aWelcome Email Program – article • Using Welcome Emails to Drive Increased Engagement and ROI - presentation 17
- 19. Browse Behavior-Based Emails: Playbook 19 • What: Emails that are triggered based on a customer or prospect abandoning aWeb page(s), form/calculator or process. • When: Immediately or shortly after abandonment and then over days and weeks as part of a series. • Why:To capture sales over time from a prospect that showed interest, but didn’t convert. Higher in the conversion funnel than cart abandonment, the opportunity is also significantly larger. • Best Practices: – Focus on a few or coreWeb pages that are drivers of conversion activity or have high conversion rates. – Since prospects are earlier in the buying process, focus on nurturing and education that leads them closer to a purchase. – Use videos, calculators, product reviews and employee/customer stories to educate prospects and help them make a purchase decision.
- 20. Browse Abandonment: Expressing Interest Sent Delivered Opened Clicked Product Views Cart Additions Checkouts Orders Revenue Units
- 21. Browse Behavior • 37.6% Open Rate • 7.35% CTR • $0.44 Rev/Email
- 22. Browse Behavior
- 23. Browse Behavior
- 24. Browse Behavior
- 25. Additional Resources • Beyond the Cart: 5 Process Abandonment Messages to Implement – blog post • How toTurn Cart and Process Abandonment Scenarios into Revenue – white paper 25
- 27. Cart Abandonment Remarketing Emails: Playbook • What: Series of emails triggered after a customer abandons their shopping cart. • When: Within an hour or so – or 24 hours maximum – after abandonment, followed by 2-3 emails over several days. • Why: Abandonment is a huge challenge for retailers, however, remarketing can recapture a sizable percentage; cart remarketing has a very high conversation rate – typically from 10%-50% • Best Practices: – Send initial email within an hour if possible/24 hours maximum – Create a series of several emails – Hold off on discounts and incentives until the final email(s) – Include a direct link to the cart – Include product description, reviews – Incorporate personality and a reassuring tone and approach. 27
- 28. 87% of consumers abandon carts …75% say they will return to complete the purchase. Source: Amaze/University of Glasgow
- 29. — Multiple Sources “60–70%” Abandoned Carts, Lost Revenue 29 Up to 70% of Shopping Carts are Abandoned before Checkout
- 30. Following up with abandoners by email yields up to 50%conversion.
- 31. Issues to Consider Abandon Type Timing Single or Email Series Discounts / Incentives Product Inclusion Design Copy / Style
- 33. Timing Factors • Immediate • 24 hours • 3-5 days, 1 week • Factors/Issues: – Product type (e.g., travel) – Feed timing – Did they purchase after abandoning?
- 34. Develop Creative Strategy (DEMCO) Message # Days after cart filled Message Offer A 1 Courtesy reminder – you still have items in your shopping cart None B 3 Important notice – we have reserved these items for you None C 5 Special offer Free tote with offer Started with a 3-step messaging approach…
- 35. MessageA – 1 day after
- 36. Message B – 3 days after
- 37. Message C – 5 days after
- 38. DEMCO Results Cart Email A Day 1 Cart Email B Day 3 Cart Email C Day 5 AVERAGE Open Rate 40% 39% 32% 37% Click-to-Open 44% 47% 28% 41% Click-thru-Rate 18% 18% 9% 15% Conversion Rate 22% 15% 24% 20% Sales/email $8.60 $8.40 $5.04 $7.46 Conversion rate is just as high on the first email as it is on the last email – without an offer
- 41. A Special Offer To Return To Tafford
- 42. Annualized AbandonedCart Indexed Results…
- 43. Use Promotions, but with care • Promotions will generate lift, and incremental profit • Best practice is to promote on the last of your sequence • Capture maximum margin • Avoid training the customer to expect a promotion Cumulative conversion Conversion per stage Unsubscribe rate 1 2 3 Lift Stage Conversion Open Rate Revenue / email 1: Real time 22% 70% $11 2: 24 hours 7% 65% $4 3: 7 days 6% 60% $3 Total 35% Average 65% Average $6 Source: SeeWhy
- 44. Simple Promotion – Save 15%
- 45. Subtle, helpful
- 46. • Service tone • Human • Multiple channel options • Reassurance • 50% conversion
- 47. From a human
- 49. Additional Resources • Recover Abandoned ShoppingCarts with Email –blog post • Using EmailTo RemarketTo Customers – article • Beyond the Cart: 5 Process Abandonment Messages to Implement –blog • DoYou Still Have Abandonment Issues – article • Cart Abandonment:Actually, It's A GoodThing – article • DEMCOAbandoned-Cart Emails Kicking Patooty –Magill Report • Beyond the Cart: 5 Process Abandonment Messages to Implement – blog How toTurn Cart and Process Abandonment Scenarios into Revenue – white paper • Cart Abandonment: Zero to Sixty in 45 Days - presentation • EverythingYouWanted to Know for CartAbandonment Email Remarketing Success - presentation • Cart Abandonment Email Best Practices – presentation • Cart Abandonment Email Best Practices – presentation • The 5 BestTechniques for Recovering Abandoned ShoppingCarts with Email and Social Media – Webinar presentation 49
- 51. Recommendation Emails: Playbook 51 • What: Emails that are triggered after a purchase recommending additional items based either on related products; products often purchased with the original item; or by like purchasers. • When: In order confirmation emails; shortly after a recent purchase; in cart and browse abandonment emails; etc. • Why:To capture additional/follow sales from an already engaged customer or prospect; often high conversion rates; incremental revenue. • Best Practices: – Test timing on follow-on recommendation emails. – Optimize business rules for highest converting products and categories – Test amount of product information to include; whether to include product pricing; and how many products to show – Test incorporating recommendations in various types of automated emails to see what impact they have on conversions and negative impact on the primary CTA.
- 53. Recommendations
- 54. Order Confirmation Recommendations Recommend accessory items or complementary items for each product in cart
- 55. Review Posted: Recommendations Recommendations based on segmentation
- 56. SmartPak: Abandon Cart w/ Recommendations The results: • 38.5% open rate • 10.15% CTR • 50% conversion rate • $4.80 revenue/email Dynamic product recommendations
- 57. 57 5. Product Review Request / Post Notification
- 58. Product Review Request Emails: Playbook • What: Emails sent after a purchase requesting the purchaser write a product review; follow-on email thanking the customer for posting a review. • When:Varies based on product type/category – but typically a minimum of a few weeks following customer’s receipt of the product. • Why: 1) Main driver/source of product reviews; 2)Which drivers additional conversions; 3) Email touches lead to additional follow-on purchases. • Best Practices: – Test impact of timing of emails on number of review postings – Include product photos, description and link directly to the review page – Make it as easy as possible to contribute a review or rating – Use personality; speak to the importance/value of reviews, consider an incentive. – Send reminders; also send “Your review has been posted” thank you emails. 58
- 59. SmartPak Post-Purchase Review “Customer input gives shoppers the confidence to buy, increasing sales, conversion, average order value, and more.” Source: Bazaarvoice • Launched home-grown product review tool in early 2006 – Gathered 5,000 customer reviews • Use Bazaarvoice (launched January 2009) to handle customer reviews • Sent generic broadcast email to customers to review products they have purchased • Launched a daily triggered email to review first time ordered products post-purchase – Currently have over 80,000 product reviews
- 61. S&SWorldwide Product Review Email 14% of those who click place another order Second highest conversion rate next to Abandon Cart emails.
- 62. Products Review Notification 12% of those clicking on this email go directly to make another purchase.
- 63. Review Posted: Recommendations Review Recommendations based on segmentation Incentive
- 64. Additional Resources • HowTo Attract Customer Reviews • Post-purchase email helps SmartPak gain a 6X increase in review volume 64
- 65. 6. Happy Birthday Email Programs
- 66. Happy Birthday Emails: Playbook • What: Emails distributed to a customer on or near their birthday. • When:Varies from first day of recipient’s birthday to day of birthday and everything in between; Also, post birthday. • Why: If you have birthday data, these are easy to set up and provide high ROI for the level of effort (LOE). • Best Practices: – Capture birthdate data at every key touch point – Have fun with your creative – don’t be boring – Consider including a birthday incentive to increase conversions – Create a series of emails that are automated based on whether the birthday recipient opens, clicks or converts off of the initial and ensuing emails – As part of the above series, send reminders before your birthday offer expires. 66
- 67. 1. Everyone has a birthday!
- 69. Sample Birthday Campaign Indexed Results…
- 70. Sample Birthday ROI Calculation
- 71. Collect Birth Date Everywhere Preference center Welcome emails Call center, in-store cards Standalone emails / Surveys Social media
- 72. Initial Birthday Email Delivery Options On the birthday itself In the birthday week Within a few weeks of the birthday At the start of the birthday month Well in advance of birthday
- 73. Silverpop Survey: 75% send on birthday or up to a week before
- 74. Results • 52% Open Rate • 13.8% CTR • 10% higher conversion rate than their broadcast emails
- 75. Unique copy for each month Famous birthdays 35 days
- 77. 77 Don’t stop with a single birthday email … create a behavior-based series …
- 78. Survey: 77% send one email; 23% 2 or more
- 79. Birthday Follow On Emails Birthday Convert Share Request Open/Click Incentive No Action Reminder
- 80. How about 2-3 more emails? e.g., March 16, 30 & April 20* *Received March 1 for March 16 birthday
- 81. Additional Resources • Birthday Blueprint – Guide to Building World-Class Birthday Email Programs – white paper/guide • Birthday Emails - Samples and Analysis – presentation • Saying Happy Birthday –How to Build aTopTier Birthday Email Program that Delights and Drives Revenue –Webinar slides 81
- 82. 7. Replenishment / Reminders / Reorder
- 83. Replenishment / Reminder Emails: Playbook • What: Emails distributed to a customer reminding them to make a gift purchase or re-purchase of an previously purchased. • When:Typically on or around the estimated time period of when the product will run our or need replacement; or on a user determined reminder date. • Why: Makes it easy for customers to make a repeat purchase of an item they like; often high conversion rates. • Best Practices: – Include link to product page or shopping cart – Include product photos and pricing – Test including last purchase date – Incorporate cross-sell and recommended products – Test impact/need for incentives. 83
- 84. Reorder
- 85. Replenishment Goal: Increase sales of repeat purchases Timing: Based on a calculation of when product will run out Results: - 29.4% Open Rate - 3.56% CTR - $0.41 Rev/Email - 9.56% Conversion Rate
- 86. Autoship Reminder Email • Reminds customer of upcoming SmartPaks order • Allows customer time to make changes before order is processed The results: • 36% open rate • 13% click-through rate • $1.39 revenue-per-email • 18%+ conversion rate
- 87. Important Dates Reminder Email
- 88. Your dates trigger an email… 21 days before occasion Personalized with name Occasion w/ date Coupon code 10% Off 31% CTR Highest revenue generating email
- 89. 8. Cross Sell / Upsell
- 90. Cross Sell / Upsell Emails: Playbook • What: Emails designed to cross- or upsell a customer based on an existing/previous purchase. • When: In post transaction emails and an appropriate time period following a purchase. • Why: Moves customers to higher value, repeat customers – higher conversion rates from satisfied customers; incremental reveune. • Best Practices: – Target customers based on specific past purchases and likely needs – Test inclusion of previous product purchase photo – Incorporate customer reviews and recommendations – Test need for incentives 90
- 91. Purchase Cross-Sell Goal: Increase sales by marketing a relevant product to customers - Targeted customers with a particular need - Reused previous creative Results: - 19.41% Open Rate - 4.31% CTR - $0.58 Rev/Email - 12.5% Conversion Rate Subject Line: “Stop Sore Feet in their Tracks”
- 92. Purchase Cross-Sell Goal: Increase supplies sales of supplement buyers by marketing a relevant product to them Results: - 26.59% Open Rate - 6.73% CTR - $0.23 Rev/Email - 2.6% Conversion Rate Subject Line: “You Might Like the Back on Track Saddle Pad”
- 93. SmartPaks Upsell Emails • Customers suppressed from promotional marketing stream to keep them focused on the most important product purchase • Program checks before each mailing to determine if they purchased a SmartPak or not. If yes, removed from program and placed back in promotional marketing stream – If no, get next mailing in line on specified scheduled date
- 96. Purchase Anniversary Emails: Playbook • What: Emails distributed to a customer on/near the anniversary of a purchase. • When:Typically on or just prior to the one-year anniversary of a purchase; plus any follow-on emails; can also be other appropriate anniversary time frame. • Why: Makes it easy for customers to make a repeat purchase of an item they like; anniversary timing adds some cache’; “reminder revenue”. • Best Practices: – Include link to previously purchased product (as appropriate) – Use personality, consider it like a birthday email (as appropriate) – Test impact/necessity of using incentives – Incorporate cross-sell and recommended products – Promote secondary CTAs, including “Update Preferences.” 96
- 97. Purchase Anniversary 15% higher conversion rate than average from broadcast messages
- 98. Purchase Anniversary + Reorder
- 99. #SPOPWebinar 10. Reengagement of Inactive Subscribers
- 100. Reengagement / Inactives Emails: Playbook 100 • What: Email program designed to “re-activate” unengaged subscribers. • When: Best approach is right after a pre-determined period of inactivity. • Why: Inactives, typically 40+% of a retailer’s database, reduce ROI, potentially deliverability and are a significant lost revenue opportunity. • Best Practices: – Determine timeframe of inactivity when most subscribers never re-engage – for many retailers this is about 3 months – Using a database query and marketing automation, move these inactive subscribers into a special “early activation” or reactivation program – Treat differently those who don’t re-engage after activation program. – Remove long-term inactives typically only if you have deliverability issues.
- 101. “Inactives” are about human behavior… not deliverability.
- 102. Typical Actives vs. Inactives Ratio
- 103. Hypothetical Lost Revenue Recapture Opportunity Actives Inactives # Subscribers 250,000 200,000 Average Revenue Per Email Delivered $0.12 4 X week X 53 weeks ~ 212 emails $6.4M Potential Lost Revenue $5.1M
- 104. InactivesAction Plan
- 106. Why Recipients Go Inactive Never fully engaged - just wanted the incentive Interests / needs have changed Content did not meet expectations Emails are being routed to junk folder You send too often for their taste You send un-personalized, irrelevant emails Long sales/purchase cycle Inability to update email address / change preferences
- 107. Determine Root Causes Are certain acquisition sources producing a higher rate of inactives? Has increased frequency numbed them? Is your email program stale and boring? Are you attracting the right audience? Are you delivering against expectations? Do you have deliverability issues?
- 108. Analyze… By list source Age on file Customer segment/profile Subscriber survey responses Creative test results Response by message type/frequency changes
- 109. Defining Inactives – Sample Parameters Email activity (opens & clicks) Time on list Purchase/Conversion activity Web site/Other channel activity Sales/Purchase cycles/Seasonality Customer value/Ideal profile
- 110. Typical Reactivation Rate: 1%-2% High Performers: 10%+
- 111. Standard Re-engagement Series - Incentives
- 112. Re-engagement Series Results • Performs poorly (not unexpected) – 5.8% Open rate – 1.8% click through rate – 1-2 orders per fiscal quarter • Non-responders are removed
- 113. Tell us what you want
- 116. SmartPak: Reactivation Metrics Metrics Reactivation Other Emails Bounces 3% - 7% 0.57% Open Rates 3% 18% Reactivated 13,000 so far AOV $111.19 $119.09 Avg Rev/Email $0.06 $0.20
- 117. Action Plan - Automate
- 118. Automate: Activate Early Inactives New subscribers who don’t open/click first XX messages/X weeks Move these early inactives into “activation” track Send survey, different offers; best of, diff subject lines, testimonials, etc.
- 119. Sample “Month 4” and “Month 7” Program Sweepstakes Unique Offer New Brands Update Preferences Broadcast emails: 3-5 per week No activity for 3 months – moved to reactivation track Month 4: 1 email per week Month 5-6: Normal 3-5/week Promote other channels Unique Offer What You Are Missing Survey Month 7: 1 email per week
- 120. Inactive Re-Engagement • Goal: Reactivate customers before they become inactive • Results: • Open Rate – 5.6% • CTR – 0.5% Email recipient does not open, click or purchase in 45 days Inactive Re-Engagement Email: Update Profile - 1.1 Opens or clicks any email or makes a purchase in 75 days Inactive Re-Engagement Email: Pays to be Smart – 1.2 Opens or clicks any email or makes a purchase in 90 days Inactive Re-Engagement Email: 10% off Order – 1.3 Exits Inactive Re- Enagagement Program
- 121. Inactive Re-Engagement Day 45: “Help Us Serve You Better” Day 75: “It Pays to be Smart” Day 90: “We Miss You! Come Back and Save 10%” Evaluate for 30 days for activity, move into once a month frequency for 6 months.
- 122. Additional Resources • Inactives Webinar – recording • Inactives Webinar - Presentation • Inactives Client Presentation (US) • Inactives Client Presentation (UK) • Inactive Subscribers:What'sYour Strategy? – blog post • Reactivating Inactives:ThreeTips to GetThem Back on Board - article • Unengaged Subscribers Are CostingYou – blog post • Re-engage Inactive Subscribers - video 122
- 124. Interested In Learning More? silverpop.com/marketing-resources www.slideshare.net/silverpop Twitter.com/silverpop Facebook.com/silverpop
Editor's Notes
- #14: CTR doubled. 3.5% to 7% Imagery shows what Mint is 5 easy-to-read bullets reinforcing value prop Header – reinforcing security Footer – mobile and social
- #17: Address platform benefits Drive users to web for additional features Increase revenue
- #21: ability to track the responder’s behavior not only to the landing page of a … but also from there through the Web site to ultimate sale, hesitation, or outright cart abandonment. This tracking is critical to testing modifications in the construction and targeting of the email that might improve results.” - IDC Worldwide Web Analytics Software Applications 2006 - 2010 Forecast and Analysis: 2005 Shares and Current Out look in the Year of Integration June, 2006 But that is exactly what we enable ourselves to do when we integrate email and analytics in the online world Segments: Thick Slices = High Impact From the information we gain - as we learn about groups within our visitor segments - we can refine and tailor the conversation with “thinner” custom slices of our population. Omniture’s Data Warehouse give you the option of any number of segment definitions for a more custom segmentation and thinner slices. Integrating email and web analytics behavior data lets you listen to what your customer is telling you through their website behavior, interact with them in a dialog of additional offers, and refine your knowledge until ultimately you and the customer determine how you can best fulfill the customer’s needs. When you send a spray and pray email, you are putting earmuffs on your concierge. But when you complete an integration, you are taking off the earmuffs, and letting the conversation flow.
- #29: 87% of consumers abandon online shopping baskets. 75% claim they would return at a later date to complete the purchase — effectively using the basket as a wish list.
- #35: Mapped out the forecasted sales & cost information
- #48: Good news – performing better than we expected. Better news: opportunity at every level of the funnel. Sends: represents 1/3 of the carts we have today. Opens: not yet optimized CTR: not yet optimized Converstion rate: not yet optimized 3 email cadence – is phase 2 – launches in June, after we get phase 1 tuned. 143 order per business day gets us over the $1m annual hurtle already. Wow. Thank you Silverpop.
- #57: Over 3,000 shopping cart abandoned emails sent, per month Segment versions between supplies versus SmartPaks cart abandonment Sent in AM to customers who abandon cart day prior
- #75: 52% Open Rate (Nearly 150% higher than broadcast average) 13.8% Click through rate (125% higher than broadcast average) 10% higher conversion rate and slightly higher average order value.
- #98: 30% Open Rate (40% Higher than Broadcast average) 7% Click through rate (18% Higher than broadcast average) 15% Higher conversion rate than overall average Surprisingly slightly lower than average order value
- #117: Campaign centric currently. Through re-engagement campaigns, we have reactivated about 13,000 names back onto our active mailing list. We reactivated about 5x more names when we targeted those who hadn’t opened in 6 months vs our current definition of open + purchase history.
- #124: Silverpop brings the expertise and experience to support your marketing needs. We are the only digital marketing technology provider that brings together email marketing, marketing automation and social sharing, including location-based marketing. Silverpop serves over 1,400 clients across a variety of industries, geographies and business sizes. We have been in marketing technology for over 12 years, this brings you a partner with the financial and operational stability to support your business, it brings you a partner with a depth of experience and with a highly scalable infrastructure. Silverpop is a global company, we have over 400 employees worldwide. Our US headquarters is in Atlanta. We also have offices in London and Frankfurt and do business in Asia Pacific through a reseller.
- #125: Also available at silverpop.com/marketing-resources is more information about future webinars, recordings from previous webinars, You can also access slides from Silverpop presentations on social media and countless other topics at slideshare.net/silverpop. You can also find us on Twitter and Facebook.