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Industry Opt-In & Welcome Data | Fashion Retail

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Industry Opt-In & Welcome Data | Fashion Retail

In 2014, EmailDirect has seen rapid growth in B2C email marketing programs. Companies are understanding the value an email marketing program can bring to the table, and they want a piece of the pie!

It’s at this point that companies ask themselves – Where to start? This question is absolutely necessary, yet the answer will vary for email marketers based on a number of items like existing client base, online presence, familiarity with best-practices, etc. While you might be ready to build a program in all aspects of these logistics, program strategy will be your next hurdle and it’s a good idea to reference other key players in your industry to learn what things you like and don’t like, by opting in for their newsletters! Chances are, your experience in their programs will reflect how their subscribers feel, and in turn how many of your own subscribers will feel once you develop your program!

Understandably, companies don’t always have the bandwidth to accommodate this type of research and development, so my objective today is to focus on the Fashion Retail industry, beginning with my initial sign-up for 22 different programs, through their initial welcome series. The 22 companies selected were chosen from a list of The Top Clothing Brands in the World and a couple of medium-sized names in the digital market place. This information is based on my personal interpretation of these programs, which would likely represent a large portion of their subscribers’ experience as well!

Opt-In Process:

Let’s begin with one simple fact: ALL companies require an email address upon sign up, so if the rest of this information is too much for your program at this time, start today with a simple email address capture!

Choosing how to collect your subscriber data might be a great place for you to start building your program strategy, because it’s the first place your subscribers will enter into your program! To collect sign-ups, does your industry generally use a pop up modal, footer sign up, full length form, or some other method? Is the opt-in process quick and easy, or thorough? Is there any industry specific data you need to collect?

In terms of collecting additional subscriber data, almost all of companies requested first and last name, but 36% also collect birth-date which delights me as an email marketer.  For one thing, it tells the email marketers the subscribers age for better targeted Campaigns.  Fashion for a 25 year old might be very different for a 45 year old!  Additionally, most subscribers aren’t thinking this far in advance yet, but collecting their birthday is an opportunity for companies to give the gift of appreciation in the form of a “Happy Birthday” email with a unique birthday coupon code! Everybody has their own special day, and it’s your chance as a company to recognize your subscriber as an individual. Far too often, email marketers miss opportunities to capture additional subscriber data that would be helpful for the personalization, and ultimately engagement, of their program!

The leading opt-in medium in the fashion retail industry was a Pop Up Modal (50%), followed by a Basic Form (31%), and then Redirect to a Full Sign Up (22%).

Welcome Stats_1

Subscription Incentive :

Incentivizing

 In this study, 41% of the companies offered some kind of incentive to encourage the subscription; 88% of which were coupon codes! Of those, the discount amounts broke down as follows:

Welcome Series Frequency:

When subscribers opt-in to your program, it’s a good idea to break the ice quickly so that your subscribers understand the significance of being a part of your exclusive online mailing list. An overwhelming 63% of these companies knew this helpful strategy and sent their initial welcome email on the first day of signing up to welcome me to their program! Most of these emails were received within minutes of signing up, and included the initial coupon incentive for the subscription. Other programs weren’t so subscriber friendly – 18% never said hi at all!Frequency

 

Welcome Subject Lines:

Have you ever broken the ice with a one-liner? That’s what you’re attempting to do with your Welcome Email subject line, and there are several different approaches. They key is to find one that works by measuring engagement! In order to test for results, you have to start somewhere – so which approach does your industry use and which do you find to be most effective? Here are the subject lines received on the initial Welcome Email from the fashion retail industry, by category:

Subject Lines by Category_

 

Engagement Strategy:

Speaking of measuring engagement, once the subscriber has opened your Welcome Campaign, what are some creative ways that you can get openers to click inside your Creative? In the Fashion Retail industry, of the 66% that contacted me on day 1, 64% of the Welcome Emails I received consisted of a banner indicating the discount amount and the unique coupon code, which was linked back to their store. Keeping your word and following through with this offer tells the subscribers they can trust you! No doubt that this encouraged clicks for the subscribers that signed up to use the code right away, but what other ways can you get non-buyers to click too? It’s important to consider this, because your click through data is vital to your sender-reputation!

Here is an example of one stand-out Creative from Threadless that begged for me to click, without selling! While ROI is the name of the game, you want your subscribers to know that you also provide content of value for those times that they are not in the buying mood.  Keep this habit up, and you’ll essentially “win” the game without even trying, by becoming a trusted name in the industry.

Engagement ultimately drives the Threadless t-shirt designs, with ratings from viewers.  This image is a .Gif which rotates the large arrow through numbers 1-5, making the creative fun and interactive. (This ties back to the subject line: Now the fun begins…)

Threadless1-5

I can be quick to glance over a “Follow” Call to Action, but the graphic here is another .Gif and the pointer hand points to the large follow button which simulates a color change from a click, drawing more attention to it. It looks almost as if I’m clicking!

Threadless_Follow

 

To show variety, instead of adding length to this Creative, they used another .Gif to rotate through several design ideas.  The .Gif are large and simple designs, that look like fun to click!

Threadless Variety.Gifs are making a comeback, but be sure to use them carefully. They can make a design look too busy if you haven’t thought it through, and some email clients like Outlook will render a .Gif as a still image! Threadless took that into consideration with an otherwise clean and sleek Creative by using full-width single column sections and graphics that still work as a still image.   They also did a great job of letting their subscribers know who they are and what to expect with this fun and interactive Creative!

Introducing your company and telling your subscribers what you’re all about, should be a significant part of your welcome series to establish rapport with your online customers. Although I’ve quantified a handful of fashion retail opt-in processes, there is still more to uncover and discuss in terms of quality content! Stay tuned for more detailed information on the types of content to include in your welcome series that are commonly found in the Fashion Retail industry!


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