This document summarizes an analysis of email marketing practices by top online retailers. Some key findings include: - 47% of retailers hide the opt-in at the bottom of websites while 36% highlight it at the top. Only 17% of top retailers use cart abandonment emails despite high abandonment rates. - Welcoming emails are important but 32% do not send them. Those that do often use a series to onboard new subscribers. - Over 75% include social sharing links in emails and most promote likes and follows on social media. - While only a third offer preferences at opt-out, providing alternatives has been shown to reduce unsubscribes by 20-30% for some retailers.

1. Email Marketing Practices of the Top
Online Retailers
June 15, 2011
@LorenMcDonald
@Silverpop

2. Silverpop Analyzed Email Programs of …
+ 130
more
retailers that
did not make
the Top 500
ranking

3. How does your company stack up
against other Top Retailers?

4. Opt-in
Processes
Opt-out Welcome
Alternatives Emails
Study Aspects
Looked at Today
Social Sharing Cart
Links Abandonment

5. So let’s dive in…

6. 1. Opt-in Process

7. 47% hide opt-in at the bottom

8. 36% highlight opt-in at the top

9. 18% go for mid-page opt-in

10. Majority Feature Opt-in Prominently
Throughout Website
100
90
92%
80
84%
70
60
50
Yes
40
No
30
20
10
16%
0
8%
Top 500 Remaining Retailers

11. 1/3 of Retailers Offering Options at Opt-in
35
33% 33%
30
28%
25
23%
20 21%
Top 500
15
14% Remaining
10 Retailers
5
0
2008 2009 2010

12. Types of Preferences Offered by
Companies Who Gave Subscribers Options
Frequency Preferences 33%
Channel Preferences 35% All Retailers
Shopping Preferences 56%
0 10 20 30 40 50 60

13. Tips

14. 2-Step Process

17. SMS Text to Email Opt-in
Point
Ads Of Billboards
Purchase

18. 2. Use of Welcome Emails

19. Welcome emails may be the most important
email your company sends.

20. But 32%
of you are sending this...
Zippo.
Not much of a welcome, is it?

21. Tips

22. Single Email Welcome Email Series

23. Tafford #1
Welcome to the Tafford
Community

24. Tafford #2
Three Reasons You Will Love
Tafford + A Special Offer

25. Tafford #3
Personalize Your Tafford
Experience

26. Sample Welcome Series Indexed Results…

27. The Future
“Welcome” programs evolve
into “Onboarding”

28. 3. Use of Cart Abandonment Emails

29. 60% - 70% of Shopping Carts are Abandoned

30. “How much money are YOU leaving on the table?”

31. 17%
(only)
Of Top 500
deploy cart recovery email
programs

32. # of Emails in Cart Aband. Campaigns
4% 76% use
a single
20% email
1 Email
2 Emails
3 Emails
76%

33. 1/2 Offer Incentives in
Cart Recovery Emails
51% Yes
49%
No

34. Sample Results: CAR vs Promotional
Emails
Abandoned All
Cart Emails Promotional Comparison
Emails
Open Rate 37% 8% 4.6x
Click-through 41% 14% 2.9x
rate
Conversion 20% 5% 4.0x
rate
Sales/email $7.46 $.08 97x

35. 0.3% Volume but 18.6% of Email Revenue
Relative Volume Relative Sales
Abandon Abandon
Cart Emails Cart Emails
0.3% 18.6%
Promotional Promotional
Emails Emails
99.7% 81.4%

36. 4. Social Links

37. Transition: Share>Find>Follow>Like

38. 78% Including Social Links in Emails
90
80
78%
70
60
60%
50 54%
Top 500
40 43%
30
Remaining
20 Retailers
10
0
2009 2010

39. More Than 2/3 Include Like/Follow
18% 11%
Social Sharing
Only
Like/Follow Only
71% Both

40. Promote Likes/Follows

41. Make It Shareworthy

42. 5. Opt-out Alternatives

43. 2/3 Offer Some Variation of this
UGH!

44. 1/3 Offer Preferences at Opt-out
45
40
40%
35
34%
30
31%
25
23% 24%
20 22% Top 500
15
Remaining
10 Retailers
5
0
2008 2009 2010

45. So What are the Alternatives?
Frequency
Other Format
Emails
Alternatives
Change
Channel Email
Profile/
Preferences

46. Promote Alternatives In the Email
Often 20-30% of subscribers presented
with alternatives to unsubscribing stay!

48. Optimize Opt-in
Processes
Turn Welcome
Provide Opt-out
Into
Alternatives “Onboarding”
Takeaways
Cart
Use Email to
Promote Social Abandonment
Just Do It!

49. Q & A / Contact Info
• Loren McDonald
• lmcdonald@silverpop.com
• Twitter: @LorenMcDonald
Stop by Booth # 608 for study report
www.silverpop.com
Twitter: @Silverpop
www.slideshare.net/silverpop