To help you plan ahead, we’ve asked three team members to share the trends they expect to shape 2024.

Mike Austin, SVP of Personalization

The rise and rise of personalization

Personalized email marketing was a game changer for many businesses, who could now send out personalized marketing for pennies per recipient instead of a large cost per recipient for post.

Fast forward to 2024 and email marketing is mainstream and probably the most effective push marketing channel. Few would contemplate a modern marketing campaign without a healthy proportion being via email. Email personalization is now far more sophisticated, using many techniques including AI to compose and optimize messages.

But websites have lagged behind in the rush to personalization. The internet was born to be anonymous, but that’s changing fast. For marketers, being able to identify visitors and gain insights from their behavior is a goldmine.

So why doesn’t everyone personalize their website?

The answer is, it’s hard.

You have to collect behavior, identify visitors, then deliver personalized content at web scale and in near-real-time. Doing this yourself requires advanced dev and compute resources, and can all too easily result in a website which can only be updated by developers. Personalization platforms solve this problem, giving advanced personalization which can also be changed in an agile way.

So what’s next? Tech like personalized site search and product discovery, more push channels like SMS. Personalized images and merchandising. Even more intriguing, chat channels like WhatsApp where the personalization is not just outbound but also personalized responses to questions and comments.

One thing’s clear, we’re never going back to one-size-fits-all mass marketing.

Martina Poehler, VP Marketing

A shift in consumer trust

Social media’s reputation is shaken. Due to misinformation fuelled by AI-generated images, deep fakes, and faux human influencers, consumers will turn to established information sources this year. The importance of trusted news outlets, such as the BBC, as well as brand-owned channels, like email newsletters and corporate websites, will increase.

Social media’s image is declining across the globe: 81% of adults in the US, the UK, Spain, and Italy say that there is a lot of fake news and misinformation on social media. Brand safety concerns should also encourage eCommerce businesses to reduce or even stop marketing activities on social media platforms that fail to fight the influx of fake news.

Due to these factors, there will be a long-overdue rebound for trust in more traditional marketing channels. In our recent survey, we found that consumers’ most popular channel for receiving promotional messages is email (35%), closely followed by brand websites (32%) – with social media platforms, such as TikTok (13%) and Instagram (16%), lagging behind.

As the line between real and fake blurs further, eCommerce marketers must double down on those channels that are regarded as reliable and trusted sources by consumers – and provide the best possible customer experience on those touchpoints.

Dominic Carelse, Growth Marketing Manager

A lean towards first party and zero party data for growth

With the death of the 3rd party cookie, eCommerce and travel brands will work their existing traffic harder for long-term results.

We’ve been threatened with the cookie-apocalypse for a few years now, but finally, as of January 2024, it looks as if the phasing out will commence. So are we ready?

According to Martech, 45% of marketers are investing at least 50% of their budgets on tactics that require third-party cookies. In addition, just this year an Adobe study found that 75% of marketing and CX leaders still rely on third-party cookies.

Achieving and sustaining eCommerce growth was tough enough as it was. Now with it about to get even trickier, brands will be forced to make their owned channels work harder.

I predict that in 2024, we will see more brands focus their efforts converting subscribers and existing traffic by leveraging first- and zero-party data. Marketers will lean on gamification and data capture to learn more about their anonymous visitors so that they can personalize communications as soon as possible. At the same time, first party data, such as customer behavior, will be used to power intelligent product recommendations, replenishment messages and loyalty programs with the goal to create high spending forever customers.

The post 3 eCommerce marketing trends for 2024  appeared first on Fresh Relevance.

With a $7M price tag per 30-second ad, this marketing tactic won’t be accessible for all brands. However, there are other channels, such as email and social media, that can enable every business to get involved.

Read on to find some examples of epic Super Bowl email campaigns and why we believe they score a touchdown.

1) FFX

Not only does power tools retailer FFX use an eye-catching banner at the top of their email, they also recommend products that are on sale. This means that customers are enticed to read the email. It also builds urgency due to the sale being around the Super Bowl only, and incentivizes them to buy from the company now that prices are lower. The fact that the product recommendations are personalized to each customer helps make sure that everything in the email is relevant to them, making purchases more likely.

Source: FFX email

2) DIRECTV

Multichannel video programming distributor DIRECTV’s Super Bowl email campaign is a well-themed example, using phrases like “This offer won’t go into OT”. On top of that, they also made use of dynamic content by including a real-time countdown timer within their email. Using this tactic, they drive customers to their website with heightened urgency before the deal ends.

Source: DIRECTV email

3) West Elm

In this example, furniture brand West Elm advertises their Super Bowl sale with the eye-catching heading ‘GAME ON’, which is a great example of wordplay.

Not only that, they advertise their sale as being online as well as in their brick-in-mortar stores, allowing customers to choose to make the journey themselves, or stay home and get it delivered.

The company even included a ‘find a store’ option which leads to their website. When customers land on the website, it makes use of geotargeting tools to allow customers to conveniently see which store is closest to them. This makes the buying process simpler and fosters a good customer experience that keeps shoppers coming back.

Source: West Elm email

4) Garrett Wade

Hand tools retailer Garrett Wade uses another outstanding banner, but that’s not the only thing they do. If you click on the link in the banner, you are taken to a special Super (Bowl) offer. This is an example of gamification; it turns the email into a game. Customers may be intrigued by the undefined offer, and are more likely to click the link to cure their FOMO (fear of missing out), incentivizing them to make a purchase.

Source: Garrett Wade email

5) Gurhan

Jewelry brand Gurhan also uses language related to the Super Bowl. This includes phrases such as “Score a touchdown with Super Bowl worthy rings.”

The company also has a loyalty scheme in place, and during the day of the Super Bowl, they advertise that if customers “shop today” they will “SCORE triple the loyalty points!” This increases the urgency within their customers to spend money that day, stopping them from overthinking the purchase and shortening their decision time.

Source: Gurhan email

Final thoughts

Intrigued by all the possibilities, and wanting to score a touchdown on all your email campaigns? Take a look at our checklist for more ways to win customers over with your email marketing: 5 essential tactics to maximize your email performance.

Disclaimer

This blog post is for informational purposes only. Fresh Relevance is not claiming to provide its services to the companies and brand owners referred to in the blog post.

The post 5 epic Super Bowl marketing email examples appeared first on Fresh Relevance.

95% of US consumers are planning to make New Years Eve related purchases at the end of 2023. 35% of these shoppers have budgeted between $50 and $100, and 29% more than $100.

Looking at these statistics, it’s clear that consumers will be looking for advice to help them get ready for the last event in 2023 and have a strong start in 2024. Here are 10 examples of New Year’s marketing emails to provide you with inspiration, along with why we find them effective.

Tip: click on the images to see full creatives.

10 examples of New Year’s marketing emails to provide you with inspiration

1) Hargrove Cycles

In the example below, Hargrove Cycles lets customers know their opening hours for their stores during the festive season – including whether they’re open on New Years Day. This mitigates possible disappointment from customers who didn’t check their website for this information in advance. 

They also show in their email that they have four brick-and-mortar stores in the UK. To take this further, you could make use of customers’ geolocation to automatically show your closest store to their current location.

Source: Hargroves Cycles email

2) Karen Millen

Karen Millen highlights that it’s the last chance for customers to buy to receive their purchase before New Year’s Eve. This helps customers see out the old year and welcome the new year in style, and encourages them to act quickly.

Source: Karen Millen email

3) Lawn Fawn

In this example, Lawn Fawn promotes their own products specifically for the New Year’s Eve celebrations. There is a tutorial included in the email on how to use the limited edition supplies to create a special card for the event, creating a fun activity for customers. 

Source: Lawn Fawn email

4) Patisserie Valerie

New Year’s Eve is famous for its countdown – so why not use that as a tactic in your emails, like in Patisserie Valerie’s email below? By including a dynamic countdown timer counting down to the end of your final sale of the year, you can increase urgency. This can speed up purchase decisions.

Source: Patisserie Valerie email

5) Crate&Kids

In the email below, Crate&Kids include a special discount at the bottom for customers who sign up to SMS notifications. SMS have a 98% read rate, and can be a great channel for your marketing content. By using a 10% discount, Crate&Kids are showing their customers their gratitude for providing their consent to contact them on this new channel. 

Source: Crate&Kids email

6) Aldi

Product recommendations have always been around, whether it was in-store clerks recommending certain products to their customers, or digital personalized recommendations in emails, the eCommerce store and more. 

In the example below, Aldi gives several product recommendations within their email. These include New Year’s Eve-related products, as well as personalized product recommendations, based on customer behavior.

Source: Aldi email

7) Clifton Cameras

Not only does Clifton Cameras use bright fireworks in their email header to capture the customers’ attention, they also show their loyalty program that customers can become part of.

Loyalty programs allow companies to build a relationship with their customers. In exchange for access to limited edition items, collecting points for discounts, and other rewards, customers’ average order value (AOV) tends to go up. Companies can also gain more information about their customers’ wants and needs and use that data to personalize the customer experience.

Source: Clifton Cameras email

8) Universal Works

In the example below, Universal Works include User-Generated Content (UGC) at the end of their email. This is a type of social proof which works because shoppers can see how products look in real life. It also builds trust as potential customers can see existing customers enjoying your products or services.

Source: Universal Works email

9) Coast

By the end of the holiday season, customers might have to tighten the purse strings. Coast understands this, and gives their customers the option to choose a payment plan such as Klarna.

Source: Coast email

10) Disney

More than 80 million Americans are planning to travel for New Year’s Eve. Disney knows this, and invites existing customers to spend New Year’s Eve in their resorts.

They also use gamification to entice their customers to not only give them valuable data, but also to make that booking. The company does this by asking their customers whether they are more of an adventurer, dreamer, or explorer, and giving them recommendations based on their preferences. 

Source: Disney email

Final thoughts

We wish you a happy and successful new year, and hope you meet all of your professional and personal goals in 2024! 

If you want any more inspiration going into the new year, check out our ultimate eCommerce marketing calendar 2024.

Disclaimer:

This blog post is for informational purposes only. Fresh Relevance is not claiming to provide its services to the companies and brand owners referred to in the blog post.

The post 10 Happy New Year’s Eve emails to brighten up your 2024 appeared first on Fresh Relevance.

2024 events and holidays

A quick win for keeping your content relevant is to leverage existing events and holidays.

It’s well known that Black Friday and Christmas drive an increase in sales, but the whole year is full of opportunities for holiday marketing.

Picture this: you ride the January sales, help them pick the perfect gift for Valentine’s Day, have a laugh for April Fool’s Day, and continue to put a fresh spin on your products each week, never needing to resign yourself to a quiet season.

Leveraging International Dog & Cat Day, World Chocolate Day, International Women’s Day, etc and keeping your products and services at the front of customers’ minds is a quick, easy win. And we’ve done the hard work for you…

Introducing The Ultimate eCommerce Marketing Calendar 2024

Our holiday marketing calendar is your one stop shop for practical web, email and social media ideas to help you stay relevant and boost online sales. From fun days to heart-warming ideas, there’s enough in there to last you the whole year.

The calendar is structured around 80+ different national and international days and events. It contains 250+ marketing examples from top brands in a variety of industries, covering each of the standout days in the calendar.

We’ve included a monthly spotlight on important days, along with best practices. There are also a variety of practical web, email and social ideas to help you boost loyalty and engagement and ultimately increase your eCommerce revenue.

Using this guide, you’ll be able to plan ahead and front-load 2024 with fun and engaging ideas for your eCommerce marketing campaigns.

The post Keep content fresh with The Ultimate eCommerce Marketing Calendar 2024 appeared first on Fresh Relevance.

1) Add data capture popovers to your site

It’s likely that your business will see an increase in web traffic over the peak season, with discounts and deals enticing new and returning shoppers. Make the most of this opportunity by implementing data capture popovers on your site to give your database a boost and help you personalize subsequent interactions new visitors have with your brand beyond peak season.

LSE Retail used a Black Friday data capture popover on their Iconic Lights site, enticing new visitors to sign up by offering 10% off their first order.

Source: LSE Retail website

This tactic has proven successful for LSE Retail. The company saw new customer sign ups increase by 75% over the two months they displayed the seasonal popover.

2) Use AI to test and optimize

The increase of web traffic around peak season makes it an ideal time to gain consumer insights quickly, which you can then use to make sure your website is optimized for your slower periods too.

You might be hesitant to implement any tests on your website during this busy time, but it’s a golden opportunity to gain insights and optimize quickly. AI-driven optimization is a great method to use during short-lived campaigns such as peak season promotions, since it produces fast results. Fresh Relevance’s Auto Optimize feature is designed to let you optimize for different goals, such as revenue, identification, site visits and AOV. The tool automatically deploys the most successful version of your test towards the goals you set, meaning you can be sure you’re displaying the most effective content during peak season. You can then use these insights to optimize your website and email marketing after the festive period has ended.

3) Send back in stock emails

Stock issues are part and parcel of the peak season experience for retailers. But once January hits and those stocks get replenished, you’ll want to be firing back in stock emails to anyone who browsed an out of stock product during the festive period. Sending triggered back in stock emails is the best option, because it means you can target anyone in your database who has browsed an out of stock product rather than only those shoppers who have clicked the ’email me when back in stock’ button.

Get these triggers set up now to ensure they’re ready to send out once products come back in stock in the new year.

Wex Photo Video triggers back in stock emails that include a clear header along with a prominent image of the product the recipient previously browsed. The star ratings provide that added trust factor and the copy helps to boost urgency by reminding the shopper that the product might run out again soon.

Source: Wex Photo Video email

4) Avoid price drop emails

No one wants to see that a product they bought at full price during the festive season is now on sale only a couple of weeks later. You can avoid annoying your customers this way by ensuring your price drop segment doesn’t include customers who have purchased that particular product or by suspending your price drop email triggers entirely in January. This will ensure shoppers won’t receive any unwanted alerts.

Post-peak season doesn’t have to mean resigning yourself to paltry sales. Implement the tactics highlighted here to help keep the momentum going throughout January and beyond. Firstly, get data capture popovers set up now if you haven’t already to make the most of all the extra peak season traffic to your website and ensure you can personalize the customer experience for those new shoppers in the new year. Secondly, take advantage of the extra traffic to implement quick tests and optimize your website and emails during slower periods. Thirdly, get back in stock triggered emails in place now so that they can be firing all throughout January to give your sales a boost when stock gets replenished. And lastly, suspend any price drop triggered emails you have during the beginning of the new year to avoid annoying customers who have paid full price for products during peak season.

Disclaimer
This blog post is for informational purposes only. Fresh Relevance is not claiming to provide its services to the companies and brand owners referred to in the blog post.

The post 4 tips to help eCommerce businesses beat the post-peak lull appeared first on Fresh Relevance.

In the ever-evolving landscape of digital interactions, providing tailored solutions to our clients has always been at the core of our mission. We understand that no two clients are alike, and their needs can vary significantly. One customization that we’ve recently introduced is the App Output functionality. It’s designed to offer even more flexibility for content delivery.

When clients make requests to our system for content, their preferences for the format in which they receive it can differ significantly. While some clients prefer to receive the HTML format and render it directly on their website, many modern apps do not use HTML.

To bridge this gap and cater to the diverse needs of our clients, we’ve developed the App Output functionality. This feature empowers our clients to define the precise format in which they want their content delivered and specify the information they require.

For instance, consider a scenario involving our Product Recommendation SmartBlock. Clients with apps often already have their product data stored within their system and have a clear vision of how they want to present it to their users. In such cases, clients only want specific details, such as Product IDs and essential product information. With this data, rendering content on the client’s website aligns perfectly with their app requirements.

Another use case for the App Output functionality lies in the slot tree output. When clients need to make real-time decisions about what content to display to their customers or what type of customer they’re dealing with, our platform offers a solution.

By guiding clients through the slot tree and providing a set value at the end, associated with the SmartBlock, we enable the app to make informed decisions and take appropriate actions based on the information provided.

Our new App Output feature lets you define data fields that can be sent via API with, or instead of, the SmartBlock HTML. App Output data can include:

• Hardcoded data fields (App Fields) — you can now associate a string with the outcome of a slot rule tree, such as if a person has recently purchased, you could add ‘purchased’ to a SmartBlock App Field.
• Product data (Product Field Mapping) — you can select the price of a product that is being recommended to the visitor and send it to the app via the API.
• Person or SmartBlock data (App Output Field Mapping) — for example, you can select the person’s name to use in the content and send it to the app via the API.

How to use the App Output feature in SmartBlocks

1. Decide which content and format you’d like to output from the block.
2. Open your SmartBlock and select the App Output tab.
3. Create any app fields you’d like to make available and save.
4. Select either App Output Field Mappings or Product Field Mappings (you may need to repeat if you need both).
5. Setup your field mappings.
6. Return to your SmartBlock and select your newly created mapping from the dropdown menu on the App Output tab.

Preview features to note

The HTML output of the SmartBlock will show in the preview by default. If you don’t want to see it, simply turn it off by clicking the “Enable HTML” button that is located at the bottom of the App Output tab.

Just as we did with the SmartBlock editor, we’ve added a helpful preview screen that allows you to see the code being passed over for each SmartBlock and the output of any App Fields or Mappings. Changes will update automatically.

Final thoughts

If you’re already a client of ours and want to see these new features in action? Join our weekly live Fresh Focus training sessions.

If you’re not a customer yet and you’d like to learn more, book a demo to find out how Fresh Relevance can help you achieve your business goals.

The post Introducing Fresh Relevance’s new App Output feature appeared first on Fresh Relevance.

So to stand out from the crowd and capture shoppers’ attention during the holiday season, retailers and brands should ensure their marketing emails are timely, engaging and helpful (not to mention full of festive cheer). Well thought out Christmas email campaigns have the potential to drive sales and boost loyalty, so email marketers – it’s time to shine.

Read on for some of our favorite Christmas email marketing ideas, along with inspiring examples that landed in our inbox.

Tip: click on the images to see the full email examples.

1. Dynamic hero banner

Fill your shoppers with holiday cheer as soon as they open your email with a Christmas-themed hero banner, and delight them further by adding personalization.

Animed used a dynamic hero banner for their Christmas campaign, pulling in the name of the customer’s pet to make the email extra memorable and attention grabbing.

Source: Animed Direct email

2. Dynamic pricing

Holiday sales and discounts mean prices are often more fluid than normal during the Christmas season. So it’s important to deliver the most up-to-date pricing to your shoppers to avoid frustration and lost sales.

FFX uses dynamic pricing in their Christmas email marketing, serving customers live pricing at the time of opening the email.

Source: FFX email

3. Countdown timers

Countdown timers are a great way to create urgency and build excitement around holiday sales, and they’re proven to increase voucher redemption by up to 15%.

Buyagift includes a countdown timer in their Christmas email campaigns to highlight their one day Christmas sale.

Source: Buyagift email

Take your engagement to the next level by adding an animated countdown timer as a GIF generated at the point of open. That way, customers can see the seconds, minutes and hours pass by and have an accurate idea of how much time is left to do their holiday shopping.

4. Product recommendations

When it comes to Christmas shopping, the choice paralysis is real. With so many options and so little time, shoppers can be left feeling unsure about their festive purchases and drained of Christmas spirit.

That’s where product recommendations come in. By including personalized recommendations in your Christmas email marketing, you’ll save your shoppers time and help them pick out the perfect gifts to put under the tree.

Not all shoppers have the same spending power, and shoppers might be less inclined to click through to your website if they see products outside of their price range. By adding clear price ranges to their holiday email campaign, Karen Millen gives their shoppers options that suit their budget.

Source: Karen Millen email

This tactic is effective when used on your website too. For returning customers, use behavioral data to suggest products within the shopper’s most browsed and purchased price range. For new visitors, use a tool such as our Price Affinity Predictor to recommend products in the price level most likely to convert that individual shopper.

5. Popularity messaging

Popularity messaging is when retailers use real-time purchase and browse data to display how many other shoppers have recently viewed, carted or purchased a particular product. This tactic simultaneously increases urgency and makes products seem more desirable, making it a perfect tactic for your Christmas marketing. It’s an effective way to help shoppers narrow down their options and highlight products that have resonated with other people.

Source: The Entertainer email

6. Ratings and reviews

Customer reviews ease purchase anxiety and boost conversions. In fact, 1 in 2 consumers will extensively research and compare options before whipping out their credit cards and over half of consumers look for star ratings when making a purchase. So make you stand out amidst a sea of Christmas campaigns by including ratings and reviews in your marketing emails.

Home Leisure Direct showcases glowing ratings and reviews under the heading ‘why choose us?’ in their email below.

Source: Home Leisure Direct email

7. Showcase your customers

In marketing, authenticity goes a long way. Using real people in your campaigns builds trust, resonates with shoppers and reduces return rates.

Killstar adds user generated content to their Christmas marketing emails, utilizing their loyal customers to show shoppers what their products look like in real life to show shoppers what their products look like in real life. One in three shoppers prefer to see a product as it is worn or used by real people as opposed to professional product images, so it pays to use this social proof tactic.

Source: Killstar email

8. Social call to action

When Christmas Day comes around, customers aren’t necessarily in the mood for shopping. So why not provide alternative ways to interact with your business?

Email is a powerful tool to provide inspiration and turn customers into brand advocates.

This message from Karen Millen invites customers to share their festive snaps of the brand’s clothing. This not only helps generate social proof content, but also encourages shoppers to follow the company on Instagram.

Source: Karen Millen email

9. Gift guides

When it comes to buying an extra special Christmas gift such as jewelry, the pressure is real. Shoppers want to make sure their gift is going to delight the lucky recipient, especially if they’re parting with a sum of money at the higher end of their budget. That’s why sharing gift buying guides can be a helpful and welcome gesture that could make the difference between a customer purchasing their present from you or a competitor.

Source: The Diamond Store email

10. Fulfillment options

When asked about their festive shopping top priorities, 41% of consumers said free shipping was the most important factor for them, while 35% said fast delivery and 24% said clear and simple returns policies. So if you have attractive fulfilment options that will help your customers have a merry Christmas, make sure you shout them from the rooftop in your marketing emails.

Homebase makes their click and collect options clear in their marketing emails, so their customers know exactly how to take advantage of this alternative to home delivery.

Source: Homebase email

Marketers can take the idea a step further by using geotargeting to insert the customer’s nearest click and collect location into the email. This contextual information makes life easier for shoppers and might be the helpful nudge they need to make a purchase.

11. Limited editions

A festive time means time for festive products, and Blarney Woollen Mills knows this. In the email below, they advertise their limited edition Christmas blankets, enticing customers to buy before they’re gone.

The retailer could speed up decision making by including social proof tactics, such as displaying which blankets are low in stock and/or how many shoppers are browsing and buying them.

12. Encourage customer loyalty

In the email below, SpaceNK includes information about their loyalty scheme, which reminds customers that gift purchases will earn them points and perks as part of the loyalty program.

By joining up your loyalty platform with your personalization platform, you can harness loyalty points and tiers to customize the cross-channel experience for each customer. For example, you could build segments based on loyalty tier to create a sense of exclusivity with your gold tier customers by showing them exclusive coupons or promotions within email and on the website.

Keep email and web content fresh all year round

Looking for more marketing inspiration beyond the holiday season? Look no further than The Ultimate eCommerce Marketing Calendar.

Structured around 80 different days and events, the calendar contains 250+ marketing examples from top brands. You’ll also find a monthly spotlight on important days and best practices. Plus, a variety of practical web, email and social ideas to increase eCommerce revenue all year round.

Disclaimer
This blog post is for informational purposes only. Fresh Relevance is not claiming to provide its services to the companies and brand owners referred to in the blog post.

The post 12 Christmas email examples that made us merry appeared first on Fresh Relevance.

In this blog post, we will be taking a look at noteworthy Thanksgiving email marketing campaigns, and we’ll delve into why they work well.

Ready to be inspired for your next Thanksgiving campaign? Let’s get started.

Tip: click on the images to view full creatives.

1) Lovesac shares their gratitude

It’s always nice to feel appreciated. In this simple note from the CEO and co-founder, furniture store Lovesac expresses gratitude to their most loyal customers and wishes them a happy Thanksgiving day.

Source: Lovesac email

2) Laura Canada makes use of personalized product recommendations

In the Thanksgiving email example below, womenswear retailer Laura Canada includes personalized product recommendations in the section “We think you’ll also love”. This helpful content will aid customers in their Thanksgiving prep and help them avoid feeling overwhelmed by focusing in on what they need and want based on previous purchase and browse behavior.

Source: Laura email

3) Bed Bath & Beyond gives the gift of discounts

What better way to thank your loyal customers and wish them a Happy Thanksgiving than to give them a discount? Bed Bath & Beyond decided to take it to the next level by including multiple coupons in their Thanksgiving email below.

Source: Bed Bath & Beyond email

When using a discount code or coupon code in your email marketing campaign, whether it’s a Thanksgiving email or not, remember to make sure that the link in your emails takes the customer straight to the offer’s page.

Also, make sure you are only using coupons if that isn’t going to harm your financial margins, or harm your brand image. You can segment customers into bargain hunters versus high-value customers, and send coupons only to those who usually only buy when there’s a discount to be had – and not to those high-value customers, where it might cheapen your brand and affect your bottomline.

4) Fracture offers a Thanksgiving prize draw

Online photo printing company Fracture uses a gamification strategy, in which loyal customers can win a prize if they are opted in to their email marketing. This works as new customers are likely to subscribe for a chance to win a Thanksgiving gift or maybe a different prize in future email campaigns.

Source: Fracture email

5) Rover helps customers find local pet sitters

Maybe you’re traveling back to your parents’ home and they’re allergic to your pet. Or maybe it’s too far to travel for your furry friend. Either way, Rover knows you may need a sitter to look after your beloved pet.

They include a link to ‘search local sitters’ in their Thanksgiving emails, leading customers to their website that makes use of geotargeting. When customers search for pet sitters on their website, it automatically shows the nearest pet sitters based on the user’s geolocation.

Source: Rover email

Geotargeting also works well to drive footfall to the customer’s closest brick-and-mortar store, if you are a multi-channel retailer or travel agent. Or to recommend holidays that depart from the customer’s nearest airport. The options are endless, so we encourage you to be creative!

6) Card Factory eases purchase anxiety

Card Factory has lots of holiday season cards, and in this email they highlight their Thanksgiving day cards range. Crucially, they also include their high Feefo service and product rating at the bottom, so customers feel reassured that Card Factory is a trustworthy company to buy from.

Source: Card Factory email

7) Crate&Barrel spotlights their customers

In the Thanksgiving email below, furniture store Crate&Barrel makes use of user-generated content (UGC) by including a feed of images that were taken and posted by their customers on Instagram. Similarly to the customer ratings example above, this creates trust for new customers with the company, and shows gratitude to loyal customers.

They also include an opt-in option for SMS messaging, and include a 10% off incentive, allowing them to grow their database with highly engaged subscribers.

Finally, Crate&Barrel also make use of personalized product recommendations, showing shoppers products that are ‘loved by shoppers like you’. This technique works because customers are more likely to follow the wisdom of the crowd, and will therefore be more likely to convert.

Source: Crate&Barrel email

8) Framebridge helps customers get ready on time

In this email, Framebridge entices customers to buy their custom frames with this welcome email. They also let customers know the cut-off date should they need the products by Thanksgiving.

Source: Framebridge email

To increase urgency, you could add a dynamic countdown timer, counting down to the order cut-off date, to encourage shoppers to take action now.

Looking for even more inspiration?

You can find more Thanksgiving email marketing  inspiration on our Pinterest board and for more peak season personalization tips, download our eBook: The eCommerce guide to peak season personalization. 

Want to make sure customers keep coming back to you, even after peak season? Why not download our Ultimate Guide to Customer Loyalty.

Disclaimer

This blog post is for informational purposes only. Fresh Relevance is not claiming to provide its services to the companies and brand owners referred to in the blog post.

The post 8 Thanksgiving email marketing campaigns we appreciate appeared first on Fresh Relevance.

For all email marketers, this is your opportunity to participate in the world’s biggest shopping event – with sales estimated at $157 billion in 2022. In this blog post, we’ll explain what Singles Day is and give some inspiring email examples to get you started on your next Singles Day email marketing campaign.

What is Singles Day?

Singles Day, also known as Bachelor’s Day, is a day for singles to celebrate themselves. It was first popularized in China, then South East Asia, and now companies all over the world leverage the event for dedicated promotions. It is generally celebrated on the 11th of November. This year, it will fall on a Saturday.

Below are 7 examples of Singles Day email campaigns that we love – and why. Quick tip: click on the images to see the full email examples.

1) Calvin Klein drives urgency with a countdown timer

In this example, Calvin Klein makes use of a dynamic countdown timer in their email. This timer counts down to the end of their Single Day sale, driving urgency within customers to treat themselves at a discounted price.

Source: Calvin Klein email

2) Vans greets customers with a dynamic banner

Research has shown that you have 50 milliseconds to grab a customer’s attention before they click away from your website. With how crowded our inboxes are nowadays, there’s no doubt that time is similarly short within email marketing.

This is why dynamic banners are effective; a good banner grabs the customer’s attention and keeps them reading on. Vans does this well in the example below, with their animated, eye-catching banner.

Source: Vans email

3) Ann Summers showcases their products’ popularity

Ann Summers uses popularity messaging to show how many people are currently buying a product. This technique gives the same effect as people crowding around a product in a brick-and-mortar store; it creates intrigue and urgency. This means the customer viewing this email is more likely to follow the crowd and also buy the popular products.

Source: Ann Summers email

4) Living Royal eases purchase anxiety with user-generated content

Following on from the previous example, this is another social proof tactic. When buying from an online store, customers aren’t able to try products before they buy, and may therefore be hesitant to spend money on something when they don’t know if it’s trustworthy.

This is where UGC comes in.

UGC, or user generated content, is content created by customers such as photos with a company’s product. Considering 1 in 3 shoppers prefer to see a product as it is worn or used by real people as opposed to professional product images, this tactic has proven to be very effective.

Living Royal makes use of UGC by displaying Instagram photos from their customers at the end of their Singles Day email.

Source: Living Royal email

5) EMP makes use of relevant product recommendations

Product recommendations have always been a popular marketing tactic – even before eCommerce stores existed, with store clerks talking to their customers one-to-one to help recommend products the customer might like. 

Now it’s possible to personalize product recommendations online, too, with sophisticated machine learning technology. And that’s a good thing, as it really helps boost revenue. One eCommerce business saw a 24% sales uplift with the inclusion of personalized product recommendations in their email marketing. 

EMP knows this, and makes use of these tailored product recommendations in their Singles Day email.

Source: EMP email

6) Hunkemöller encourages loyalty with their membership competition

Not only does Hunkemöller make use of a loyalty program and advertise it in their Singles Day email, but they also make use of gamification. They ran a competition where the 5th million customer to sign up to their membership program won £1500 worth of their products. This encourages customers to become members and helps incentivize data capture, as well as keep customers loyal.

Source: Hunkemöller email

7)  ASOS treats customers with a discount

In this example, ASOS allows customers to treat themselves with a 20% off discount code – as long as they buy their products on Singles Day. This incentivizes customers to buy from them, and speeds up purchase decisions.

Source: ASOS email

It is always important to make sure that when you use a coupon, it links back to the website seamlessly. It should also be clear whether the coupon code is still valid, as 32% of customers get frustrated when they click through and it no longer works.

Find more inspiration on our Singles Day email Pinterest board.

Want to know how Fresh Relevance can help your email marketing? Request a demo with us today.

Disclaimer

This blog post is for informational purposes only. Fresh Relevance is not claiming to provide its services to the companies and brand owners referred to in the blog post.

The post 7 Singles Day email examples that make us want to treat ourselves appeared first on Fresh Relevance.

Here’s a roundup of the Q2 2023 platform enhancements we designed in response to suggestions from our client base.

1) Add GIF banners to your emails

New feature announcement!

Challenge: Emails are becoming more and more interactive, with animated banner imagery becoming commonplace.

Solution: We’ve added GIF functionality to our Banner SmartBlocks. You can simply upload your GIF and deploy as normal.

So what: To improve your email engagement, consider showing relevant GIF imagery to individuals based on their behavioral preferences.

2) Enhanced social proof messaging

Challenge: By default, our social proof messaging would show user counts in the messaging text, such as ‘29 browsing now’.

Solution: We’ve built the functionality to allow you to turn off that number being displayed and customize the messaging, opening you up to a world of possibility!

So what: Simply define your timeframe, and how many times a product must be purchased to be classified a ‘Best Seller’. Or perhaps use the browse data to show ‘Hot Right Now’ messaging? You can add any messaging you want – the sky’s the limit.

3) Snazzy reporting suite

What’s new: Addition of new metrics ‘revenue per user’, ‘revenue per session’, preview of SmartBlock in reporting.

As a part of our ongoing user interface (UI) overhaul, you might have noticed some snazzy changes in our reporting suite!

The suite pulls all of your Fresh Relevance reporting into one place, giving you access to more data and more ways to report on your content’s performance.

We’ve even added more metrics into the system, most recently including revenue per user and revenue per session.

Take a look at our introductory video for a quick overview.

4) Site Editor

Challenge: Our Site Editor was great for its time, but was beginning to show its age.

Solution: We’ve listened to our clients and built a new Site Editor, which allows you to add content to your website without needing developer input, using a new, intuitive tool with a modern UI.

So what: Keeping your website up-to-date and engaging has never been easier. New features include enhanced device preview, selective publishing tools and a wealth of experience optimization tools.

5) LoyaltyLion

New integration announcement!

Challenge: Loyalty schemes are an essential part of the customer experience, nurturing the relationship between brands and their customers. They can be even more powerful when leveraged in personalized web and email content. Yet, whilst we’ve had custom solutions to importing loyalty data, customers have been limited to clunky import processes.

Solution: We have built a real-time sync for Loyalty Lion customers.

So what: Personalize content, such as banners and product recommendations, build customer segments and even alter the whole website experience based on the customer’s points balance or scheme tier.

Not a Loyalty Lion customer? Reach out to us to speak through the possible solutions available to you.

Final thoughts

Want to see these new features in action and already a customer? Join our weekly live Fresh Focus training sessions. If you’re not a customer yet and you’d like to learn more, book a demo to find out how Fresh Relevance could help you achieve your business goals.

The post Q2 2023 platform enhancements roundup appeared first on Fresh Relevance.