AM Inbox: Let the Christmas countdown begin!

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RetailEmail.Blogspot monitors the email marketing campaigns of more than 100 of the top online retailers. Here are highlights from our inbox this morning:

JCPenney, 11/1 — Save 20-60% + FREE Shipping
JCPenney is first out of the gate with their Christmas countdown—which actually wisely counts down to the last day for guaranteed Christmas delivery with standard shipping. I grabbed a screenshot of this email this morning to highlight how JCPenney is updating the source image in the email (but keeping the image URL the same) so that the date and countdown are correct regardless of what day the email is actually viewed. They had a holiday countdown in their emails last year as well. (Explore tag: Countdowns.)



Home Depot, 11/1 — Get Your Holidays Started at The Home Depot
Just like Eddie Bauer did in their recent email redesign (see Oct. 30 AM Inbox), Home Depot has added some seasonal flair to their emails, including the addition of a “Holiday” tab rendered in a script font.

Here’s the new header…


…and here’s the old one:


Neiman Marcus, 11/1 — Where will you go first in your new Stella McCartney resort looks?
Through their NM Insite blog, Neiman Marcus is having a holiday memories contest. This is pretty similar to what Ralph Lauren did back in May when it solicited stories, pictures and videos about “any memories or experiences you have related to the world of Polo Ralph Lauren” as part of their 40th anniversary celebration (see May 25 AM Inbox).



Eddie Bauer, 11/1 — Eddie Bauer's CEO tackles Mt. Rainier.
“We do the same kinds of things that you do (and we do them wearing these great products that we sell).” That’s the message behind this email from Eddie Bauer, which talks about how Neal Fiske climbed Mount Rainer and links to the full story. That story includes a prominent link to the apparel and equipment that Fiske used on the trip. I really like emails like this. They shake things up by looking different and pitching products in a very different way.



Buy.com, 11/1 — Philips Bluetooth Headset = $10.99, HP Computer w/ 2MB & 2GHz, MP3 Player w/ FM Tuner = $23.99,..
This is one of three kinds of emails that Buy.com sends—it’s their Weekly Deals email. As you can see, it’s text-only and really long. I’m not a fan of text-only retail emails, as shopping is such a visual activity, so I rarely talk about these emails. But ignoring that for a minute, the thing I really dislike about these emails is that they make me do all the work. To see all the deals I have to scroll through the entire email. Ugh! A little help please! How about adding a table of contents to help subscribers quickly get a sense of what’s in this email? It could look a little something like this:

Reviews:ViewSonic VX 2435 Monitor, Iomega Storcenter, Cannon PowerShot SD750, “The Graduate” DVD
Top Sellers: Microsoft Zune 30G, SanDisk Sansa 512MB
More Deals: Philips VOX130, HP Pavilion s3127c Slimline Computer,…

Whether the product names were linked or not, it would be really helpful in allowing subscribers to see if there’s anything in the newsletter of interest to them. Adding a TOC would also highlight the reviews and top sellers, which are all just mixed in with all the other deals and kind of lost.





SUBJECTIVITY SCANNER:
Wal-Mart, 11/1 — Bring Home the Holidays & See Our Secret In-Store Specials
Finish Line, 11/1 — FREE SHIPPING*--Start Your Holiday Shopping Today!
KB Toys, 11/1 — Shop Now - Season Kickoff Sale on 1000+ Toys
Hallmark, 11/1 — Holiday Savings This Weekend Only
RedEnvelope, 11/1 — This Week's Top 10: Hostess Gifts -- Get Invited Back
Crate & Barrel, 11/1 — Time-saving Thanksgiving menu. Plus Free Shipping.
Linens ’n Things, 11/1 — New Thanksgiving Shop, Save 20% Now
Newegg, 11/1 — Spooky Savings – Free Shipping, No MIRs – Canon ‘Mini’ Sweepstakes
Spiegel, 11/1 — Daylight Savings Weekend: Take 20% OFF our entire site!
The Popcorn Factory, 11/1 — RED SOX WIN! Remember their victory with this special offer!
Bluefly, 11/1 — The Cozy Sweater Dress You Need This Fall
Macy’s, 11/1 — Save now - shop the Great Gatherings & Celebrations Sale
Chadwick’s, 11/1 — Shhhhh...Secret Web Sale-Up to 50% OFF!
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