AM Inbox: Use your subject lines and preview pane space wisely

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

J. Crew, 3/17 — As seen in the the New York Times...
First, J. Crew repeats the word “the” in the subject line, so they’re being a bit sloppy out of the gate. But more importantly, they make the subscriber work really hard to decipher what this email is about. The subject line really doesn’t help you at all. I’m not sure that anyone cares that this (whatever it is) appeared in the New York Times, presumably in the form of an ad (but I don’t know for sure since I only read the Times online). If you didn’t see the Times, then you’re left scratching your head as to what this might be about and whether this message is really for you. It’s really a bit alienating. J. Crew continues its unhelpful streak but making incredibly poor use of the preview pane and above the fold real estate. All they give you is a model shot and their logo—and even that is faint and hard to read. Here’s what they give you above the fold:



It’s not until you scroll down that you discover all the useful information below the fold:



Don’t make it difficult for subscribers to engage with you. Respect their time by making smart use of subject lines and preview pane real estate.

Petco, 3/17 — PETCO Happy St. Patrick's Day! 17% Off Sitewide - 2 Days Only!
About a quarter of the retail emails yesterday referenced St. Patrick’s Day. You can see many of the St. Patty’s Day-themed subject lines in the Subjectivity Scanner below. The thing that I thought was noteworthy about this email in particular was that Petco changed the color of their hyperlinks from blue to green. I didn’t see anyone else do that. It was a nice, unique touch.



SUBJECTIVITY SCANNER:
Art.com, 3/17 — Feeling Lucky? Click for 25% Off entire site
Coldwater Creek, 3/17 — What luck! Up to 80% off everything in Outlet
Bluefly, 3/17 — Luck of the Irish: Enjoy $20 Off
Norm Thompson, 3/17 — More FREE-SHIP items just added...last day!
Avon, 3/17 — TODAY ONLY: Celebrate with FREE SHIPPING & up to 50% SAVINGS
Overstock, 3/17 — 7% OFF COUPON - TODAY ONLY
DisneyShopping, 3/17 — Your Luck Has Struck! 30% Off Sitewide Extended 1 More Day
SmartBargains, 3/17 — Today's your lucky day. 17% off (or more!) & ship for free.
RedEnvelope, 3/17 — SAVE 20% on your order. It's your lucky day!
Chadwick’s, 3/17 — 99¢ Shipping is Back! Your Luck Is Looking Up!
_____________________
SEARCH... By Post Category / By Selling Season / By Retailer / By Topic / Monthly Archive