Week-End Trends: Tax refund gold rush

Email activity and promotional trends during the past week:

The RetailEmail Index rose 6% to 151 during the week ending April 20, but is down 5% from where it was four weeks ago.


*The RetailEmail Index is a general measure of the email volume generated by 100 of the top online retailers.

Last week, 84% of the retailers in the RetailEmail Index send out at least one email, up from 77% the week prior, but down from 87% during the 4-weeks-ago period. Last week also saw the largest single day participation rate since Dec. 26, the day after Christmas, when 53% of retailers sent out emails. Last Tuesday, 42% of retailers sent out emails, perhaps looking to target last-minute tax filers with not-yet-received refunds already burning a hole in their pockets. DisneyShopping and Bluefly were among those that specifically mentioned tax refunds in their emails this past week.



Mother’s Day: There were 9 references to Mother’s Day last week, up from 8 the previous week.

Earth Day: There were 4 references to Earth Day last week, up from 1 the week before.

Father’s Day: Orvis gave us our first reference to Father’s Day last week.

Other things referenced by retailers: taxes, weddings, prom, Administrative Professionals Week, Spider-Man 3, spring, summer