We all have those days when we feel like we should be paid for sifting through and sending 458 emails from retailers and marketers into the trusty trash can.
It can be a nightmare for consumers, but it’s the worst result in the world for those retailers.
What to do, marketers? Tailor those emails!
New research shows that taking the time to note recipients’ frequency and personalization preferences is a key to subscriber retention.
“When a May, 2015 study by Flagship Research for BlueHornet asked U.S. email users who had decided to unsubscribe from marketing emails what actions companies could take to prevent them from doing so, 40.6 percent of respondents said they wanted the option to receive emails less frequently,” reports eMarketer. “Also related to frequency was the fact that 14.1 percent wanted to “snooze” their subscriptions.”
Consumer answers to other queries revealed the value of offering personalized experiences in order to keep subscribers.
“The majority of respondents also cited various actions related to personalization — from having the option to indicate preferences themselves to receiving more personalized content to personalized emails based on past purchases and browsing behavior,” notes eMarketer.
Interestingly, email users were most likely to prefer to receive marketing emails weekly, cited by 43.8 percent. That seems downright optimal, considering that fewer than 10 percent are interested in daily mash notes and sales pitches from even their most favorite marketers.
A majority also confirm they expect companies to use their birthdays, website behavior, and genders in tailoring emails.
That’s right, cupcake — birthdays are important. Committed email marketers should strive to remember that customers don’t care as much about when you have a sale as when it’s offered (“Hey, it’s your birthday, so take 30 percent off!) and on what products (if the consumer has never bought men’s items, you might want to put that sale on guy’s pants right where the recipient will — the trash can).
