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SMS Marketing Examples & Stats
SMS and MMS Marketing Examples
SMS is a must-have marketing channel for ecommerce brands. The reason: everyone texts. It is no longer reserved for younger generations. Brands that fail to utilize SMS marketing are missing out on sales.
SMS Marketing Statistics
SMS marketing continues to grow. Ecommerce brands sent 31% more SMS sends in 2024 than the year before. Previously, the year-over-year lift was 58% in 2023, 62% in 2022, and 75% in 2021.
2026 SMS Marketing Statistics (promotional messages):
Click-to-sent rate: 12.38%
Conversion rate: 0.12%
Click-to-conversion: 0.97%
AOV: $125
Revenue per send: $0.15
2026 SMS Marketing Statistics (automated messages):
Click-to-sent rate: 20.32%
Conversion rate: 0.77%
Click-to-conversion: 3.81%
AOV: $96
Revenue per send: $0.74
Automated SMS messages generated nearly 5× more revenue per send than campaigns ($0.74 vs. $0.15). That gap exists for the same reason it does in email: automated messages reach subscribers at high-intent moments triggered by their own behavior, rather than interrupting them with batch-and-blast messages.
I’ve been saying it for years, SMS is a must-have channel in the shopping journey. — Greg Zakowicz, Email & SMS Marketing Epxert
SMS Marketing Examples
The Customer Journey Has Changed — Has Your Marketing?
Let’s face it; the traditional linear model of the customer journey is no longer accurate. Today’s consumers shop how they want, where they want, and when they want—all while facing distraction at a moment’s notice. They are choosing how they interact with brands and on which channels they do so. They have all of the power. Who said being a marketer is easy?
Let’s face it; the traditional linear model of the customer journey is no longer accurate. Today’s consumers shop how they want, where they want, and when they want—all while facing distraction at a moment’s notice. They are choosing how they interact with brands and on which channels they do so. They have all of the power. Who said being a marketer is easy?
Today’s model more closely resembles that of a spiderweb, with its zigs, zags, and non-uniform strands. As chaotic as it may look, everything is connected and working in concert with one another.
This is the new digital customer journey—unique, non-uniform strands that are all connected to serve a common goal.
Because of the multitude of siloed channels, the distraction, and increased global competition, marketers need to rethink how multiple channels, like email and SMS, can work in unison with one another to create a relevant experience that meets consumers’ ever-increasing expectations of retailers.
How The Journey is Moving Beyond Single Channels
According to a report by Omnisend, marketing campaigns utilizing three or more channels have a 287% higher conversion rate than campaigns relying on a single channel. For retailers, ensuring that campaigns have multiple cohesive channels working together can have a significant impact on the bottom line. Multiple channels matter, but how they’re delivered matters more.
While retailers are using multiple channels to communicate with and retarget consumers, many of them are working in silos. For example, an email subscriber may click on an email and then abandon the website. In response, they begin seeing ads on their social media platforms. But if the consumer comes back and makes a purchase, often these retargeting ads follow them around the internet, sometimes for days or weeks, while still receiving generic promotional email messages.
Consumers increasingly expect communications from brands to be both timely and relevant. The example above is not that.
Retailers need to understand how consumers naturally interact. Take Gen Z, for instance. These digital natives make up more than a quarter of the US population, and being digital natives means SMS is a natural communication channel. Even so, 83% expect to increase or maintain their email usage over the next several years. Both channels hold importance to them.
Retailers who have adopted SMS as a marketing channel have reported over a 2,700% ROI, and omnichannel campaigns that involve SMS are 47.7% more likely to end in conversion.
It’s time for retailers to break down these silos and make available additional channels for customers to opt into. Adding channels that appeal to their customers is just the first step. Creating relevant messaging is another.
The Rise of Multi-Channel, Behavior-Based Messaging
Consider that customer who is on a website and browsing products only to leave without placing an item in the cart. The consumer has shown some level of interest. Recognizing this, a retailer would traditionally continue sending them standard promotional emails and retarget the customer through search and social media. But this experience has challenges. Paid retargeting can be expensive, the strategy is siloed, and standard promotional emails are not always relevant.
But this relevance matters. The same Omnisend report showed that that segmented campaigns earned 62% higher order rates than non-segmented ones. The reason—segmented messages are more relevant.
This is where automated behavior-based, multi-channel messaging can deliver a more user-friendly experience and guide the customer along their purchase journey.
Consider the impact of sending abandonment messages via the channel(s) of the customer’s choosing—after all, no one chooses to see ads on their social feeds. Retailers can easily send automated reminder messages (e.g., email, SMS, push) for the products they were viewing via any, or all, channel(s)—and if the consumer completes their order, the other channels recognize and cease their retargeting efforts.
Automated behavior-based messaging, such as browse abandonment, delivers segmented, relevant, and timely messaging to customers. Consumers recognize the value in them. That’s why it is not uncommon to see retailers drive over 25% of their email revenue on these messages alone.
This is just one example of automated, behavior-based messaging. Others include cart abandonment, welcome series, post- and lapsed-purchase, and re-engagement messages. I expect to see a continued increase in behavior-based automation adoption and the use of data, such as cart total or purchase history, to make these messages even more relevant than they naturally are.
Paving the Way for the Future
Utilizing behavior-based marketing automation to create relevant messaging and delivering it via the channel(s) of the customers’ choosing is going to be essential for catering to the modern-day online customer journey.
Tomorrow’s successful retailers will be those who cohesively incorporate other channels into their traditional siloed pillars of email, paid search, and paid social to create one unified, spiderwebbed e-commerce journey. After all, if you’re trying to catch flies, it’s good to be the spider who makes the web.
3 Easy Yet Effective Ways to Create Transactional Emails
Relevant, personalized and timely transactional emails are virtually impossible to over-hype as they can generate five times more revenue than non-transactional messages. Even though these messages are some of the most highly read emails sent by retailers, because they're so common improving them is often an afterthought. However, their value shouldn't be overlooked, as each additional open holds the potential to increase engagement and generate sales.
Relevant, personalized and timely transactional emails are virtually impossible to over-hype as they can generate five times more revenue than non-transactional messages. Even though these messages are some of the most highly read emails sent by retailers, because they're so common improving them is often an afterthought. However, their value shouldn't be overlooked, as each additional open holds the potential to increase engagement and generate sales.
What’s a Transactional Email?
When used in e-commerce, transactional emails are automated messages based on some sort of transactional relationship between the consumer and the brand, such as an order or shipping confirmation. Because of the personal nature of the messages, transactional emails always deliver value for recipients. When they demand attention and are engaging, these types of emails often have higher open and clickthrough rates than promotional emails.
By optimizing three key elements of transactional emails, retailers can see greater return on investment and results, such as increased open rates.
47 Ways to Prepare Your Email Marketing and Ecommerce Store For The 2020 Holiday Season
The holiday shopping season is fast approaching there is a lot of uncertainty about what will unfold. Questions surrounding the health of the economy and what a resurgence of COVID-19 might have on the supply chain make planning for this holiday season unique. Here are 47 ways you can prepare your marketing program and e-commerce store for the holiday shopping season.
The holiday shopping season is fast approaching there is a lot of uncertainty about what will unfold. Questions surrounding the health of the economy and what a resurgence of COVID-19 might have on the supply chain make planning for this holiday season unique.
One thing I do expect from this season is for ecommerce to further increase its already-increased share of retail sales. We saw email become a go-to channel for consumers during the COVID pandemic with a nearly 23% lift in conversion rates, and I expect this to carry over into the holidays. If you are an email marketer, here are 47 ways you can prepare your marketing program and ecommerce store for the holiday shopping season.
General:
- Start marketing early — e.g., late October
- Pay attention to the Cyber 10
- Pay close attention to the feel of the nation (COVID, economy) and adjust your marketing copy accordingly
- Don’t wait until Black Friday to start marketing—again, start early
Technical Prep:
- Collect SMS numbers along with email addresses—grow your trusted marketing channels
- Audit website forms (e.g., sign-up, exit-intent)—how to edit them and who has access to do so
- Test sign-up forms and ensure they work properly
Email Design:
- Use emojis in subject lines
- Use emojis in the preheader text
- Make your emails mobile-friendly
- Include a “top gifts” or similar section in your nav bar
- Create a custom, holiday-themed header
- Keep the CTA obvious in emails (let people digest the message quickly)
- Make sale exclusions obvious—avoid misleading people and frustrating them at checkout
- Acknowledge that self-gifting is real and design your messaging to account for it
Promotional Marketing Messages:
- Promote value-adds/differentiators in your emails (e.g., extended return policies, always free shipping)
- Use remails—but not every time (think about when it makes sense)
- Send multiple emails on peak days (Thanksgiving Day, Back Friday, Cyber Monday)
- Utilize SMS marketing, both as a stand-alone channel and to complement email
- Utilize a sense of urgency (subject lines, CTA, copywriting)
- Use product recommendations in your emails (for self-gifting, of course)
Automated Email Marketing Messages:
- Adjust workflow timing (are you suppressing new signups from Black Friday emails?)
Welcome series
Cart abandonment
Lapsed-purchaser
Product review emails - Create seasonal automated messages (e.g., holiday-specific welcome series)
- Optimize your transactional messages for sales (shipping and order confirmation)
- Adjust abandoned cart timing rules
- Increase the number of abandoned cart messages
- Adjust the discounting strategy in your cart abandonment messages (is the discount worse than your holiday everyday promotion?)
- Use browse/product abandonment messages—please, use them!
- Integrate SMS messages into your email automation workflows, especially cart abandonment
Paid Search/Social:
- Monitor your ROAS
- Retarget email contacts on social and paid search
- Test different/new social channels and search engines (e.g., Bing, Pinterest, YouTube)
- Use influencers
Customer Service:
- Implement live chat on your website
- Extend your return policies
- Solidify your BOPIS strategy/expand BOPIS offerings
- Collect info for gift-reminder messaging
Discounts/Benefits:
- Test different incentives (% off, & off, tiered discounts, deals of the day, X days of deals, flash sales, free shipping, free express shipping, VIP-only, SMS-only, email-only, for BOPIS-only orders, etc.)
- Understand that free shipping has increasingly being used as THE incentive as the season winds down. Test it and save yourself some margin.
- Make a holiday playlist on Spotify (for both your customers and employees)
- Offer free gift wrapping
Prepare for the Unexpected:
- Prepare an “oops” email in advance
- Have backup promotions and coupon codes already created and loaded in your ecomm platform
- Identify potential shipping challenges and have a contingency plan in place
- Identify possible supply chain chokepoints and prepare for the “what if”
- Prepare for a pandemic resurgence — and what that measns for your business
Finally:
- Have fun and enjoy the season!
If you have any specific questions around the holiday season, please feel free to contact me!
And, of course, some of these tips from 2019 may still be useful, so check out this post, “Top Holiday Email Marketing Planning Resources”
8 Ways the Retail Landscape May Change After Coronavirus
Marketers have adjusted their marketing campaigns over the recent weeks, but those will eventually revert back to normal. Retail and e-commerce, on the other hand, may be in for more permanent changes. The aftereffects of coronavirus are sure to be felt long after it’s gone, surely changing how consumers shop, interact and prioritize lifestyle choices.
In this article, I discuss 8 ways retail and services may be impacted near term and in the years to come by the coronavirus aftermath. I’ll explore topics such as:
Marketers have adjusted their marketing campaigns over the recent weeks, but those will eventually revert back to normal. Retail and e-commerce, on the other hand, may be in for more permanent changes. The aftereffects of coronavirus are sure to be felt long after it’s gone, surely changing how consumers shop, interact and prioritize lifestyle choices.
In this article, I discuss 8 ways retail and services may be impacted near term and in the years to come by the coronavirus aftermath. I’ll explore topics such as:
Local shopping
Online grocery
BOPIS and curbside pick-up
The in-store experience
At-home fitness
… and more
Click here to continue reading “8 Ways the Retail Landscape May Change After Coronavirus.”
AMA Webinar Recap: COVID-19: What It Means for E-commerce
On April 2, Omnisend hosted their first AMA (ask me anything) session on the topic of e-commerce during the COVID-19 crisis. During the session, we covered questions on a variety of topics, from how to appropriately approach your email and SMS marketing campaigns to ways to properly maneuver customer acquisition via different channels.
I was a part of a four-person expert panel with wide-ranging backgrounds where we answered questions from retailers about doing business during the crisis.
On April 2, Omnisend hosted its first AMA (ask me anything) session on the topic of ecommerce during the COVID-19 crisis. During the session, we covered questions on a variety of topics, from how to appropriately approach your email and SMS marketing campaigns to ways to properly maneuver customer acquisition via different channels.
I was a part of a four-person expert panel with wide-ranging backgrounds where we answered questions from retailers about doing business during the crisis.
The four-person panel consisted of:
Email Marketing During COVID-19: How to Send Emails During a Crisis
Marketing in a crisis, any crisis, is not easy. Marketers need to balance their human side with business needs, and knowing where that line sits is not always clear. But know this — what you do now will determine how your brand is perceived in the future.
This post by Whitney Blankenship explores the right way to approach your customers during a crisis, whether it’s COVID-19, or another future catastrophe, and how you can add value to your customers while trying to maintain your needs as a business.
Marketing in a crisis, any crisis, is not easy. Marketers need to balance their human side with business needs, and knowing where that line sits is not always clear. But know this — what you do now will determine how your brand is perceived in the future.
This post by Whitney Blankenship explores the right way to approach your customers during a crisis, whether it’s COVID-19, or another future catastrophe, and how you can add value to your customers while trying to maintain your needs as a business.
In this article, she discusses:
How to adjust your marketing during a crisis
Ways to adjust your message
How to still promote without alienating customers
Considerations to make around pricing
2019 Email and E-commerce Holiday Season Recap
The 2019 holiday season has concluded, and once again ecommerce experienced record-breaking sales. This online holiday season registered just above $142 billion in online sales, a 13% increase from last year, according to Adobe Analytics.
But what made the 2019 holiday season so successful, and which trends have become the new normal? In this recap I’ll discuss the Cyber Five, the Cyber Ten, smartphone growth, the value of email marketing, daily sales benchmarks and more.
The 2019 holiday season has concluded, and once again ecommerce experienced record-breaking sales. This online holiday season registered just above $142 billion in online sales, a 13% increase from last year, according to Adobe Analytics.
But what made the 2019 holiday season so successful, and which trends have become the new normal? In this recap I’ll discuss:
The Subtle Nuances of November
The Cyber Five expanding into the Cyber Ten
The new daily online sales benchmark to be aware of
The growth in smartphones
Why email marketing is so important during the holidays
Top takeaways and how to use them
Click here to continue reading “2019 Holiday Season Takeaways and Ecommerce Marketing Action Items”
Dreams That Last
Look at this picture. What do you see?
We whipped out our cameras to take some pictures when something stopped us — our earlier inability to save pictures for the next stop. There were no photos left in the cameras. This was going to have to be one of those moments where we simply experienced it (something more people nowadays should do). But then it all changed. We were no longer alone.
A lone figure appeared and slowly made her way toward us.
Look at this picture. What do you see?
It was 1997 in Atlanta. I was 19. I had recently moved there, with my questionable hairstyle and 42” JNCO jeans (although I still spike my hair), when a couple of my friends came to visit. We did what tourists do: went to Stone Mountain, the Conyers Monastery, Centennial Olympic Park, Underground Atlanta, the Westin rooftop restaurant, CNN, Coke’s HQ, etc.
This day was a bit gloomy. It was cool and overcast and featured on-and-off misting. It didn’t matter, our plans stayed the same. We ventured down to Centennial Olympic Park and Underground Atlanta where we joked around like 19-year-olds do and posed for funny photos to document the trip.
But back then, photos were a bit different — they came with a cost. We took ours with disposable cameras. There were no smartphones, no Instagram, and no selfies. After all, without Instagram, there was no use for them. Back then you had to be thoughtful about pushing that “take photo” button. One after another, we posed, turned the wheel until we heard the camera click, and pushed that precious take photo button.
As we made our way through Centennial Park and Underground Atlanta we had one last stop planned. It was to King Plaza, the gravesite of MLK Jr.
We made the quick drive from downtown to the site, parked, and began to walk around. It was eerily deserted, with the lone exception of one security officer casually patrolling the grounds. We walked around processing what we were seeing. It became real that this young man was killed advocating for something that seems so inherently basic: Equality. Justice. Freedom.
But during that time, he was judged, labeled, and, dare I say, feared for going against the status quo, for questioning what is deemed “right.” He was labeled by some, or many, a troublemaker. A radical. A villain.
He fought for something all people should have. And he paid the ultimate price because of it.
We took out our cameras, but something stopped us — our earlier inability to save pictures for the next stop. There were no photos left in the cameras. This was going to have to be one of those moments we simply experienced (something more people nowadays should do). But then it all changed.
We were no longer alone.
A lone figure appeared and slowly made her way toward us. As she approached we gave each other one of those quick hello nods and welcoming smirks — you know the kind. We continued to look around for a few moments and then I noticed something. She was holding a camera of her own.
I walked over and introduced myself. I explained our camera situation and made her a proposition: If she would take a photo of us and send me a copy, I would mail her the money for developing her film (yep, we used to have to PAY to get our photos, even if your thumb covered up the shot).
She gladly accepted. Was it sincere, or did she just not want to be rude to an odd request? I didn’t know.
As she snapped a photo of our group, I asked if I could take a photo with her. I can still remember her face. She smiled and said that she’d love to — proudly posing with me and my friend Kevin.
We continued talking for a few moments. She told me she lived in Baltimore but was considering relocating to Atlanta. She traveled from Baltimore via bus and was heading back home the following day. Before we parted ways, I provided this stranger with my home address. We chatted for a brief moment and went our separate ways.
One month later …
I received an envelope in the mail. The Baltimore return address was unfamiliar to me. I had mostly forgotten about the pictures. After all, even though the task was small, it was a lot to ask a stranger to do. Inside the envelope were four copies of each photo (one for each of us) along with a handwritten note.
I had saved that note for many years, but between repeated moving and organizing it had gone missing. The note was heartfelt. In essence, it remarked how grateful she was to have met us on that overcast day in Atlanta. How, at the grave of the man who advocated for basic human rights and race equality, race did not matter between two strangers. How one stranger asked for some form of help (as trivial as it might have been), and another gladly provided that help. How, on some tiny scale, he did not die in vain.
I responded with a note of my own (along with more than enough to cover the photo developing). I echoed the same sentiments to her. That no matter what you see on the news, most people do care and share the same belief in equality.
As I post this on MLK Jr. Day, I reflect on days like these that truly matter, yet seem insignificant at the time. I hope this woman from Baltimore/Atlanta remembers this day as fondly as I do.
So now, when you look at this photo, what do you see?
To me, the photo is more than a photo. It’s a story. A feeling. A moment of peace. A small representation of all that is good in the world. While there is a lot of progress that needs to be made, this moment of unconditional acceptance and kindness is what MLK Jr. worked so hard and gave his life for.
How to Use Video in Email Marketing
For years, marketers have said video in emails will be the next evolution in email marketing, but the challenges of implementing it have held it back. Email clients not supporting it, file size restrictions and video production time have been too much to overcome.
Now, 98% of email clients support video, the number one type of content to inspire consumer research, and the time has never been better to bring new life to your email marketing with video.
Here are ways to incorporate video in your email marketing program.
For years, marketers have said video in emails will be the next evolution in email marketing, but the challenges of implementing it have held it back. Email clients not supporting it, file size restrictions and video production time have been too much to overcome.
Instead, we’ve gotten animated GIFs and static images with overlay play buttons. While serviceable, it’s not the video experience we imagined.
Now, 98% of email clients support video, the number one type of content to inspire consumer research, and the time has never been better to bring new life to your email marketing with video. Here are ways to incorporate video in your email marketing program.
In this article, I’ll discuss:
Using Video in Automated Lifecycle Messages
Combining Social Media and Email Videos
Promotional Emails and Other Uses
Top Marketing Podcasts of 2019
As host of the Commerce Marketer Podcast, I conduct a lot of interviews. But choosing my favorite episodes is like choosing a favorite child (if my kids are reading this, I love you both the same). However, I forced myself to choose some of the episodes that really resonated with me for one reason or another.
Here are some of my favorite marketing conversations from 2019, in order of episode number. I hope you enjoy.
As host of the Commerce Marketer Podcast, I conduct a lot of interviews. But choosing my favorite episodes is like choosing a favorite child (if my kids are reading this, I love you both the same). However, I forced myself to choose some of the episodes that really resonated with me for one reason or another.
Here are some of my favorite marketing conversations from 2019, in order of episode number. I hope you enjoy.
Episode 043: Super Bowl Commercial Recap Roundtable
More than 100 million people watch the Super Bowl each year, but the commercials have become the must-see event within the event. This episode discusses the Super Bowl from a marketing and entertainment perspective. We’ll revisit the commercials, halftime show, and even how we interacted with our mobile devices during the big game - after all, what good is a $5 million commercial if everyone is checking their Instagram feed?
Why I chose this episode: This episode was a three-person roundtable. The guests were fun, brought great perspective, and episodes like this are just fun to do because no one takes themselves too seriously.
Episode 046: Email Deliverability: Everything You Need to Know
Did you know that having good email deliverability does not mean your emails reach the inbox? Understanding email deliverability is crucial, yet many marketers do not fully understand what goes into it.
Why I chose this episode: My guest, deliverability expert Chris Kolbenschlag, tackles myths, best practices, things marketers shouldn’t do and other elements around email deliverability in an easy-to-understand manner — which is what I love about this episode.
Ep. 050: How Lifecycle Email Marketing Is Like a Fine Wine
This episode discuss how one compani built their email program from the ground up using lifecycle email marketing to drive nearly half of their 2018 email revenue. We cover the strategies behind triggered campaigns, how to avoid the pitfalls of email fatigue with segmentation, mistakes made with their lifecycle campaigns, and lessons learned.
Why I chose this episode: My guest was Ben Argov, president of International Wine Accessories (IWA). Ben and I met several years back and he is one of the nicest people I know. Ben is honest about what works, what doesn’t, and what needs to be improved in his email program. What made this one special was that he sent me a spreadsheet of his email metrics to help guide the conversation. If you’re into email marketing, this episode is a must-listen!
Ep. 054: How Ikonick Uses Modern-Day Marketing to Drive Success
I’m joined by Mark Brazil, co-founder of the canvas art company Ikonick, to discuss how he created a multimillion-dollar business in less than two years by combining email, video, social, and influencer marketing. Mark covers everything from social media, email marketing, content marketing, storytelling strategies, and how they measure success.
Why I chose this episode: I met Mark while speaking at a conference in Quebec City in early 2019. After our initial conversation I knew I had to have him on the show. Mark is brutally honest, in a Gary V type of way (after listening you’ll know why), and shares some amazingly useful insights. This episode is great for entrepreneurs, and email and social media marketers alike. I forgot to mention, this dude is funny as heck!
Ep. 059: How Vera Bradley Designs a Modern-Day Retail Experience
I’m joined by Harry Cunningham, vice president of retail brand experience at Vera Bradley, to discuss what goes into designing modern-day brick-and-mortar stores that appeal to consumers. Harry explains some of the driving forces behind Vera Bradley’s redesign of their storefronts, explains how the store design revolves around solving shopper challenges, and shares everything you can think of when it comes to the in-store experience.
Why I chose this episode: It’s such a cool topic — and one I find fascinating. Harry is an engaging speaker and really brings you into his world of how he approaches store design concepts through stories that demonstrate the how and why he makes the decisions he does.
Ep. 60: The Behavioral Science of Marketing
Nancy Harhut is a behavioral science marketer and chief creative officer at HBT Marketing, discusses how marketers can use behavioral science — like “eye magnet” words, the Von Restorff Effect, proper use of charts and images, tactile experiences, and landing page techniques — to nudge their customers and encourage purchase decisions.
Why I chose this episode: Again, this topic is fascinating! This was a topic I had been wanting to cover for some time, and was fortunate enough to mention it to another guest of mine who coincidentally knew someone. That someone was Nancy. And boy, did she deliver! Nancy discussed so many tactics in an easy-to-understand manner, while providing specific use-cases for each. This episode has so many practical takeaways for marketers.
Find out more about The Commerce Marketer Podcast
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My Five Favorite Marketing Posts of 2019
I write a lot of content throughout the year, but some pieces stand out to me more than others. From behavioral science to charting daily email sends for two-plus years, here are the five articles from 2019 that really resonated with me. I hope you enjoy.
I write a lot of content throughout the year, but some pieces stand out to me more than others. Here are the five articles from 2019 that really resonated with me. I hope you enjoy.
Behavioral Science: The Magic That Turns Prospects Into Customers
If you ask a hundred people what makes a good article headline or email subject line, you may get a hundred different answers. After all, it’s subjective, isn’t it?
Not entirely, as many marketers know. There’s a science behind what makes a consumer open an email, click on a call to action (CTA) and make a purchase. Whether it’s writing an attention-grabbing headline or getting someone to “click and convert,” this article outlines ways any business can begin using behavioral science to improve their marketing.
Cyber 10: The Holiday Shopping Sprint You REALLY Need to Prepare For
The holiday season is upon us, and, once again, it’s expected to set online sales records to the tune of $142 billion, according to eMarketer estimates. As online sales rapidly increase year-over-year, trends evolve and retailers adapt.
Marketers need to look beyond the Cyber Five -- a historically high time for holiday online sales -- and instead prepare for the 10-day period that stretches from the Sunday before Black Friday through the Tuesday following Cyber Monday. >> read more <<
How to Use Social Proof in Email Marketing
Retailers constantly seek ways to stand out in crowded inboxes and influence subscribers to make purchases, some of them by offering deep discounts. But for companies that either can’t or don’t want to shrink their margins, finding another way to influence purchase decisions inside emails is essential. This is where using social proof in your email marketing can be a powerful sales tactic.
Luckily for companies — especially online retailers — they already possess a lot of content that can be used for social proof. Here are a few ways retailers can utilize this content in their email marketing programs to influence purchases. >> read more <<
Want to Win Back Lapsed Purchasers? Focus on Customer Experience
Lapsed-purchaser campaigns, also known as win-back campaigns, are a staple in many retailers’ email marketing programs. These automated emails are sent to past purchasers who have not repurchased in a certain period of time, and the strategy typically consists of several incentivized messages that often increase in value from one email to the next.
Time and time again, I see retailers consider these messages a high priority. And for whatever reason, they’re almost always deemed a much higher priority than implementing post-purchase messages.
There’s a fundamental flaw with this approach … >> read more <<
Which Day Should You Send Your Marketing Emails?
Which days are best for sending marketing emails and which days are most popular for retailers? Should you send on the same high-volume days as other retailers, or send on lower-volume days so you can more easily stand out in the inbox?
Now, you may finally have an answer. >> read more <<
There you have it, my five favorite (for whatever reason) articles of 2019. To see more of what I’ve written, be sure to check out the Press page in the navigation.
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The Best Day to Send Your Marketing Emails
Which days are best for sending marketing emails and which days are most popular for retailers? Should you send on the same high-volume days as other retailers, or send on lower-volume days so you can more easily stand out in the inbox?
Now, you may finally have an answer.
I am signed up for hundreds of retailer email programs and monitor my inbox for daily send volume. While each retailer will have their own unique requirements, here are some tools you can use to help you determine which days might be best to send your marketing emails.
2019 Email Marketing Sends
2019 marketing email send volume broken down by day and month. Check out which days were the most and least popular days to send marketing emails.
2018 Email Marketing Sends
2018 marketing email send volume broken down by day and month. Check out which days were the most and least popular days to send marketing emails.
2018 Email Marketing Sends - By Day and Month
The chart below reflects the daily email send volume of 2018. The daily lift and declines reflect the average number of emails retailers sent on that day of the week compared to the overall number of emails sent during the entire year.
As you can see, retailers sent …
Top Email Send Days of 2018
The chart below reflects the daily email send volume of 2018. The daily lifts and declines reflect the average number of emails retailers sent on that day of the week compared to the overall number of emails sent during the entire year.
For example, retailers sent 8.61% fewer emails on Sundays than the average number of 2018 daily email sends. As you can see, Thursdays was the most popular day for retailers to send marketing emails, followed by Friday and Tuesday.
Weekends were the least popular days to send marketing emails, with Saturday being the day of the week where the fewest emails were sent.
Continue reading to see monthly and daily breakdowns. You can view 2019 results here and see how daily send patterns changed. Stay tuned for ongoing 2020 updates.
Does this chart tell you that you should avoid sending marketing emails on weekends? Absolutely not. Again, each business will have their own unique circumstances. Some retailers might look at this as an opportunity to increase their sends on lower-volume days as a way to stand out in an otherwise crowded inbox, especially during the holiday season. Others may choose to follow the crowd and send on those higher send days.
Test your email send days, but remember, people do shop on the weekends.
Monthly Email Marketing Sends
This monthly and daily breakdown is based on monthly results. The lifts and declines are based on the average number of sends for that day compared to the average number of emails send that month.
In this example, January’s highest send patterns are slightly different than the daily sends for the entire year. You’ll continue to see these daily shifts throughout the year.
2019 Email Marketing Sends - By Day and Month
(IN PROGRESS): The chart below reflects the daily email send volume of 2019. The daily lifts and declines reflect the average number of emails retailers sent on that day of the week compared to the overall number of emails sent during the entire year.
For example, retailers sent …
Top Email Send Days of 2019
The chart below reflects the daily email send volume in 2019. The daily lifts and declines reflect the average number of emails retailers sent on that day of the week compared to the overall number of emails sent during the entire year.
For example, retailers sent 8.32% fewer emails on Sundays than the average number of 2019 daily email sends. As you can see, Thursdays was the most popular day for retailers to send marketing emails, followed by Friday and Tuesday.
Weekends were the least popular days to send marketing emails, with Saturday being the day of the week where the fewest emails were sent.
Continue reading to see monthly and daily breakdowns. In 2019, Fridays saw a decrease in email sends while Tuesdays saw an increase compared to 2018. You can view 2018 results here and see how daily send patterns may have changed.
Does this chart tell you that you should avoid sending marketing emails on weekends? Absolutely not. Again, each business will have their own circumstances. Some retailers might look at this as an opportunity to increase their sends on lower-volume days as a way to stand out in an otherwise crowded inbox. Others may choose to follow the crowd.
Test your email send days, but remember, people do shop on the weekends.
Monthly Email Marketing Sends
This monthly and daily breakdown is based on monthly results. The lifts and declines are based on the average number of sends for that day compared to the average number of emails send that month.
In this example, January’s highest send days are slightly different than the daily sends for the entire year. You’ll continue to see these daily shifts throughout the year.
