Big data collection and different forms of marketing have become more and more relevant as the digital age is taking over. E-Mail marketing aims to create a bond between the customer and the company, which aims to encourage the customer to remain loyal, enhance their relationship and also prevent the customer forgetting about the company (Ellis-Chadwick & Doherty, 2012).

In 2014 I made my very first purchase at The White Company. I decided to become a member because they sell fairly pricey items, and I was happy to receive E-Mail’s with exclusive discount codes and sale event reminders they may have during the holidays. I would say I receive at least one discount code E-Mail from them every month, and sale reminders where applicable (once/twice per season).

One of their promotional code E-Mails, which I received recently, looks like this:

I was happy to open this email because The White Company is quite pricey. Any promotion over 20% is a winner for me because it’s a chance for me to get good quality items for a lower price; it immediately caught my attention. The subject line is relevant, including not only the “40% off”, but also an “additional 10% off”. It does not need to be more personable as it evokes interest in regular customers by offering discounts, meaning it is not at risk of being dismissed as spam.

Unfortunately, however, the personalisation in this E-Mail is minimal, but considering only members (referred to as “V.I.P. members”) receive these E-Mails, I don’t think it needs to be personalised by starting with “Dear Giulia”. I wouldn’t say it is particularly “impersonal”, as it doesn’t start with an alternative “Dear Customer”. A personable feature of this E-Mail is the headline, where it says “HURRY! Sale is almost over, but there’s still time to shop…”. Being informal, this sentence replicates the feeling of a friend recommending a sale to you. Further down the page on the second to last screenshot, the E-Mail also has a collection of items which I “may also like”. This personalises the email slightly, showing interest in what I’ve clicked on before. I definitely scrolled through them and can confirm that it included at least one thing I was interested in.

The overall design of the E-Mail is simple and clear, however unlike many other E-Mails, the logo is not in the top left corner, but rather in the middle of the page (Mohammadi et. al. 2013). It is also in the middle of the page on its actual website, so the E-Mail reflects the website. It is easy to look at and I didn’t need to search for the link to the landing page (soft call-to-action), nor did I struggle to find any information regarding the promotion. The design of the actual information is a sleek and simple white-on-black design which made it easy to read. There are no colour clashes, and all the most important information is at the top of the E-Mail. The recipient then has the option either to click on the link to the landing page right away, or continue to scroll down the E-Mail.

If the Reader chooses to continue scrolling, they would find samples of the actual landing page, with direct links from the E-Mail to the department in which the member chooses to shop in discounts. This makes it very simple to navigate around the E-Mail, and the design isn’t cluttered. It doesn’t include any unnecessary descriptions, and provides more direct links to the recipient. It has definitely adopted a catalog approach in regards to the length of the E-Mail.

Landing Page:

Landing Page from Promotional E-Mail

The landing page link took me straight to the discounts page, which was exactly what the E-Mail was about. It took me to the part of the page which displayed the different sections, allowing me to choose which department I wanted to shop in. It wasn’t very personalised, as this was simply the member discounts page.

As a whole, the E-Mail flows and everything in the content is related to the subject line. The interactive features and links are easy to find and there is no animation in the actual E-Mail so it stays true to the brand. There is a simple “unsubscribe” option at the end of the page, as it is with most other E-Mails.

What could have been improved?
I would say this E-Mail definitely fulfilled it’s purpose. It was easy to look at, and it’s design reflected the luxurious nature of the store’s products (and prices). The only thing I might consider recommending is the automatic login to your account when you click on the link to the landing page.

Here is an example of a promotional E-Mail which includes a “your account” link:

Starbucks “special offer” E-Mail

Another option might be to bring the recommended items from the bottom of the page to the top, and only show ones which are currently on sale. Other than that, I would say the E-Mail makes me feel like a valued customer as it offers me the added 10% discount in the first place, and I know I am only sent the E-Mail because I am a “V.I.P. Member”.

See Also:

Kolowich, L. (2016). 15 of the Best Email Marketing Campaign Examples you’ve ever seen. Available: http://blog.hubspot.com/marketing/email-marketing-examples-list#sm.0000010iujcr8tnd1kt8b27zb3nzr. Last accessed 27th October 2016.

Sources:

Ellis-Chadwick, F., & Doherty, N. F. (2012). Web advertising: The role of e-mail marketing. Journal of Business Research, 65(6), 843-848.

Mohammadi, M., Malekian, K., Nosrati, M., & Karimi, R. (2013). Email Marketing as a Popular Type of Small Business Advertisement: A Short Review. Australian Journal of Basic and Applied Sciences, 7(4), 786-790.