Customers Engage More When Brand Name Is In Subject Line of Transactional Email
Transactional emails lead to higher open rates when a brands name is included in the subject line, according to the 2013 Q3 Email Benchmark Report from Experian Marketing Services.
Specifically, the report pointed to transactional emails such as shipping and order confirmations, order cancellations, and return confirmations. Brand-name inclusion in only shipping confirmation emails produced a significant gain with a 7% increase in unique open rates.
Here are some other key findings in the report:
Unique click rates for shipping confirmations that featured personalization reached 13.5%, compared to 8.3% without personalization
Click-to-open rates for both order and shipping confirmations that included invitations to join loyalty programs rose 26% and 16%, respectively
The strongest cross-selling results came from emails that featured dynamic product personalization; order confirmations saw the highest increase in transaction rates, from 0.65% with static cross-sells to 0.97% with dynamic cross-sells
Transactional emails showed 23% higher click rates when they personally addressed a customer in the body of the email
Cross-sell sections in password-reset emails produced a 93% higher transaction rate than those without cross-sell items
Overall email volume increased 12.7% in Q3 2013 versus Q3 2012. Whats more, unique open rates rose 6% year-over-year in Q3 2013.
Shelley Kessler, Manager, Reporting and Analytics, Cross-channel Marketing for Experian Marketing Services, told Loyalty 360 that open rates are up for two reasons: Email continues to be an effective way to send brand messages; and mobile plays a big role.
For Kessler, one of the biggest takeaways she found in the report is that to improve the overall customer experience, brands must follow each and every customer touch point.
Those companies who can target clients the best, as opposed to just blasting out to everybody, those programs typically have the largest response rates, she said.
But Kessler warned not to eschew mass emails.
Loyalty programs are key to getting your best customers and getting them to come back, she said. There is a 50% increase for brands using loyalty programs to market to customers during the holiday season. We see an increased reference to points and rewards during the holiday season.
Whats more, Kessler noted that order and shipping confirmations are potential sources for acquiring loyalty program membership. Click-to-open rates were higher for both order and shipping confirmations that included invitations to join loyalty programs (26% higher for order confirmations and 16% higher for shipping confirmations) compared to the same mailing types without any mention of a loyalty program.
Kessler found it very interesting that cross-sell sections in password-reset emails produced a 93% higher transaction rate than those without cross-sell items.
Whether your brand name existed in order confirmation subject lines, we saw it mattered in shipping confirmation emails, she explained. Brand name in subject lines in shipping confirmation emails leads to higher open rates. And engaging the customer during a password reset is an opportunity I never thought about as a customer touch point.
The report also identified a key trend to watch among social media mailings promoting social media in subject lines is an especially effective cross-channel practice.
Subject-line mentions of Twitter rose significantly from 8% in Q3 2012 to 41% in Q3 2013, while mentions of Instagram climbed from 3% in Q3 2012 to 30% in Q3 2013. While subject-line mentions of Facebook also increased, from 76% in Q3 2012 to 87% in Q3 2013, mentions of Pinterest actually fell from 9% in Q3 2012 to 5% in Q3 2013.
ARTICLE SOURCE: This factual content has not been modified from the source. This content is syndicated news that can be used for your research, and we hope that it can help your productivity. This content is strictly for educational purposes and is not made for any kind of commercial purposes of this blog.