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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
e-Dialog Releases Key E-Mail Marketing Trends for Holiday 2004, Identifies Successful E-Tail Strategies for Holiday 2005
Increase in E-Mail Marketing Frequency and Shipping Options Lead Tactics
Lexington, Mass., January 24, 2005 – e-Dialog, a proven provider of advanced e-mail marketing solutions, today announced the top e-mail marketing trends for the 2004 U.S. holiday season, offering some important insight into key strategies for 2005. In a review of more than two dozen e-tailers, e-Dialog studied online holiday sales performance and e-mail marketing trends to determine the most effective strategies for increasing revenue.
Most notably, the period from November 1 to November 24, 2004 was the heaviest e-mail marketing time of the holiday season for e-Dialog’s e-tail clients, and average order-size increased between four and 17 percent. This increase in e-mail frequency made no appreciable impact on the companies’ list sizes, indicating that online consumers accept the multitude of e-mail messages from retailers during the holiday season. While post-Thanksgiving shopping was certainly no disappointment, the results were not as strong as compared to the first few weeks in November, even as e-tailers continued to mail between once and twice weekly.
“Online marketing efforts delivered impressive results this past holiday season, indicating that the channel is approaching offline efforts as e-commerce matures,” said John Rizzi, chief executive officer of e-Dialog. “As this shift happens, e-tailers need to be prepared to make their valuable customer data operational in order to seize new growth opportunities in an increasingly competitive online marketplace.”
Shipping options were another frequently used strategy during the 2004 holiday season, with e-tailers offering a variety of alternatives to attract online shoppers. Many e-tailers prominently presented free shipping offers when customers spent an appropriate amount on their orders, signifying that online retailers know their customers’ thresholds for purchase amounts and shipping costs. In addition, last minute shoppers were given shopping incentives to meet shipping and delivery deadlines.
Additional e-Dialog recommendations for holiday 2005 e-mail marketing strategies include:
1. Thank You E-Mails. Some e-Dialog e-tail clients that sent a simple online holiday card or “thank you for shopping with us” e-mail achieved higher-than-average open rates of these messages. A comprehensive “Thank You” initiative should be a key component of a CRM program.
2. Gift Cards. An initial report from the International Council of Shopping Centers revealed that gift card sales may have reached more than $20 billion during the 2004 holiday season, accounting for 11 percent of holiday expenditures. However, e-Dialog saw few uses of the gift card strategy in e-mails from retailers. Given that almost every retailer offers a gift card, these promotions can drive incremental purchases and present additional opportunities for list growth.
3. Wish Lists. The aspect of helping others figure out what to give you was notably absent from many e-tail strategies this year. Incorporating a “Wish List” application from Web site to
e-mail will help to ensure that recipients are pleased with their gifts, and should be considered an important element of e-mail programs in 2005.
4. Return Policies. In 2004, a few vendors mentioned an extended return period, but almost none highlighted in-store returns as an option, thus missing out on ease-of-use and up-sell opportunities. In 2005, e-tailers can benefit more from emphasizing return policies as strengths.
5. Relevant Content for You… Relevant Content for Them… Birthday, anniversary and holiday reminders that allow one to enter the names and important dates for relatives and friends make it easy to shop online. Relevant gift suggestions for the recipients are then delivered via triggered messaging to the gift-giver. This concept reminds shoppers how effortless online shopping can be and should be incorporated into e-mail strategies in 2005.
For questions or to request the complete Holiday 2004 trend article, please contact: MaxROI@e-Dialog.com.
About e-Dialog
Established in 1997, e-Dialog is a proven provider of advanced e-mail marketing technologies, products, strategies and services for permission-based e-mail marketers. The NFL, BMG Music Service, American Eagle Outfitters, TJX, Tesco, Reuters, Cendant and SmartBargains are just a few of the 60 top marketers that rely on e-Dialog’s flexible solutions to efficiently turn complex customer data into actionable and relevant e-mail campaigns that produce unbeatable results. JupiterResearch ranked e-Dialog a leading e-mail marketing service provider in 2004 based on its value and market suitability, and highlighted its reporting, analytics and deliverability features as strong and comprehensive. With offices in Lexington, Mass., and London, England, e-Dialog is a privately-held company whose investors include Flagship Ventures, Commonwealth Capital, and the Interpublic Group of Companies (NYSE: IPG). For more information, visit www.e-Dialog.com or contact Arthur Sweetser at 781-372-3353.
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Media contact:
Jean Borgman
(508) 451-5944
r.borgmanjr@comcast.net |
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