Creating an eCommerce Welcome Series to Increase Subscriber Engagement and Email ROI
By Megan Ouellet, Director of Marketing for Listrak
February 24, 2010
The benefits of sending an email welcome message upon subscription are many. A welcome message checks the validity of the email address and protects your reputation. It reminds subscribers about their opt-in requests and confirms subscription details. It provides an opportunity to collect additional profiling attributes while reinforcing your brand. Most importantly, it engages your subscribers at the exact moment they are most interested in hearing from you.
Image 1 - Kelly's Running Warehouse Welcome Message February 15, 2010
Listrak recently released a case study on Kelly's Running Warehouse's automated welcome message . The email is deployed within minutes of subscription and the results are tremendous - average open rate of 72% and average click-through rate of 43%. Plus, the email has generated thousands of dollars in additional revenue as it prompts subscribers to make a purchase with a coupon offer.
Most eCommerce businesses have already implemented an automated welcome message. It is one of the most widely adopted email strategies because it is easy to implement and the returns are immediate. However, the danger of creating automated messages is that you can "set them and forget them," and it doesn't take long for your messages to become stale and outdated. With that said, you should, at a minimum, do quarterly reviews of your automated emails to ensure creative, offers, and messages are timely, appropriate and effective.
A welcome series prolongs the subscriber lifecycle by keeping subscribers engaged, active, and responsive to your messages. Instead of encouraging a single purchase, you're cultivating long-term customers. The value of your subscribers increases along with the ROI of your email campaigns. It also helps reduce subscriber attrition and complaints, especially if you are targeting your subscribers with relevant, segmented messaging.
A welcome series gives you the opportunity to learn more about your subscribers as you can monitor their reaction to each message. Knowing what links they're clicking and what information they're viewing will help you understand what their needs are and what will influence them to make a purchase.
If you're still sending out a single welcome message, it's time to update your single message strategy to a series that strengthens loyalty and engagement.
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