Email marketing is one of the most popular forms of marketing for good reason. It gives you a direct line to your customers. When your marketing options are limited, you can still reach customers straight on their phones.

Having a loyalty system already gives you a head start on other retailers, as your customers provide their email address when they sign up. You can use the database you’ve already gathered to send marketing emails and campaigns.

From automated welcome emails to specialised campaigns, this kind of marketing will have an undeniable impact on your business. We provide branded email templates on an easy-to-use retail email marketing system, so you can send what you like whenever you like.

The Lowdown on Email Marketing

Retailers say that email marketing generates, on average, a 3800% return on their investment. It works because most of us regularly use at least one email account.

81% of small to medium businesses rely on email campaigns as their primary marketing strategy. 80% of retailers believe that email campaigns are responsible for most of their business’s customer retention. Meanwhile, 59% of consumers say marketing emails influence most of their purchase decisions.

It’s not just businesses that benefit from marketing campaigns. 49% of consumers said they like to receive promotional emails from their favourite retailers at least once a week.

Email Marketing Optimisation

Marketing email campaigns must be formatted correctly for you to benefit from the results. Balance the content of your emails. A ratio of 60% text to 40% images is the best starting point. Then use the data to adjust the next one to fit your audience.

Personalised subject lines generate 50% higher open rates than those that aren’t addressed to anyone. Timing is another important part of a well-received campaign. Sending your emails at specific times of the day can be the key to success.

If the main aim of your email is to encourage an immediate sale, research shows that the best time to send is at lunchtime. Email users of all demographics show a strong peak in checking their email at this time. The percentage of emails with a successful CTA is also highest during this period. Emails meant to educate the audience are best sent in the early evening, when people have time to read them.

Differences between audiences can strongly dictate what’s best for you.

Gender Targeted Email Marketing

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Men and women absorb and retain information differently, so it’s important to understand your target audience.

If your audience is mostly female, divide your email into sections with each section pitching only one message. Each section should also include a CTA.

Bright, clear layouts are useful with a mostly female audience as they are more likely to catch the eye. Make important information easy to spot. Use a different font or background blocks of colour. Large buttons with links can also help. Emotional appeal, such as donating a portion of your proceeds to charity, is also effective among women.

Women check their inboxes and interact with emails most often between midday and 2pm, so this is the best time to send your campaign.
For a male target audience, emphasise facts and figures. Break text up with bullet points to show your important information. Use technical language where appropriate. Most importantly, keep the content of your email short.

Men check their inboxes throughout the day, with peaks of interaction at 9am, midday and 5pm.
This information is worth using. Gender-targeted campaigns have the most impact, with some businesses seeing over 10% more interaction and sales compared to non-targeted campaigns.

Designing Your Marketing Campaigns

When writing content for marketing emails, keep them short. Don’t go into too much detail. Most people read their emails on their phones on the go, so they only need a small amount of detail. Add a call to action with a link to a landing page or a way to contact you. That reduces the amount of information you need to include in your emails.

The most important topic of your email should go first. This catches your readers’ attention so they don’t skip anything they should know.

Design your marketing emails to lead your customers’ eyes. Each section should follow on from the last. Tie the design together with your branding, such as colour schemes, fonts and logos. Your images should also follow a similar theme so as not to confuse readers. Don’t be afraid to use blank space to divide the topics and images in your email.

Lastly, your audience will view your emails on all types of devices. Make sure your template is responsive for mobile phones, tablets and desktop viewing.

The design of your marketing campaigns is almost as important as the content itself. Combine the two with optimised sending times and you have a recipe for success. Email marketing is a tool all retailers should be using to increase business. Our system makes it easy.

Contact us today to find out more.