E-commerce Link : Get the Message Out

Two triggered e-mail programs you can’t start 2010 without

Cart Abandonment
If you do not have an abandoned cart e-mail program, you need to address this right away. Most marketers find that 50 percent to 60 percent of shopping carts are abandoned. Just think, if you recapture some of these lost sales, you immediately increase revenues to a motivated target group. These shoppers took the time to browse your site and began to place orders when some circumstance interrupted them. If you let them easily pick up where they left off, you should stimulate 3 percent to 15 percent of them to complete their orders.

Here are some thoughts on how to put this program in motion:

• Send the first e-mail quickly. Many experts believe it should go out within an hour or two after the cart abandonment.

• Carefully construct the subject line, and make sure it clearly addresses the purpose of the message. "You have items in your shopping cart." "May we help you with your order?" "Did you forget something?"

• Make sure the button and link to continue checkout is prominent.

• Plan to send at least two e-mails. Many marketers use the first e-mail to present the product and perhaps some additional popular selection. The second e-mail is timed to follow up five to seven days later and might include a promotion, such as free shipping or a discount.

• If possible, picture the item left in the cart. Otherwise, you might develop a standard image evocative of the shopping cart.

• Include your toll-free number. If the consumer did have a problem, it is helpful to allow her to contact your call center for help.

Order Confirmations & Shipping Notices
It's likely you send order confirmations and shipping notices to customers. These relevant messages have very high open rates, so use them as an opportunity to include additional marketing offers. Your audience has very recently purchased on your site; this is the perfect time to cross-sell and upsell these buyers.

Let's look at a prime example of a marketer successfully using trigger messaging in its communications with customers. E-mail service provider Responsys works with LEGO, the toy building block company. LEGO features a few additional products in confirmation e-mails. According to Responsys in its The Retail Marketer's Playbook report, transactional messages account for 15 percent of LEGO's e-mail sales.

LEGO follows best practices. The subject line is "Your LEGO Order has Shipped." The main content of the e-mail is the shipping confirmation that takes prominence in the message. The company features additional products in the smaller right-hand column and also includes easy-to-find links to LEGO's customer service.

It's a new year, and it's time to make some resolutions. A good place to start is with these two triggered programs. Overhaul your confirmation messages, and put an abandoned cart program in place. You will reap the rewards and the sales. Then you can move on to tackle the implementation of other types of triggered messaging.

Regina Brady is president of Reggie Brady Marketing Solutions, a direct and e-mail marketing consultancy. She can be reached at (203) 838-8138 or reggie@reggiebrady.com.

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