EcommerceBytes-NewsFlash, Number 3154 - September 17, 2013 
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Ecommerce Must Change Email Marketing Tactics to Reach Buyers
By David A. Utter
Email marketing has proved surprisingly durable for online sellers. Even as consumers shift their web browsing habits from the desktop PC to platforms like tablets and smartphones, online retailers have found they still open emails on mobile devices.
The latest Ecommerce Quarterly from Monetate suggests that, despite consumer willingness to keep opening those emails, it may be time to do something a little different with email campaigns.
Monetate cites figures that show referral traffic and conversion rates to leading ecommerce sites from email has dropped from last year. A referral rate of 3.75 percent in Q2 2012 declined to 2.36 percent for Q2 2013.
At the same time, Monetate found that conversions rates slipped from 3.56 percent to 3.34 percent for the same year-over-year period. In addition, the number of same-store purchases from email is down 30.66% in the past 12 months.
The conventional strategy of sending more email may not work. Monetate thinks this will lead to a cycle of more emails being unsubscribed or worse marked as spam, resulting in more emails being sent to compensate yet experiencing even more negative customer responses.
What may help in email would be a strategy similar to that of a website campaign. Ecommerce pros seek to take advantage of their site's marketing by personalizing the visitor's experience. Amazon.com is a prime example, showing visitors suggestions based on prior browsing and buying behaviors.
Doing this in email would involve what Monetate called "open-time personalization." This isn't the static email message of years past. Email marketing will need to behave like intelligent website marketing to break through to consumers. One example suggests an email that makes recommendations timed to current or forecasted weather for the recipient.
Any strategy like this would need to be backed by continuing the experience from the email to the website. As online sellers look for competitive differences to stand out from others, personalization appears to be a necessary tactic to consider.
About the author:
David A. Utter is a freelance writer based in Lexington, KY. He has covered technology topics from search to security to online business and has been quoted in places like ZDNet and BusinessWeek. He considers his appearance on NPR's "All Things Considered" with long-time host Robert Siegel a delightful highlight. Send your tips to media@davidautter.com and find him on Twitter @davidautter and on LinkedIn.
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