Feb 24 2009
Welcome Messages: Who’s On the Trigger?
If a customer walked into your store and told you that of the thousands of stores they could have visited, they chose yours – and they liked it so much that they wanted you to contact them personally on a regular basis with updates and information – what would you say?
Recently I signed up at a series of multi-channel retailers that you would find in most malls across America to find out exactly how businesses are treating their newest prospects and customers.
Here’s a breakdown of the results:
- Sent email immediately 60%
- Sent email within 1 day 60%
- Sent email within 5 days 80%
- Sent email within 7 days 100%
Sending a triggered welcome email quickly is a perfect way to acknowledge your customers interest and get the relationship off to the right start while your business is top of mind.
But speed is not the only criteria for an effective welcome email. In fact, offering a call to action in the welcome email can be just what it takes to turn an interested prospect into a buyer. Of the emails I received, here’s how they welcomed me:
- Standard promotional email: 20%
- “Thank you” message, no offer: 30%
- “Thank You” + special offer(s): 50%
Honoroble Mention: J.CREW
As you can see from the stats above, there was a wide variety of welcome programs from a similar set of retailers. One company that stood out from the pack was J.CREW, who instantly thanked me for my interest, acknowledged my preferences and offered me free shipping if I purchased in the next two weeks.
Of the 50% that gave you a special offer was there any differentiation of the offer for online and offline?
Yes. Some welcome emails had distinct offers for a retail store purchase versus an online purchase, but not many. In future posts I’ll go into more detail on specific content and offers.