From: Crate and Barrel
Date: 05/27/2014
Subject Line: Tell us what you think and you could win a $1000 Shop Card.
Crate&Barrel has a proven track record of employing email to its fullest potential for customer engagement and retention. This product review request email continues that tradition. Here are a few things C&B is doing right:
1. The Gmail inbox filtering instructions in the pre-header. While many email-retailers are struggling with how to deal with gmail tabs, Crate and Barrel has segmented its subscribers with gmail addresses, and provides brief instructions to keep their emails getting top priority in the inbox. (the web version of the email does not have the gmail instructions)
2. The request for honest feedback (for better or worse). It’s not all “Rah! Rah! Tell us how great our stuff is”… Negative feedback can be an asset. Presumably, if a particular item receives copious amounts of negative reviews, it will lead to product improvements or removal from the available inventory.
3. The enticement. Crate&Barrel uses an attractive sweepstakes offer to compel its customers to complete product reviews. Who wouldn’t want a $1000 shop card?
Code à la Mode’s only recommendation to improve this email would be to dynamically populate it with the previously purchased product(s) and link(s). This would facilitate the review process and gain increased participation. (And, as the author’s last Crate & Barrel purchase was a few months back, a reminder would have been helpful!)
Check out my previous accolades for C&B email campaigns in the Gold Star Email Award written for The Retail Email Blog, and Happy Trigger Email for the Responsys New School Marketing Blog (now known as the Oracle Marketing Cloud Blog).
Chalk this one up as another winning campaign from the Crate&Barrel team (now fingers crossed that I win that $1000 shop card!)
