Forget friendship. Show me the goods!

Transcription

1 Forget friendship. Show me the goods! Consumers see their inbox as a marketplace, not a meeting place. pure360.com

2 An all but ignored side effect of the rise of social media is that marketers have crept further and further into the realm of the personal. has become a hotbed for personalised, chatty and sometimes fluffy content designed to forge a friendly link between brands and consumers. But has this quest for friendship backfired? Over-personalisation can cause significant brand damage if it feels insincere, therefore it s vital that marketers understand what kind of interaction customers respond most positively to. From meeting place to marketplace We decided to investigate by interviewing 1,000 UK consumers and testing their reactions to popular campaigns to discover what makes them click, and why. Our study found that the inbox is becoming a marketplace not a meeting place. Consumers receive more s from brands than friends and family, yet they are logging on more than ever, with 99% checking their inbox at least once a day and avidly sifting the gems from the junk. The challenge for marketers is how to grab attention and produce messages that recipients look forward to receiving without straying into false friendship territory. This means enticing customers with highly relevant information and offers they can t resist. In the first of this new series of research reports we reveal the critical qualities needed for an that hits the mark: temptation, relevancy and clarity. 2/12

3 Obsessive checking, rapid deleting How often people check their personal 1% 9% 32% A FEW TIMES A WEEK ONCE A DAY OVER TEN TIMES A DAY 78% Over three quarters (78%) of UK consumers now receive more s from companies and brands than they do from family and friends. 32% 26% 2-4 TIMES A DAY 5-9 TIMES A DAY 63% People are almost obsessive about monitoring their personal s, but this doesn t mean they read everything far from it! Almost two thirds (63%) delete most marketing s without reading them, but they make some exceptions. Checking constantly, deleting the majority, reading occasionally and checking again. It s as if people don t want to miss something. The question is: what are they searching for? 3/12

4 The essential qualities of Britain s most popular marketing s Temptation How the most popular s make recipients feel WINNERS 34% INTRIGUED 28% AMUSED 38% TEMPTED Our research analysed the emotional impact of successful campaigns and found people would rather be tempted than amused or informed. This is mirrored by the fact that two thirds of UK consumers are most likely to open with offers in the subject line. LOSERS 21% INFORMED 17% SPECIAL 2% SHOCKED It seems people are happy to use as a marketplace, as long as they like what s on offer. This is where relevance is crucial. 4/12

5 Relevancy With the exception of special offers, the subject lines that resonate best with consumers include topics that fit their interests as well as brands they like. However they prefer no personalisation at all to that based on demographic assumptions, while including people s names had no discernible impact. Subject lines which entice recipients to open marketing s WINNERS LOSERS 37% A TOPIC THAT INTERESTS ME 32% A BRAND I LIKE IS MENTIONED 65% SPECIAL OFFER 8% SOMETHING CONTROVERSIAL 8% A QUESTION 6% SOMETHING EMOTIVE 5/12

6 Clarity qualities that resonate best with UK consumers People like s that get to the point. Our research uncovered a strong preference for a direct, open approach to selling rather than a softer sell hidden behind a ruse of friendship. More than a third (37%) went as far as to call overlyfamiliar s deal breakers. WINNERS 49% SIMPLE 48% EASY TO READ 41% ATTRACTIVE DESIGN LOSERS 25% PERSONALISED 24% GREAT PICTURES 23% HELPFUL 6/12

7 The essential qualities of successful s CLARITY TEMPTATION TRIGGERED S RE-ENGAGEMENT ABANDON BASKET ENGAGEMENT WELCOME POST PURCHASE NEWSLETTER RELEVANCY TRIGGERED S REVENUE DRIVERS 7/12

8 Don t get too personal Although personalisation has its merits, there is a strong sense that consumers want marketers to keep their distance and focus on the goods they are offering. Almost two fifths (38%) hate feeling like companies are stalking them via . This applies to content and style too. Less than a fifth (18%) said personalised content would tempt them to open an , and only 17% said it would prompt them to return to a brand that they d previously abandoned. 38% HATE FEELING LIKE COMPANIES ARE STALKING THEM VIA Not too often, but often enough While consumers dislike over-frequency and two thirds (65%) say this turns them off a brand, the majority (57%) are happy to receive s up to once a week. Damage limitation Nine in ten (91%) UK consumers sometimes get annoyed by marketing s. The consequences of one bad can be dire. One third (37%) send an to junk after reading a message they don t particularly like and even more (39%) unsubscribe from future s. Yet the good news is mistakes can be rectified. WHAT BRANDS CAN DO TO WIN CONSUMERS BACK 47% INCLUDE A SPECIAL OFFER 19% ASK IF I WANT TO CHANGE MY PREFERENCES 17% SEND SOMETHING PERSONALISED 16% SEND SOMETHING WITTY AND FUNNY 12% BY REMOVING ME FROM THEIR S 12% NOTHING COULD WIN ME BACK 9% SEND SOMETHING WITH BEAUTIFUL DESIGN 7% BY PROVIDING ALTERNATIVE WAYS TO ENGAGE 37% MARK AN AS SPAM OR SEND IT TO JUNK 8/12

9 The age factor Marketplace Meeting place CHECK PERSONAL S MORE THAN TEN TIMES A DAY Our research found an indirect correlation between how often different age groups use for personal communication and how much they engage with marketing communications. 24% 18-24s 27% OVER 55s Young people are most comfortable with being sold to via , with 18 to 24 year olds being the least likely to delete marketing messages without reading them and the most likely to engage. This age group receives fewer personal s, perhaps due to a tendency to use social media for personal communications. RECEIVE S FROM FAMILY AND FRIENDS 68% 18-24s 91% OVER 55s Conversely older consumers are the least likely to engage with marketing s. Those over 55 are the most likely to check their s 10 times a day or more. SAY THEY ENGAGE WITH MARKETING COMMS It seems groups of people who frequently use for personal communication find marketing s more intrusive and are less likely to engage. This has interesting echoes of our 2014 Buying Behaviour Study, which found consumers are most consciously influenced by than any other digital channel. 21% OVER 55s 35% 18-24s 9/12

10 All or nothing with the sexes Our research found only subtle variations in the way men and women respond to marketing. Marketers seem to have more to gain by using long-term customer nurturing strategies with women. They are less forgiving of unappealing campaigns than men and quicker to unsubscribe if they dislike just one , but more likely to take positive action such as sharing an they like. This illustrates the wider trend of consumers taking an all or nothing approach dismissing s entirely that don t meet their criteria but actively looking forward to those that do. Men and women: Not so different 23% 32% ALWAYS DELETE MARKETING S WITHOUT READING THEM 82% 78% DELETE MARKETING S THEY DISLIKE 42% 33% UNSUBSCRIBE FROM A BRAND S S IF THEY RECEIVE JUST ONE THEY DISLIKE 39% 33% DISLIKE S THAT ARE OVERLY FAMILIAR 16% 11% FORWARD ON MARKETING S THEY LIKE 38% 30% SEEK OUT FURTHER INFORMATION AFTER RECEIVING AN THEY LIKE 22% 29% BECOME MORE LIKELY TO OPEN FUTURE S FROM A BRAND AFTER RECEIVING AN THEY LIKE 10/12

11 How to seal the deal It s not enough to create one brilliant campaign. Brands need to win a reputation for delivering must-read messages to win the right to bypass people s internal filters. The aim should be becoming one of the few brands that customers skip straight to when they open their inbox. While demographics can give clues on how people want to be communicated with, there is no substitute for watching and listening. Monitor how consumers respond to campaigns and adjust your content and frequency accordingly. People appreciate straightforward information from brands they occasionally buy from, however prefer tempting offers from brands they buy from more frequently. While marketers should not abandon personalisation or engagement, this research illustrates that they need to be used with care. Be aware that customers know what brands want from them, as well as what they want from brands. Don t get too friendly too soon and don t pretend that friendship is the ultimate goal. You want to sell, and customers want to buy the right things in the right way. So cut to the chase and show them the goods! 11/12

12 pure360.com Keep up to date with more of the series here. 12/12