MARCH EMAIL MARKETING REPORT BEAUTY
THE BRANDS INTRODUCTION The beauty sector is changing. The buying habits of consumers, the growth of discount retailers and the migration to online shopping is reshaping the industry. It was often felt that the biggest threat to the high street beauty specialist was, as is often the case, the supermarket. However, given how fewer consumers are carrying out their weekly grocery shops at large supermarkets this is no longer the case. The real threat to the sector now comes from mixed-goods discount stores such as Poundland and B&M Bargains, and internet-only retailers. METHOD With such a competitive marketplace, email marketing can play a vital part in both defending and gaining market share. This Marketing Report looks at how those operating in the UK beauty sector are using email not only to generate sales, but also to drive traffic and build relationships. We have looked at how businesses who operate in this sector acquire new email addresses, what data they collect at subscription and how they welcome new subscribers to the brand. In addition, we explore the often controversial subject of email frequency, alongside the issue of responsive design, and also look at abandoned basket emails. We have analysed the email marketing of beauty industry brands we received in one month. These brands were chosen for analysis as they are the most visited beauty industry websites in the UK.* *According to www.similarweb.com 3
DATA COLLECTION 3% Did brands have a registration form? 3% of companies had no registration form 69% of companies had a registration form SIGN UP 69% FACT: 6% of brands did not collect any data in addition to the email address. Relevancy is the key to all marketing channels and email is no different, so we recommend that at some point in the subscription process you attempt to collect as much data as you possibly can. This could be at the point of subscription or an email follow-up driving recipients through to an Email Preference Centre. Where on the website do they ask for email sign up? % Top of page What information was requested at sign up /account set up? Middle of page Title First Name Last Name Phone number DOB Gender Postcode Skin Type 47% 9% % Bottom of page Pop up FACT: 9/ companies had a sign up for our newsletters sign in more than one place on the homepage. We appreciate that there is a lot of competition for homepage real estate, especially above the fold. However, if you have a requirement for new email data then we would recommend that you promote email subscription in the most prominent position possible. Paula s Choice Wahanda Escentual Liz Earle Ghd Salons Direct Molton Brown Estée Lauder Soap and Glory No encouragement Free complimentary delivery on first order Tips, tricks and more Receive free gifts Receive offers from us Receive new in alerts Stay in the know with email updates Receive latest news from us 3 How do they encourage you to sign up? What did it say on the website post sign up /registration? 3 7 8 9 Congratulations, your registration was successful Nothing 6 Thank you 6 6 Some brands promote more than one benefit of signing up to their emails. Some brands had more than one message. 4
WELCOME EMAILS FREQUENCY 9/4 companies sent a welcome email. No welcome emails were received from these brands: As with any automated email, timing is everything. In our experience, we see better open and click-through rates when automated welcome emails are sent instantly at the point of subscription. WHEN WERE THE WELCOME EMAILS RECEIVED? NEXT DAY How many emails did we receive in a week?* Glossy Box Soap and Glory Lancôme HQ Hair Kiehl s Time to Spa Mankind Bobbi Brown 3 3 Clients regularly ask us how often they should send their customers emails, but for us, it shouldn t be a question of email frequency, instead a question of content and response. If you re sending valuable and relevant content to your email recipients and they re responding well, look to push the frequency as high as possible. 8/ brands sent an instant welcome email while two, Wahanda and Lancôme, sent a welcome email next day. Estée Lauder Urban Decay Clinique Next Day Molton Brown INSTANT Instant Bare Minerals Salons Direct Beauty Expert 6 / welcome emails were personalised: Ghd Cult Beauty Clarins Liz Earle 4 6/ welcome emails were responsive: Benefit Cosmetics Look Fantastic 4 Escentual DISCOUNT ER In total 8/ welcome emails were incentivised: Wahanda Paula s Choice Allbeauty.com % % FREE DELIVERY % % % % % 3 4 6 FACT: / brands who sent out emails made them responsive. *Average 6 7
FREQUENCY Total number of emails received in a month BIRTHDAY EMAILS We only received a birthday email from bare Minerals FACTS: Glossy Box Soap and Glory A total of emails from brands in 3 days (excluding welcome and abandoned basket emails). Lancôme HQ Hair Kiehl s 8 We failed to receive an email from Esentual, Urban Decay, Estée Lauder and Bobbi Brown. Subject Line: Happy Birthday to You Time to Spa 8 Mankind 7 Bobbi Brown Estée Lauder urban Decay Clinique Molton Brown 9 Bare minerals Salons Direct Beauty Expert 6 GHD Hair Cult Beauty 3 Clarins 6 Liz Earle 3 Benefit Cosmetics Look Fantastic Escentual Wahanda Paula s Choice Allbeauty.com 9 8 9
We recieved 8 abandoned basket emails Subject Line: A Quick Reminder - 'Dior Show Iconic Extreme Waterproof Mascara' Is Still In Your Basket Subject Line: Can we help with your order? HQ hair (received 4 hours after abandoning basket) allbeauty.com (received mins after abandoning basket) Subject Line: Tanya, there's still time to complete your purchase (received days after abandoning basket)
Subject Line: Can we help with your order? Mankind (received 4 hours after abandoning basket) Subject Line: Your saved basket Look Fantastic (received 4 hours after abandoning basket) Subject Line: Tanya, there's still time to complete your purchase (received days after abandoning basket) 3
Subject Line: Don't forget your Molton Brown items Subject Line: Your saved basket Molton Brown ( hour after abandoning basket) Lancôme (received 4 hours after abandoning basket) Subject Line: Don't miss out on your Molton Brown items (4 hours after abandoning basket) 4
Subject Line: Left Something Behind? Kiehl s (received 4 hours after abandoning basket) 6 Subject Line: Don't forget the items in your shopping bag Estée Lauder (received 4 hours after abandoning basket) 7
BEST EMAILS RECEIVED BEST EMAILS RECEIVED Date: 9th February Subject Line: We dare you to... Soap and Glory has a very unique tone of voice which is used throughout all their marketing campaigns. In comparison to some of their competitors who position themselves as specialists in the field by using formal and professional tone of voice, Soap and Glory stands out by using a humorous, chatty, even wacky tone of voice and this email is a great example. The first success of the email is that the subject line is very intriguing. It challenges receivers to do something which means they re more likely to click through to find out what that challenge is. It was also well timed, being sent out a few days before Valentine s Day when we re looking to create some seriously kissable lips. The design of the email is very engaging, with a gif image of a buzz-o-meter which detects what shades of lipstick you need, acting as a great tool to showcase their product range. Besides very clear CTA buttons to buy the lipsticks, the email includes a section which promotes new shades and invites customers to engage with the brand on Facebook and their website so as to find out when the new products are revealed. I think this email includes brilliant content and is a great example of successful email marketing. 8 Date: th February Subject Line: It s all about the bag This email stood out because it was the only email received that used a celebrity to promote the product. Meghan Trainor has recently become very famous with her song All about that Bass and Clinique has cleverly used the song s most recognisable line and tailored it to their product to create a subject line that will grab readers attention through linking back to the lyric. The limited amount of copy makes it easy to look through and brings the point of the email, the promotion of a free bag, to the front. This email also says online exclusive at the very top which makes those who are subscribed to Clinique s emails feel special, creating positive feelings about being subscribed. 9
BEST EMAILS RECEIVED BEST EMAILS RECEIVED Date: 8th February Subject Line: Not long to go... Date: 9th February Subject Line: Days Free Delivery Get her the world s best gift. These examples from Salons Direct demonstrate the importance of email frequency. The first email has a catchy subject line. It s unusual, minimalistic and sounds demanding, so is intriguing (which is a great strategy to increase open rates). The content is simple too, it makes receivers aware of the competition the brand entered and encourages them to vote. This email from Clarins is a good example of how email marketing can be linked to holidays to create greater appeal and engagement. It was sent out on the 9th of February which is nearly a month before Mother s Day, so would appeal to those who like to plan ahead. What I like about the design of this email is that it draws your eyes downwards using flowers that are diffused throughout the email panels, creating fluidity and making you want to scroll down. The second and third emails, received one week later and then weeks later, also have direct, short, subject lines. The designs however, are twice as long as the first, yet remain clean and concise, ensuring we re not bombarded with information. Plus, as recipients are reminded about the competition, it increases the chances of them acting, which is the purpose of these emails. Notice the difference in the logos at the top of these three emails? This wasn t unexpected for Salons Direct s customers as they were sent a separate email to tell them about the re-brand. I thought this was very thoughtful to warn customers of their changes, and good for Salons Direct as customers could have confused the new branding for spam. 3
BEST EMAILS RECEIVED OUR AGENCY At Red C, we believe producing effective advertising and marketing campaigns can only come from developing a deep and genuine understanding of a client s business, products and customers. We encourage staff to get under the skin of every client s business. We sit in on call centres, accompany field sales staff, work in branches and stores and analyse and interpret client data online and offline to create real insight. It leads to robust, long-standing relationships with our clients. Date: nd February Subject Line: And the winner is... This is a great example of an email triggered by relevant world wide events. From watching award ceremonies we know that the phrase And the winner is... is always followed by an exciting reveal, so I thought it was very smart to use it as a subject line. The email has a great concept as Benefit is awarding its own products for being so great. As award-winning products consumers will feel like these are the best of their kind and are more likely to trust in the product. Strongly analytical in approach, the agency comes from a direct marketing background, yet today 7% of revenue is from online channels, including email marketing, paid search and search engine optimisation, social media marketing and web development. A significant further proportion of revenue comes from TV we will have completed around a dozen commercials by the year end. So the agency can offer expertise across a full range of channels, online, offline and broadcast, which helps us to tackle client challenges and develop integrated campaigns for a wide range of target audiences, products and services, in a media neutral way. Our client base is blue chip. Alongside JD Williams and Swinton, we are also retained by rail operator Eurostar, leading Premier League team Manchester City, 7-store strong retail chain Bensons for Beds, leading pub company Spirit and top holiday operators Hoseasons and Great Rail Journeys. So everyday, our employees work with leading edge marketing teams in every relationship. OUR CLIENTS Also, everybody likes getting free stuff. So the bottom panel works to increase the chances of products being purchased by promoting a free sample with every online order. Great tactics! THE CLEVER CLOTHES SHOP OUR SERVICES Red C is a fully integrated agency which offers a wide range of services, including Strategic Consultancy, Email Marketing, Social Media Management, Search Engine Optimisation, Content Marketing, Paid Search, Television Production, Print Production and Analysis. 3