Why email is so effective for fashion and retail brands

Email marketing, when done properly, is the most effective tool for fashion or retail brands wanting to reach their customers at the right time with the right message. The fashion and retail sector achieves impressive engagement rates from email marketing, with open rates averaging 22.2% and click through rates averaging 2.65% in 2015. But why is email marketing so effective in this sector?

Is everything we receive strategic?

Well ‘yes’ is the answer. We all have our favourite fashion brands, but have you ever stopped to think why we like the brands we do?

A lot of the time it comes down to the product, but more often than not it’s the behind the scene, subliminal efforts, that really grab our attention.

From the special messages and discounts on our birthday, to the constant updates regarding our delivery status or even the once a month newsletter which always keeps us in the loop just before pay day.

The communications from the brands we love are strategic and we as consumers love it!

So how has email marketing revolutionised the customer purchase decision?

With the introduction of smart phones, marketing to your consumers through email has never been so easy and so affective.

The decision making process can be complex, but with the right communication at the right time, brands can now differentiate between loyal customers, a one-off purchaser or a disengaged prospect.

91% of consumers use email at least once a day. So why are businesses using email to reach their customers?

It’s fast- Sending real-time communication straight to the palm of your consumer has never been so easy. Marketers, within minutes, are able to communicate their message in real-time with Drag & Drop.

It’s affordable- Email marketing doesn’t need to be expensive, in fact it is the best for ROI. With the right brand guidelines anyone can create beautifully engaging emails. HTML uploads, dynamic html, Drag & Drop, template wizard, plain text and html editor are all the ways you can build a campaign. As you become more confident, start to test different locations of buttons, copy and images and perfect your template for different types of messages.

It’s personal- Nail your database and the rest will fall into place. Once you have a great database full of your customers, use their first name to add the human touch to your campaigns. If you don’t know their first name, never fall short. Here’s a tip for your campaigns to get you started-

Hi *Firstname=fallback(‘fashionistas‘)*,

It’s trackable- There are many benefits of Google Analytics but it can be a scary process. After you’ve built your email and sent it you can track who exactly clicked the campaign. Not only that, you can also identify where they navigated from your campaign and where next on your website, their name, email, LinkedIn and much more. The more you send to them, the stronger the profile you can build.

The fashion industry is a great example where loyalty to brands is as strong as ever.

The industry has adapted to the rising demand of consumers wanting to be in the know, be the first to get special offers, join exclusive privilege clubs and feel that their hard earned money has been spent wisely.

The difficulty has always been how to engage with your customers and keep them coming back time and time again. Email marketing is a great starting point for your journey and even if you are currently using email it may be worth while thinking; can I really see the ROI for what I am producing and could it be better? Do I know who is actually interacting with my campaigns and do my customers deserve better?

Oh and one more thing, the campaign again...