Shop Talk: 6 Ways to Acquire Consumer Email Addresses

4. If you're selling hard goods, make sure that inside the packaging of each product you include a card inviting the purchaser to sign up for your email program. This tactic helps customers remember where they purchased from in case they need to return something or they want to buy more.

5. An effective way to get people to sign up for your email program is by including a sign-up link in your transaction emails — i.e., those emails that say things like, "Your product is being shipped today." The HTML message should include a link to sign up right there in the email. You already have their email address (that's how you sent it), so don't require them to enter any information. All they should need to do is click on the link.