Bronto Software

In a session yesterday at the NEMOA directXchange Spring Conference in Boston, Anna Pfeiffer, a marketing strategist at marketing automation services provider Bronto Software, identified her top 10 must-have components for a successful email marketing program. Here they are:

Blizzards and Black Friday. Tinseled trees. Hearing Mariah Carey belt out "All I Want for Christmas" every-friggin-where you go! Yes, these are all signs that the holidays have started. Being asked one of the following questions is another way I know the busiest time of year for commerce marketers is nigh:

Say it ain't so! I was actually sad when I read in MarketWatch this week that Seattle-based online retailer Zulily’s shares plunged more than 21 percent after it presented a weaker-than-expected sales forecast. And to think it was partly due to an email marketing mistake.

I'm excited to share with you some news: Retail Online Integration will be presenting its fourth annual Retail Marketing Virtual Conference & Expo (RMV) on July 18. The one-day virtual event is targeted exclusively to you, our readers: omnichannel retailers, e-tailers and catalogers who are on the cutting edge and always on the lookout for new strategies and technologies to improve their business. The show is a robust online experience, designed to bring the hottest retail marketing topics, experts and technology right to your computer — at no cost to you!

Jim Davidson, the manager of marketing research at email and marketing automation provider Bronto Software, presented data from Loading the Sleigh: Marketers' Plans & Expectations for the Holiday Season, a jointly published report by Bronto Software and Retail Systems Research, during his presentation at the 2013 Internet Retailer Conference & Exhibition in Chicago this week.

Recognizing the growing importance of online marketing during the holidays, more than 20 percent of retailers in the U.S. are set to significantly increase their spending in either mobile, social or email marketing channels this year. In fact, over 20 percent are allocating more than half of this year's holiday marketing budget to one or more of those three channels. These are highlights from 179 respondents to a recent retail survey, the majority of which report annual revenues from $51 million to $999 million, conducted by Retail Systems Research (RSR) late this summer.  

In the recent Online Shopper Experience Study conducted by Bronto Software, the carting and purchasing processes of 100 online retail brands and their abandoned cart marketing strategies were evaluated. The study points to user experience, indecision, technical issues and product cost/additional fees as the top reasons buyers abandon online purchases.

Most retailers would agree that the more customer data you have, the better. While this can be true for larger analytical efforts, it's important you focus on collecting the right data and use it sensibly to execute effective email, mobile and social marketing campaigns. The following are some vital tactics for data collection and usage that will help you acquire more subscribers, increase engagement and drive revenue.

Engaged customers are the holy grail for retailers today. They're the customers who interact with your brand on social networks, use mobile devices and subscribe to your email program. How do you acquire them? Join cross-channel retail experts Debra Ellis of Wilson Ellis Consulting and Kevin Skurski of Bronto Software as they answer that question and explain best practices around optimizing the customer buying cycle.

By consistently producing the highest return on investment of any marketing vehicle, it’s easy to see why email is a part of most every marketer’s toolbox. The challenge is getting your email message to stand out among the clutter. That encompasses a number of factors, including first and foremost getting your message delivered. After that, catchy subject lines, relevant content, enticing offers, great creative, among other things will determine whether your message connects with consumers.