Return Path, Inc.

In email marketing, the delivery and deliverability rate do not carry the same meaning, even though senders frequently use them interchangeably. Both are important to track, but succeeding at one is much more impressive than the other. While the delivery rate is a key first step in reaching subscribers, it's a metric where even the…

A constant challenge for marketers is properly crafting a transactional message after a customer has made a purchase. What should be included? How much promotional content can it contain? How many emails can be sent? While the main purpose of a transactional email should always be to confirm the actual purchase and costs, post-purchase emails…

Subject line testing is one of those things that's always on the “to do” list, but somehow seems hard to make happen. There are a thousand reasons why: lack of creativity to come up with variations, last-minute issues to resolve before the campaign goes out, uncertainty about how to split up the list … Subject…

Last month, I shared a collection of retail industry benchmarks to help with 2018 planning, and noted the fact that email has grown significantly to 3.7 billion users in 2017. As we enter the new year, it’s also an ideal time to review how specific performance metrics from your email program compare with other email…

Holiday spending online is projected to grow more than 15 percent during the 2017 holiday season, and 2 percent for brick-and-mortar stores, according to eMarketer. That’s $916 billion in holiday spending opportunity for retailers over the next couple of months. For many, the holiday campaign planning cycle has been in full swing for several weeks…

Each January for years now, we read something from the digital marketing industry announcing that “Email is Dead!” Yet each year, email remains the stronghold of both return on investment ($38 for each dollar spent) and conversion (66 percent). Email is NOT dead, or dying, or ailing. Email is evolving. Some of this evolution is…

This time of year can be very hectic. We (and our customers!) are running around in a rush to prepare for back to school (BTS). From the flurry of deals filling inboxes to the competition of price matching to the stream of commercials on TV and radio, we're in the throes of this prime retail…

Email is one of the most prolific and effective forms of marketing. However, a successful email program is more than just compelling copy and beautiful creative. It also requires a high-quality list of engaged subscribers. Keeping a clean list — one that’s free of invalid email addresses, spam traps and purchased addresses — not only…

For email marketers in the retail industry, developing a strong relationship with your subscribers is critical to your company’s bottom line. Therefore, many marketers are making data-driven decisions to fuel their campaigns. One metric that can help you more accurately analyze your email program is read rate — i.e., the percentage of subscribers who have…

Do your email subscribers want to come to your party? Hosting an event is a great way to build relationships while treating your friends and family to a good time. Everyone loves a great party, especially one that’s memorable, leaving guests in anticipation of the next invitation. This is the same way subscribers should feel…