Return Path, Inc.

Some brands simply hang onto email subscribers better than others. They develop stronger relationships, more organic list growth, spend less on acquisition, and their customers’ lifetime values are higher — often dramatically so — than their competitors’. Among the differences between these leaders and the brands they outperform is systematic early intervention to anticipate and…

We took a look at email marketing trends from Mother's Day 2014 across major floral brands (ProFlowers, 1-800-Flowers.com, FTD, Teleflora, FromYouFlowers) and found similarities and differentiators in key areas — subject line, body and call to action (CTA).

If this time of year marks your off-season, then segmenting, testing and sharpening your email program now will give you plenty of time to try new approaches, take risks and learn what will resonate with subscribers during your busy time. If you're in your peak season, follow the same steps to use whatever down-cycle time you have to optimize your email marketing program and revenue for 2016.

Frequently misunderstood and feared, blacklists vex many email marketers. To those without the benefit of experience, blacklists seem liable to penalize any sender on a whim, but industry veterans know that's not the real story. The savviest understand where the hazards are and how to avoid them. Senders that understand the landscape take these six steps to stay off blacklists, or to quickly remediate blacklisting events:

Email is still a top communication channel for retailers looking to stay in touch with customers and prospects. In fact, 98 percent of retailers collect email addresses through a variety of channels, with the most popular being their websites and point-of-sale locations. Retailers use these email addresses to send a high volume of messages to consumers for operational and marketing purposes in an effort to drive additional revenue. However, many retailers aren't capturing accurate emails or managing their email database effectively.

More marketers are beginning to focus on new strategies to drive increased revenue in a changed email environment. The keys to success will be to send less email; leverage new data sources from channels like social media; better design for mobile devices; and extend personalized messaging in email beyond the inbox.

Happy New Year! It’s hard to believe, but 2012 is here and in full swing. Hopefully you had a busy and productive holiday season and are now ready to jump into 2012 no-holds-barred. Before you get started, however, make sure to check out this guide. We’ve assembled a top-notch group of cross-channel retail experts to offer you their best advice for the year ahead. W

Welcome to Retail Online Integration's annual Resource Guide. This special section offers all the crucial details, company information, contact numbers and addresses of product and service providers to the cross-channel retail industry.

Retailers (or any marketer or publisher) seeking higher conversion rates must adopt an “innovation attitude” to guide them amid a fertile landscape for new ideas, advanced technology and customer behavior learnings. So advised speaker after speaker at last week's Shop.org Merchandise Summit in Huntington Beach, Calif.

In a session at last month's Digital Marketing Days Conference & Expo in New York City, Chris Marriott, vice president of global agency services at interactive marketing services firm Acxiom, and Josh Glantz, vice president and general manager at Publishers Clearing House (PCH) Online, the internet destination of the sweepstakes marketer, detailed how an integrated marketing approach can still win over consumers’ attention — and wallets.