I love the design of the Zappos.com email newsletter. They know to keep things simple and to the point. They also know that those first few seconds after your email is opened is crucial to determining whether I’ll read further or just hit the delete key. You can click to see the full newsletter online.
Is an email header really that big of a deal? Well sure it is! In my mind here’s a few points that they’ve really nailed.
Contact info at the top…
By putting their 800-number in the top left corner Zappos has done two things. First they’ve reinforced that it’s easy to get a real human on the phone. Second they’ve subtly reinforced one of the pillars that the company is founded on – customer service. For tech and social media savvy customers, links to their blog, Twitter and Facebook don’t hurt either!
Simple, attractive key points…
Using iconography to direct the readers focus to their return policy and free shipping is key – especially during the holidays. Zappos knows that the main objection that people have to buying clothes online is, “What if they don’t fit or I don’t like it.” They’ve addressed this by showing that you can take a full year to return items, and hey, they’ll even pay for shipping.
There’s also lots of research that shows how using the word free can increase your conversion rates (not to mention several daunting legal guidelines). Just don’t be gimmicky or overuse “FREE”. Find ways that it actually adds value to your offer rather than something tacky you add on.
Direct links to most popular sections…
For most of us, we use our e-mail newsletters to highlight something new or enticing on our websites. It could be a sale, important information or even a recap of postings throughout the month. However, the key element is that we want to find ways to add value to the conversations we have with customers. Sometimes the best way to do that is simply get them where they want to go as quickly as possible.
Conclusion…
I’ve only bought a few items from Zappos over the years. More than their products I’m a big fan of the company’s culture and values. If you’re interested, check out a copy of their Culture Book as well as the “Insights” blog.