A LITTLE INTRIGUE

I'm a fan of Nine West shoes, so I joined their mailing list a while back. But, like most people, I don't actually read a lot of what comes into my Inbox. Since I usually receive an email from Nine West everyday (which is way too often) -- and most of them look exactly the same -- anything from "Nine West" will often go into the trash without being opened.

The other day, I was in a shoe-browsing mood, so I decided to open a Nine West email. This was what I found:

Mmmmm... For my eyes only? How very intriguing...
Unlike the usual beauty shot of featured shoes and the catchy title that introduces the latest trends, this page was mysterious and exclusive-looking. This was something new.

Curious to be in-the-know, I clicked on the link.

And... YES! I get a coupon! Who doesn't love getting a deal?! Now, that was a nice reward for clicking on a promotional email.

Don't get me wrong, it's not like I've never received coupons in the email before. But this type of presentation appeals to me much more than the traditional "open up the email and see the latest sale" tactic I see all too often. A little excitement and intrigue in today's predictable and look-alike world of email marketing can go a long way.

The only dissatisfaction I had was with the fact that 20% off seemed a little low. Since the economy has been slow to recover, more and more retailers are holding frequent sales promotions. The norm for discounts seems to hover around 30% off. This is not great for retailers' margins, but people are less reluctant to part with their hard earned dollars when things are uncertain. Discounts seem to be the popular way to entice spending (especially for non-essential items) for now.

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Examples of typical email promotions: