3 First‑Party Data Tactics to Make Your Emails Better

Right now, successful email marketing is all about personalization. The good news is, you already know what buyers want — it’s right there in your first-party data. By integrating dynamic personalization into your customers’ first-party data profiles, you create an unforgettable experience that delivers value at every stage of the customer journey.

Here are three first-party data tactics you can use to transform every customer’s email experience going forward:

Deliver live product recommendations across all channels

If your goal is boosting conversion rates and growing email engagement, it’s critical for your emails to stand out in an inbox likely packed with competing messages. Giving customers interest-driven, relevant product recommendations that sync with your first-party data tactics at the moment of interest by providing valuable information like live pricing updates instantly makes your message a ‘must open.’

In order to personalize email with hand-picked offers, first-party data from abandoned carts, previously browsed items, or even items your subscribers have clicked in previous emails all provide unique opportunities for potential conversion.

For example, online clothing retailer JustFab uncovered incredible results by adopting dynamic recommendations based on abandoned cart and previously browsed item data into its personalized email marketing plan. Thanks to this simple tactic, the brand now boasts a 50% boost in email conversion rates and a 46% reduction in customer churn.

Reminding customers what they’re missing out on — especially if it’s a great deal on an item they’ve previously browsed — is ideal for both engaging new customers and re-engaging existing audiences with what they love most about your brand.

Captivate attention with interactive email elements

In a year full of uncertainty, nice surprises make for incredibly welcome change. Increasing email campaign engagement by prompting your customers to click or peel to reveal mystery messages like a hidden deal of the day, shipping promotion, or a coupon code is a fun way to add an element of suspense to your email campaigns that makes everyone a winner.

When NASCAR wanted to boost its birthday email program, it worked with Marigold Engage by Sailthru and Liveclicker to make each of its birthday messages a unique gift.

Previously, NASCAR’s emails included a static birthday greeting with a unique discount code for each potential shopper. But in order to improve its customer experiences and engagement levels, NASCAR decided to turn its birthday discount offer into a click-to-reveal interactive experience. And this fun shift to interactive email personalization supported by first-party data resulted in a 19% CTR increase and an almost three percent increase in clicks from April to July 2020.

Track packages right within the email

One of the hardest parts of online shopping is the wait. Especially during COVID-19, when widespread shipping delays meant that many shoppers were left compulsively clicking their tracking numbers only to receive very little new information on the status of their orders.

One small way to keep your customers’ attention inside your email while vastly improving their experience is by offering live order tracking that refreshes each time subscribers engage with your message. In-message package tracking keeps shoppers in the know through dynamic content updates that display precisely where their packages are at every stage of the delivery process.