The Marigold Engage by Sailthru Marketing Team’s Email of the Month: Petco

We’re back with the latest installment of our Email of the Month blog series! And this time, we’re spotlighting an email that makes the dog days of summer a little more fun (and a lot more personal).

The last 18 months have been hard. But if there’s one positive that came from the COVID-19 pandemic, it’s that millions of people got to spend 24/7 with their furry, feathery, and scaly friends while working from home. Today, pets feel more like family members than ever — and Petco’s latest email proves that treating them like one makes for an engaging email experience!

It’s no secret that shoppers love personalization. In fact, 62% of today’s retail consumers say it’s important that the brands they choose personalize every interaction according to their unique preferences, product interests, past purchases, and more. But that doesn’t mean you need to spend millions of dollars on advanced technology or overhaul your email marketing strategy.

A little touch of personalization can go a long way — and this featured Petco email proves it!

Barking Up the Right Tree

Many retailers have found success in personalizing email subject lines by adding a shopper’s name. But the personalization game has come a long way in a relatively short period of time, so why stop there?

With the myriad of dynamic content tools and email personalization platforms available, it’s easier than ever to customize your email messaging, images, and brand elements to specific buyers. And the timing couldn’t be better, because it’s what your customers have come to expect.

What caught our collective eye in this Petco email was the breed-specific header image and pet name incorporated throughout the interaction’s promotions. After joining Petco’s Pals Rewards Program and submitting information about their four-legged family member, every shopper is rewarded with personalized engagements that any pet parent can relate to and appreciate.

Rather than receiving a generic sales promotion or a one-size-fits-all message, this small touch of personalization elevates the customer experience by communicating the benefits of the brand’s products and services in the context of everyday scenarios. That way, each promotion feels less like a sales pitch and more like a solution that makes good dogs great.

Home is Where the Closest Petco Is

Online shopping is great, but after being stuck in the house for the last 18 months an in-store experience can be a nice — if not necessary — change of pace. And for emails like this one that include a nearby or ‘home’ store location are a simple-yet-savvy way to cover all your bases and prevent traditional customers from feeling left out.

Petco delivers contact information for every recipient’s closest store — complete with a list of services and operating hours to give potential shoppers every detail they need before trying to buckle Rosie in and make a successful trip.

Compared to the generic version of this pet store marketing email featured below, small touches like adding an individual’s rewards account info via a clickable link, using Rosie’s name throughout the email’s messaging and imagery, and including ‘home’ store details make this personalized send much more likely to inspire customer action.

As more and more buyers use a mix of web, email, and mobile channels to complete their transactions, it’s important to throw your in-store shoppers a bone across these digital interactions if your goal is fetching optimal results. Going forward, it’s emails like this one that will get our attention — and keep your customers’ tails wagging.