Essence of Email Weekly - Blog Post Series: 2021 Email Marketing Tips

We're excited to announce our new blog post series! The series will feature email marketing strategy, copy, and design tips for 2021 – based on everything that 2020 taught us.

The year 2020 proved to be a challenge for all marketers, causing constant changes in consumer needs and behavior. The number of sent emails went up and, to elbow their way through crowded inboxes, brands had to step up their game. This caused a lot of changes in the way brands communicate with their audiences, shifting the focus to customers and community instead of selling. But even though the methods changed, the very essence of email marketing remained the same: sending the right message to the right person at the right time.

In this blog series, we'll help you do just that. We'll walk you through email marketing strategy, copy, and design recommendations that will help you build a connection with your audience and hit the right spot in 2021.

The first blog post is already out! Dedicated to essential email marketing strategy elements, it will provide you with the information necessary to move the needle and create a suitable plan of action that will help you rock in 2021! You'll read about:

• The necessity of agility
• Proper list segmentation
• Common engagement mistakes and tips on improving engagement rates
• Sensible A/B testing that will bring you conclusive results

Keep a close eye on our website and social media – we'll be publishing copy and design tips and tricks very soon. Happy reading!



ECOMMERCE MARKETING


Is there a silver bullet to success?


Source: Giphy
As many as 86% of marketers feel that they lack certain training and skills, and nearly all report that they wish to learn a specific skill to advance their careers, according to Sidecar's 2021 eCommerce Marketing Survey*. The most frequently desired skills are data analytics, performance marketing, social media, and SEO.

Sidecar surveyed 146 marketing professionals in the retail industry from associates to CEOs. Analyzing the results according to seniority groups helped the researchers discover what different levels of eCommerce marketers focus on.

The survey reveals that 45% of eCommerce marketers want to devote more time to both brand building and data analysis, where the majority of senior-level eCommerce marketers want more time for brand building. Yet, only 6% say growing brand awareness is their number one goal.

What drives success? According to the eCommerce marketers from the survey, in-house talent and expertise (41%), followed by strong collaboration (33%) and data-driven decisions (33%) are the key factors of success.

The report emphasizes that there's no secret ingredient to success, but rather a mix of steps:

• Invest in your foundation by building an in-house team of experts;
• Push collaborations between internal and external team members to the next level;
• Lean into data to make better marketing decisions;
• Find senior-level support to achieve marketing goals;
• Focus on building brand recognition;
• Fine-tune the ability to react to market shifts.

*You'll need to fill out a quick form to download the report.



ECOMMERCE


New year, well-known trends


Source: Giphy
One of the biggest changes brought about by the pandemic was the switch from classic brick-and-mortar stores to online platforms. The crisis sped up digital innovation and pushed retailers to accelerate their digitalization plans by at least one or two years, as stated by 72% of retail professionals.

Even though a new year is kicking off, the fact is that eCommerce trends set in 2020 will remain prominent. These five items, listed by Forbes, are the ones that you should keep at the top of your mind in 2021.

1. eCommerce still leads the way

It turns out that 2020 changed the way people approach shopping. It led to a 24% growth in goods bought online and a 7% decline in in-store sales. As Euromonitor predicts, in 2021, 17% of goods will be bought online, which is almost twice the amount recorded in 2016.

2. Optimize to grow

You don't need big supply chains or logistics networks to grow. All you really need is optimization. Based on market dynamics, Euromonitor International's eCommerce Readiness Model found that the global retail market could support more than $77.7 billion in additional eCommerce sales without further expanding its infrastructure.

3. New heights for online grocery shopping

In 2020, food and drink eCommerce showed the highest growth of any product category – sales rose by 53%. When the vaccines come into full use, consumers will start to return to physical stores. However, online shopping is still predicted to expand.

4. Latin America joins the eCommerce boom

Latin America has been falling behind when it comes to eCommerce, due to the unbanked population, weak postal systems, and general consumer distrust of the channel. However, the pandemic pushed companies to invest in digitalization, with many turning to social media platforms to facilitate consumers' shopping journeys. This resulted in a 60% rise in online sales last year. Latin America is expected to become the regional growth story with a predicted 16% increase in eCommerce sales of goods in 2021.

5. The search for the best solution

Retailers that went online are exploring new delivery and collection methods, as environmental concerns rise. In 2020, 40% of global retailers viewed enhancing product delivery as a major delivery initiative. With home delivery and consumer collection being some of the standard options, retailers and foodservice operators are trying to find new ways to deliver goods.



EMAIL DESIGN INSPO


When simplicity wins


Source: ReallyGoodEmails
Let's kick off our 2021 design inspo section with a super simple and fresh email from Hume Supernatural.

Following the latest design trends of muted colors and minimalistic vibes, this email focuses on the most important thing – the product. Centered content doesn't give readers a chance to be distracted. Rather, it keeps them interested from the bold but subtle heading, down through the imagery, and all the way to the banner at the bottom.

With the use of pastel colors and pops of vibrant green, this email masterfully draws the readers' eye to the most important elements of the email: brand, product, and CTAs.

You don't need superpowers to make a super email. Don't be afraid to go simple – just be smart about it and it'll pay off!



EMAIL NEWS. AS IT HAPPENS.