VisionDirect reported a 63% increase in click-through rates after changing a call to action button on its email marketing campaigns from green to blue.
Speaking at the eTail Europe event in London last week, Charlotte Davis, head of content & SEO at VisionDirect, shared with delegates how its email marketing service provider, Enchant, had seen significant success changing the button colour on a grocer’s website, so the eyewear and contact lens e-tailer decided to test and learn the same principle.
“Blue and green are our brand colours, [the button was] originally green, but when we changed it to blue we saw a 63% increase in click-through rate,” explained Davis, saying it improved usability because it was easier to read the text on a blue background.
She advised retailers to talk to experts and share knowledge with colleagues, in and outside your business, about conducting tests and successful results.
“Email is different in different verticals, but it’s still a consistent way of communicating, so if a button test works, it might work for you.”
Email layout
VisonDirect, which sends around 70 million transactional and marketing emails across eight locations every year, has also played around with the layout of its marketing emails and tested its call to action to find the most effective way to convert customers.
“We put the call to action at the top and a full-width banner image underneath,” she explained. “We used to put the call to action on the image, but if images were disabled you couldn’t see the call to action.”
The e-tailer also tested lifestyle versus product images in its email marketing and found product imagery the most effective. “So we make sure we have the specific brand you purchase,” she added.
Email segmentation
Davis said retailers should segment their emails “until the cows come home”, ensuring they are personalised as much as possible.
VisionDirect used to send its US customers email marketing at UK send times. “Customers are thinking ‘why are you mailing me about my contact lenses, I’m asleep’, so changing the send time saw improvements,” said Davis. “[Ensure you] segment by location and have local experts to understand what’s important.”