Top online retailers sent each of their subscribers 2.8 promotional emails on average during the week ending April 30, 2010, according to Chad White, research director at Responsys and author of the Retail Email Blog. That’s up 2% from an average of 2.7 promotional emails the week ending March 26, 2010.
On a year-over-year basis, online retailers increased their promotional email volume 12% from about 2.5 emails during the final week of April 2009. Compared to promotional retail email trends during the month of March 2010, in April 2010 email volume grew at a slightly higher pace on a four-week basis but slightly lower pace on a year-over-year basis.
Top online retailers sent each of their subscribers 2.7 promotional emails on average during the week ending March 26, 2010, representing a 9% increase from 2.5 emails the week ending February 26, 2010. Compared to March 2009, year-over-year promotional email volume increased 13%, from an average of 2.4 emails during the final week of March 2009.
During the week ended April 30, 2009, the highest percentage of retailers (46%) sent a promotional email on Friday, April 30. The lowest percentage of retailers (19%) sent a promotional email on Saturday, April 24. Email blog analysis indicates that April 30 was the last weekday for free standard shipping for delivery before Mother’s Day for many retailers, contributing to the high volume of promotional emails that day.
Mother’s Day Peaks, Memorial Day and Father’s Day Loom
The percentage of promotional emails related to the upcoming Mother’s Day holiday (Sunday, May 9, 2010) steadily rose from just less than 5% the week ending April 9, 2010 to about 32% the week ending April 30, 2010. The Email Blog predicts May 2 and 3, 2010 will represent the peak of Mother’s Day promotional email volume, followed by a quick and steady decline through the holiday.
Memorial Day (May 31, 2010) and Father’s Day (June 20, 2010), which both currently have negligible promotional email volume readings, are expected to be the next two major holidays driving promotional retail email traffic.
Mother’s Day Spending Should Increase
Consumer spending for the upcoming Mother’s Day holiday (May 9, 2010) should improve slightly from 2009, according to two recent studies. The National Retail Federation (NRF) is predicting the average person will spend $126.90 on Mother’s Day this year, up 2.4% from $123.89 in 2009. Total spending is expected to reach $14.6 billion, a 3.5% lift from $14.1 billion last year.
Brand Keys is even more optimistic about improving Mother’s Day sales performance this year than the NRF. The Brand Keys Customer Loyalty Engagement Index predicts the average consumer will spend $142 on Mother’s Day, up 5% from $135 last year. Total spending is expected to reach $15 billion.