Wayfair's Recipe for Sky-High Engagement & Mastering Hyper-Personalization

Welcome to The Retention Newsie by The Email Marketers.

Every week we bring you the best case studies, strategies, and tips around keeping more customers, turning them into raving fans, and increasing revenue.

Up this week:

• 🏠 Wayfair's winning formula for personalized email campaign

• 💻 The power of hyper-personalization

• 📊 Loyalty program measurement, email deliverability changes, & more!

Reading time: 4.5 minutes

Wayfair’s Winning Email Campaign Formula

Wayfair, the online home goods retailer, has mastered the art of personalized email campaigns triggered by customer behavior.

The secret behind Wayfair's success lies in their meticulously tailored subject lines. Studies have shown that personalized subject lines can boost open rates by a staggering 18-26% compared to generic ones.

Wayfair crafts attention-grabbing subject lines that speak directly to each customer's unique interests and provide a compelling reason for customers to open the email and explore further.

For example, after browsing kids' bedroom sets, a customer might receive an email with a subject line like "SPOILER! Awesome KIDS BEDROOM SETS inside >>" or "The kids beds they deserve." These subject lines are so irresistible that customers can't help but click.

But Wayfair's personalization doesn't stop at the subject line. The content of their retargeting emails is carefully curated based on each customer's browsing history, showcasing specific products the customer has recently viewed, along with a variety of options within the browsed category.

To appeal to broader interests, Wayfair also includes general recommendations featuring top picks from major categories.

This targeted approach has generated click rates of over 20% for Wayfair's triggered retargeting emails.

Finding the right cadence for a triggered email series is tricky, but Wayfair has it down to a science. They suppress emails if the customer makes a purchase, ensuring that the communication remains relevant.

The number of emails in a series is determined by typical buying behavior for that product category, with more expensive items that have longer sales cycles warranting a longer email series. Wayfair maintains a frequency of no more than one email a day and no more than 10 emails per series, striking the perfect balance between helpful reminders and respectful communication.

In one case study, a customer received 17 personalized emails over 3 weeks after browsing, but the emails felt helpful and informative rather than intrusive, serving as gentle reminders to complete the purchase.

Wayfair's triggered email strategy, while complex to execute, has proven to be a game-changer. Imagine being able to peer into the minds of your customers, to anticipate their every desire before they even realize it themselves. That's the power of Wayfair's approach.

By meticulously studying each customer's browsing behavior, they're able to craft subject lines and content that are so relevant, so perfectly tailored, that it's almost as if they're reading the customer's thoughts.

Mastering Hyper-Personalization

Hyper-personalization is transforming how brands engage with their audiences.

Customizing campaigns to each recipient's specific needs and interests at a highly individualized level goes beyond basic personalization: it creates emails that feel custom-crafted.

The benefits of hyper-personalization are significant:

By tailoring content and using timely triggers, you can shorten the purchase process, boost engagement, and simplify the sales funnel, leading to higher conversion rates and increased revenue.

And, demonstrating a deep understanding of individual needs builds trust and loyalty, as subscribers feel valued and appreciated.

So, here's your roadmap to success with hyper-personalization:

• Gather Comprehensive Data: Dive deep into your subscribers' minds by collecting detailed information through forms, surveys, and preference centers.

• Thorough Segmentation: Divide your email list into laser-focused groups based on shared traits like demographics, past purchases, engagement level, or industry. This allows you to send messages that hit the bullseye every time.

• Customized Email Content: Use merge tags and dynamic content blocks to insert personalized information into email subject lines and body copy, creating a connection that makes your subscribers feel seen and appreciated.

• Automated Email Triggers: Set up triggers that fire off timely, relevant content based on subscriber actions. Abandoned cart reminders, post-purchase follow-ups, and re-engagement campaigns are just a few examples of how you can use automation to deliver the right message at the perfect moment.

• Location-Based Targeting: Show your subscribers that you're tuned into their world by altering email content based on their location.

• Email Timing Personalization: Optimize your email send times based on individual engagement patterns and key dates like birthdays or anniversaries.

• AI-Powered Recommendations: Experiment with AI to provide personalized product or content recommendations tailored to each subscriber's preferences and behavior.

When your subscribers feel like you truly understand them, they don't just engage with your emails – they devour them. They don't just click through – they convert. And they don't just make a one-time purchase – they become lifelong advocates.

• Certain types of friction can actually enhance customer experiences.

• Gartner advises marketers to use holistic, multi-layer measurement to assess loyalty programs

• Sendlane founder Jimmy Kim shares advice on navigating upcoming email deliverability changes.

• Klaviyo's win-back email guide covers everything from timing to incentives.

• This Conversion Rate Experts article dives into five types of proof that help turn visitors into buyers.

We help 8-& 9-figure e-commerce brands increase revenue and build strong customer relationships through retention marketing: Email, SMS, direct mail, subscriptions, memberships, loyalty programs, and more.