Annotation for the Promotions tabs is an choice that allows manufacturers to indicate customers promotional content material as quickly as they open their electronic mail inbox, driving customers to the model’s web site earlier than the consumer even opens the e-mail itself. This improves interplay with customers and will increase OR and conversions of promotional emails.
Dmytro Sadovskyi, head of direct advertising at Epicenter, shared his expertise working with annotations in eCommerce.
(Supply: Emails from Epicenter)
In regards to the firm
The Epicenter group of corporations is a Ukrainian ecosystem that features the Epicenter and New Line retail chains, the Intersport-Ukraine multi-brand sports activities retailer chain, the Epicenter-Agro agricultural holding, the Epicenter Ceramic Company tile manufacturing vegetation, woodworking manufacturing Osmoloda, and logistics services.
The main on-line channels used to draw prospects embrace the net retailer EPICENTRK.UA, social networks, and electronic mail newsletters.
About Gmail annotations
Google launched annotations in promo tabs in 2019 and, in March 2023, launched a number of updates to this instrument, together with the next:
- including a product carousel to the annotation;
- reducing the necessities for single photos;
- permitting customers to specify the quantity of the low cost, the promotional code, and the tip date of the sale.
Click on right here to search out out extra about how the up to date model of annotations works and how one can measure the instrument’s effectiveness.
How electronic mail advertising is constructed at Epicenter
Allow us to let you know just a few phrases about Epicenter’s general electronic mail advertising technique.
At Epicenter, the in-house electronic mail advertising group prepares electronic mail newsletters. The distribution base is measured in a whole lot of hundreds of subscribers who’ve bought items within the on-line retailer or who subscribe to obtain information and particular gives.
For instance, earlier than Black Friday, addresses are collected on a separate web site web page for individuals who count on a reduction.
The primary options of electronic mail advertising in Epicenter embrace the next:
- The preferential use of promotional and set off emails
- Templates with one product or a collection of product playing cards and product classes for promotional emails
- E mail templates that differ in format and look to maintain subscribers
- Promos concentrating on completely different viewers segments and choose people who might be extra as an alternative of sending them to the whole base
At Epicenter, the CDP Yespo omnichannel platform is used to organize and ship emails and to carry out analytics. Initially, the Stripo editor was additionally used to simplify the design of annotations in Gmail promo tabs.
“We began utilizing annotations in 2019. At first, we made them in Stripo and inserted some HTML code into our emails. After some time, Yespo bought a Stripo plugin with this performance, so we began annotating proper there. It’s very handy as a result of it’s a instrument we use day-after-day.”
Dmytro Sadovskyi, head of direct advertising at Epicenter
Why did Epicenter want to make use of annotations?
The important thing targets of utilizing annotations had been the next:
- create emails that attracted consideration; even when they weren’t opened, subscribers would nonetheless have a picture of their inboxes;
- enhance Open Fee indicators;
- enhance web site site visitors and gross sales.
Since 2019, Epicenter has been utilizing this instrument as a result of annotations appeal to consideration and make promo emails stand out from the group. The e-mail may be among the many greatest, however the Google algorithm exhibits it to all subscribers solely typically. Google’s algorithm decides who to indicate it to.
“Sadly, there aren’t any direct analytics, so it’s unattainable to calculate the instrument’s effectiveness exactly—to measure the success of this instrument and monitor whether or not annotation was proven or not. We may solely examine Open Charges. These elevated at first of use as a result of this instrument makes the e-mail stand out from all of the promotions.
E mail entrepreneurs typically write in regards to the lack of analytics on annotations, they usually very a lot hope for an answer to the difficulty of accumulating information on this instrument, for instance, in CDP and ESP techniques.”
Dmytro Sadovskyi, head of direct advertising at Epicenter
By the best way, we at Stripo describe how one can consider the effectiveness of annotations utilizing a pixel added to the picture.
Inspiring annotation examples and ideas from Epicenter
Use the precise picture measurement
It’s important to pick a picture measurement that might be displayed nicely on completely different units. Google recommends utilizing a 538 × 138 px measurement for annotations with single pictures or sticking to the three.9:1 ratio.
In 2023, Google lowered the necessities for photos however added a brand new rule: Pictures should comprise a minimal of textual content and should show the message. Commonest picture facet ratios are supported; the beneficial ones are 4:5, 1:1, 3:2, and 1.91:1.
Nevertheless, the picture ought to look good and never lose vital info when it’s cropped on completely different units. Epicenter electronic mail entrepreneurs created templates wherein the place of every factor was exactly calculated.
(Supply: E mail from Epicenter)
You may learn the whole information on working with up to date sizes of single photos and product carousels in annotations for Gmail promo tabs.
Add important details about the promotion
Remember to use attention-grabbing particulars, together with the “misplaced profit syndrome.” Present a promo code, and add a badge along with the principle picture. That’s, in case you are promoting a reduction, present the precise share and the tip date of the promotion.
(Supply: E mail from Epicenter)
Right here is one other instance that features essential info:
(Supply: E mail from Epicenter)
Add the dates of the promotion
For a short-term promotion, for instance, when the promotional code is conditionally legitimate for 3 days, it’s essential to point within the textual content that it expires in three days. This info is then highlighted in promotions.
That’s, when you specify the tip date, then earlier than this date, the Google algorithm typically sends the e-mail once more to subscribers who haven’t but opened it. Thus, Google creates a pleasant automated reminder.
(Supply: E mail from Epicenter)
Right here is one other instance:
(Supply: E mail from Epicenter)
Annotations usually are not just for promo emails
Along with promo emails, you need to use annotations for digests with priceless supplies and for emails with product classes to draw the eye of subscribers who could not but be prepared to purchase one thing.
(Supply: E mail from Epicenter)
Right here is an instance of annotation for emails with product classes:
(Supply: E mail from Epicenter)
The outcomes of utilizing Gmail up to date annotations
Evaluating the effectiveness of electronic mail campaigns with and with out annotations, Epicenter observed that campaigns with annotations had a ten–15% greater OR.
Wrapping up
Annotations in Gmail promo tabs are a robust instrument that may draw readers’ consideration to your model and assist make your model stand out and be remembered. Attempt utilizing Epicenter and the up to date capabilities that mean you can create annotations utilizing the Stripo editor, and go away your subscribers with a memorable impression.
Attempt the Stripo annotations builder at the moment
