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Rakuten Market Email Newsletter Tips: How to send email newsletters effectively using responsive emails

Cultivate Rakuten Ichiba store fans with email newsletters

Rakuten Ichiba is full of events such as shopping marathons and super sales. In the course of its daily operations, many people are probably worried about sending out email newsletters, which are essential for cultivating repeat customers.

In this article: - How do you create an email newsletter in the first place?
I would like to explain: -How to increase click-through rates with just a little effort -How to send effective email newsletters.

We hope you will use this information as a reference to assess the products and customer base of your own store and find something that you can put to good use.





Easy to use responsive emails are recommended

Rakuten Ichiba's email newsletters come in five types: "PC text email," "HTML email," "responsive email," "mobile text email," and "mobile HTML email." If you're not sure which one to choose, we recommend responsive email .
With responsive email, you can create email newsletters with simple operations even if you have no knowledge of HTML, and they can be displayed at the appropriate size for each screen, such as a PC, smartphone, or tablet.
Store management involves a wide range of tasks, including product registration and event management. We will introduce a method that will help you create an e-mail newsletter using responsive e-mails that are intuitive to use and save time.

Keep the subject brief

You can enter up to 85 full-width characters in the subject of Rakuten's e-mail newsletter. Although it depends on the device, in most cases only the first few dozen characters are displayed in the inbox. The first thing to do is to get the recipient to open the e-mail, so make sure to write a concise and interesting subject.
If you check "Insert customer's name in subject", the recipient's name will be automatically inserted at the beginning of the subject line when sending, but it seems a bit wasteful to use up characters here. Of course, calling someone by their name creates a sense of specialness, so we recommend using it for special things like newsletters announcing birthday coupons, and not for regular newsletters.

Catalog type or LP type? Let's think about the structure of the email newsletter

When it comes to e-mail newsletters, many people see catalog-type newsletters that list products. At first glance, it may seem good because many products are exposed to the customer's eyes, but the monotonous rhythm can make customers bored, and the click rate decreases towards the second half of the e-mail, which can lead to customers abandoning the e-mail.
Depending on the product and customer demographic, a catalog type may be more appropriate, but we recommend the landing page type, which introduces one or two products in detail in one e-mail newsletter.

Email newsletter structure (catalog type/LP type)

As the name suggests, the LP type is a structure in which the email newsletter is treated as a product page and one product is explored in depth. This allows customers to learn more about the product, which stimulates their desire to purchase. This method is especially recommended for products that you want to promote sales of, such as new products or seasonal limited items.
In addition to a product description, why not include additional information such as details about the product's development, recommended uses, or, in the case of food products, recipe variations?

One thing to be careful of is the amount of text. If you write too much text, such as "I want to convey the appeal of the product!", your eyes will get tired and you will lose interest in reading, which will lead to the reader abandoning the email. It is of course important to convey the appeal of the product through text, but you should also include images that convey the appeal at a glance, so that the reader can read it in a rhythmic manner. Also, be sure to include a link to the product page in the image. It is important to create a flow to the product page so that the reader can purchase the product immediately if they become interested in the product even in the middle of the email.

Various tips for email newsletters that lead to purchases!

Install a "Buy Here" button to increase conversion rates

In responsive emails, you select and manipulate blocks (the content you want to include) according to the message you want to convey.
There are four types of product introduction blocks depending on the number of products. Select a block to introduce one product from these and enter the product thumbnail, product name, description, and price.

You can add links to images, so when you click (tap) on an image in an email newsletter, you will be taken to the product page. Those who subscribe to many email newsletters may know that clicking on an image takes you to the product page, but at first glance, it may only show the product image and information, so even if you are interested, it may be difficult to take any further action and you may end up ignoring it.

Therefore, below the product introduction, place a link button that says "Purchase here" to the product page.

Example of "Buy Here" button placement

It's just this simple thing, but it makes the next action visually easier to understand, so the conversion rate to the product page tends to increase. For example, when we used this method to compare the click rates of product images and buttons at a store where we provide consulting services, it was clear that the buttons were clicked more often, with the click rate for the buttons being about 2.5 times higher than that of product images.
If you have two or more product introduction blocks, it becomes difficult to guide users with this button, so this is a recommended trick when you want to introduce your products in detail using a landing page. You can achieve the same effect by including such a button not only in responsive emails, but also in HTML emails.

It is also effective to use buttons at the end of the email to create a "Shop Here" or "Shop Name" button that directs users to the store's homepage, encouraging them to visit the store.

Add a link above the coupon to encourage people to click

"Get a coupon here" message

When placing a coupon banner in an email newsletter for an event, it is effective to include text such as "Get a coupon here" above the banner. In addition to text, adding eye-guiding marks such as "▼" and "↓" will make the banner more noticeable.

Set the link destination after obtaining the coupon

This is the screen that appears when you get a coupon. Clicking the "Use this coupon" button in the middle will take you to the store's homepage, but did you know that you can set the link destination to a special page or any other page of your choice?

Set the link destination after obtaining the coupon

Setting it up is very easy. Just add " &rd=URL you want to set " to the end of the coupon URL.

 https://coupon.rakuten.co.jp/getCoupon?getkey=**********&rt= &rd=設定したいURL


You can set up product pages that are eligible for coupons, or special pages for events, etc., and design a flow that will lead customers who obtain a coupon to make further purchases.

How to send email newsletters during events

Announce the event in advance

It is effective to send out advance notice email newsletters between the announcement of the Shopping Marathon or Super Sale and the start of the event. Heavy Rakuten users tend to decide what they want to buy before the event and add it to their cart or favorites. Instead of asking customers to search for products, create an email newsletter that suggests products to you.
For customers, entering and obtaining coupons in advance makes shopping smoother, and for stores, the newsletter provides details about the event and recommended products, helping to attract more customers, making it a mutually beneficial experience.

Offer special benefits just for newsletter subscribers

To encourage purchases, it is effective to issue closed coupons only to newsletter members, or when announcing an event in advance, to make them feel special because they have been informed about it, such as by saying "We will inform all newsletter members first."
In addition to introducing products exclusive to email newsletters, it is also a good idea to introduce products that can be purchased at a discount on a first-come, first-served basis, such as "for a limited time only," "coupons limited to the first *** customers," or "while supplies last," as this will increase purchasing desire.

Make your site stand out at first view during the event!

There may be times when you send out e-mail newsletters on the same day during a shopping marathon, a supermarket sale, or a store-specific event. We found that e-mail newsletters sent every day during an event tend to have the same first view, such as a banner for a special page, and sales via the e-mail newsletter decrease with each passing day. Even if the content is changed every time, if customers open the e-mail and see the same image in the same place every day, they may think, "The same content again..." and delete the e-mail without reading it.

Improved first view during events

Even during the event period, by changing the first view, such as displaying a banner for the special event page on the first day and a banner for the special event page after the product introduction on the next day, the step of "getting customers to read the email newsletter to the end" will be lowered, making it easier to increase the number of accesses via email newsletters.

If you're out of ideas, check out our anniversaries and in-store rankings!

The first thing that comes to mind when writing an e-mail newsletter is introducing new products or announcing events. However, while running a store, there will be days when you are stuck for ideas for e-mail newsletters, such as "I can't think of anything to introduce other than the 5th and 0th of the month..." or "I want to send out e-mail newsletters, but there are no new product releases planned and I have no ideas...".
In such a case, first check the anniversary of the day you will send out the newsletter (or before or after). There are many anniversaries, so you may find an anniversary related to your product. It may also be a good idea to plan an event to coincide with the anniversary or issue a coupon that matches the word of the anniversary.

If you can't think of a good idea to tie in an anniversary, check the in-store rankings. You could dig deeper into the best-selling products from the in-store rankings, or if you're sending out an email newsletter on a 5th or 0th, you could create one that advertises that if you enter, you can purchase popular products with extra points.

summary

This time, we focused on how to send email newsletters using responsive email on Rakuten Market.
There are probably many different answers depending on the products you handle, your customer base, and the attributes you want to reach. What we've introduced here is just a few hints, so we hope you'll find the best way to do it.
I also believe that some of this can be applied to malls other than Rakuten Market, online shopping sites on other platforms, and corporate email newsletters other than online shopping, so I hope you will find it useful.

Would you like to create e-mail newsletters that are beneficial to your customers, enjoyable to read, and make them want to buy?
Commerce Media accepts consultations on consulting, including email newsletters. If you are a business owner who is struggling with issues such as "I want to increase my sales!" or "I'm stuck with my operations...", please feel free to contact us.

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