etailology

We all hate signing up for site registrations — tired of creating (and remembering) passwords, dealing with retailers’ idiosyncrasies for profile information, security, etc. Until a reasonable identity aggregation service comes along (sadly, Passport and OpenID didn’t work, but Paypal and Google Checkout just might make the cut!) users are doomed to maintain separate profiles in a million different etail sites.

Well, Linda Bustos at GetElastic has gone through that trouble on her own, creating new registrations a 100 top etailers, and commenting about the contents of their “Welcome to Our Site” emails. Below is the summary of the 20 items she observed as top features, but you’ll want to read the full post here, which is Excellent.

1. Branding in Headline: 88%
2. Used the Word “Welcome” in Headline or Body: 61%
3. Used the Words “Thank You” in Headline or Body: 66%
4. Included Multiple Links Back to E-Store: 52%
5. Included Login Details: 52%
6. Used HTML Layout: 42%
7. Provided Customer Service Contact Information: 42%
8. Reminder of Membership Benefits: 39%
9. Personalized With My Name: 33%
10. Provided Link to Privacy Statement: 33%
11. Used Self-Promotional Language: 24%
12. Asked for Subscription to Newsletter or Special Offers: 21%
13. Linked Back to Homepage (As Only Link) : 21%
14. Offered Incentives: 15%
15. Asked for Sale / Merchandising: 15%
16. Asked to Save to Address Book: 12%
17. Provided Unsubscribe Option: 9%
18. Personalized Signature: 9%
19. Explain How To Use the Site: 6%
20. Double Opt-In (Account Confirmation Link): 3%

[techtags: email_marketing, email_design, etail, ecommerce]