As my inbox has been bursting at the seams of late, I thought this would be a good time to see how some merchants that I wasn’t interacting with regularly were handling the email unsubscribe process.
Are merchants simply saying a “good day sir” to those who want off their list, or are they suggesting other options? Here’s a sampling of about 20 lists I unsubscribed to in the last week—I should note that none of these mailers did anything to offend or annoy, and I still think they’re absolutely grand. I just need a break from their mailings. (It’s a classic “it’s not you, it’s me” kind of situation.)
Piperlime was confident enough to offer one of the most prominent unsubscribe buttons that I spotted. When I clicked through, I was given the option of checking “Unsubscribe, it’s over (for now)”, which I chose. On the confirmation screen, a link to go back and shop if I chose was offered—a nice “let’s be friends” gesture.
When I unsubscribed to Bass, Spiral Fund, Sony Pictures, Pyramid Collection, Body Shop and HGTV it was done quickly, no fuss, no muss. (HGTV did ask if I was sure about my decision before making it final.)
MyHabit offered the option to opt-down in the number of messages I received, as did H&M and Bauble Bar. Old Navy offered numerous options in its preference center in addition to opt-down, such as subscribing to their kids’ or birthday club lists. Zuilly also offered an opt-down, as well as other options, should I choose to hear from them other ways, such as the chance to download their app or connect via social.
Loft took the time to ask why I was choosing to leave their list (Email frequency? Not relevant to lifestyle? Don’t shop at Loft?) Papa John’s also inquired why I was leaving (No store near me? Email offers not competitive? Too many emails?) and asked if I’d like to check how close I was to a reward from their loyalty program before opting out. The option to subscribe to text offers instead was also suggested.
How painless—or painful—is your email opt-out process? Do you try to keep them in the fold with offers of opting-down? What works for your brand? Let me know at [email protected] or @CMBethNegus.
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