Fabric.com, the world's leading online fabric store, has increased conversions and average order size by implementing a highly successful lifecycle email marketing campaign and a shopping cart abandonment program. The company, which was founded in 1999 and quickly grew a loyal customer base of sewing enthusiasts, was acquired by Amazon.com in 2008. Since then, Fabric.com has expanded into a wide range of sewing and craft products, and updated its email program, which at one time consisted of sending one-size-fits-all messages to everyone on its list.
Recognizing that its buyers each purchase their products differently, Fabric.com understood that to move to a higher level of engagement it needed to consider individual purchasing behavior when communicating via email. The company's goal became creating constant touch points with each customer and prospect throughout the purchasing lifecycle.
To tackle this new challenge, the retailer utilized the Silverpop platform to implement an email lifecycle campaign and a shopping cart abandonment program. Both strategies were designed to create a more relevant dialogue with customers. Fabric.com's lifecycle email marketing campaigns include messages focused around important dates or purchasing behavior, such as the following:
- "Happy Anniversary" emails celebrating the anniversary of a customer's first purchase with the company
- "Happy Birthday" emails celebrating a customer's birth date
- "We Miss You" emails targeting customers that purchased previously, but not within the past year
- "We Want You Back" emails for those customers that purchased previously, but not within the last 12 to 18 months
- "Secret Sale" emails for all other customers who do not fit into the above categories plus all prospects
To encourage shoppers to complete purchases, the retailer also automatically triggers messages to site visitors who have abandoned their shopping carts within the last two days and offers them a strong, one-click call to action to return to their carts. Similar messages are also targeted to shoppers who bought a fabric swatch but didn't make a follow-up purchase.
The results of Fabric.com's new programs are pretty impressive:
- More than 35 percent of the company's revenue now comes from email
- 50% annual growth in email revenue
- For cart abandonment emails, click rates are 350% higher, average order value is 10% higher, and conversion rates are 50% higher than broadcast emails
- Email opt-outs cut in half as a result of more relevant messaging