Country Curtains Triggered Email: Does It Have a Creepy Factor?

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Country Curtains Email Grade: [C]

Organization Overview

Founded in 1956 by Jane and Jack Fitzpatrick in Whitman, MA, Country Curtains sells curtains, shades, top window treatments, and curtain rods, as well as other home-decorating accessories, including rugs, bedding, and lamps. The company’s flagship store has operated out of the Red Lion Inn in Stockbridge, MA, since 1969. Country Curtains also markets its product line through a website, catalogs, and 26 additional retail stores. According to the website, Country Curtains continues to carry on the founding family’s dedication to extraordinary customer service, while providing the highest-quality products at reasonable prices.

Subject Line May Raise the Flag on Consumer Privacy Issues

“Thanks for Visiting!” That was the subject line of this email sent to a Country Curtains customer who had recently visited the company’s website and perused the available rug selection. The subject line piqued this recipient’s interest — especially since she hadn’t recently purchased Country Curtains merchandise or visited any Country Curtains retail stores. Once she opened the email and saw the image of the rugs, she realized that this email had been triggered in response to her browsing the Country Curtains website.

Most prospects and customers who shop online likely realize that a lot of their website behavior is being tracked by companies. There’s a bit of a creepy factor when they admit to it, however, as Country Curtains essentially does in this case. Will this tactic make some subscribers feel their privacy is threatened? It would be interesting to see if this email has resulted in an increase in unsubscribes or spam reports

Preview Pane and Eye Path Do a Good Job

Thanks to using alternative text, the preview pane does a good job of letting recipients know the gist of the email, even if they don’t download the images. But perhaps the styling of the alternative text could be improved. For example, the alternative text used in the first box —“Thanks for Visiting!” — could be larger and designed to look more like a headline.

The eye path of this email is quite nice, taking the eye from the Country Curtains logo on the top left, to the image of the carpets, to the primary message, and then to the additional product lines. If the call to action was bigger and a bolder color, however, it would pop and draw the eye. The call to action is so small in this email that it’s obvious only if the recipient pays close attention to the email copy.

Message Is Clear, But Could Be Stronger with an Offer and Sense of Urgency

Although the call to action is not as prominent as it could be, the actual wording — “Shop All Rugs” — is effective for recipients who demonstrate their interest in a specific product by browsing Country Curtains’ rug selection. The primary message is also clear: Come back and shop. Plus, the email provides contact information for subscribers who have any questions.

As we discussed in a previous NewsLever feature, triggered emails that are targeted at a segment of subscribers often outperform other types of email messages in terms of driving conversions. This triggered email would have been even stronger if it included an offer and sense of urgency. For example, an incentive offered for a limited time — such as 10% off the purchase of a rug that was valid for only 1 day — might motivate more recipients to convert.

For this recipient, Country Curtains’ high credibility compensated for the somewhat “creepy factor” of tracking website browsing behavior, but it didn’t motivate a click-through or sales conversion.

Disclaimer: FulcrumTech does not have access to the performance data relating to this promotional email, so any tests performed on this email can’t be reflected in FulcrumTech’s commentary.