LOFT Email Review: Does It Do Credit to the Brand?

LOFT Email Review: Does It Do Credit to the Brand?

LOFT Email Grade: [C-]

Subject Line & Preheader

3

Preview Pane

3

Eye Path

2

Clarity of Message

2

Call to Action

1

Offer & Urgency

3

Congruency

3
Email grades are based on a 5-point scale: A = 5, B = 4, C = 3, D = 2, F = 1

May 9, 2017 —

Organization Overview

Originally established as an extension of the Ann Taylor brand, LOFT offers casual and feminine women’s fashions for work and home in the “upper-moderate” price range. The LOFT clothing line includes women’s dresses, pants, skirts, suits, sweaters, blouses, jeans, shoes, and accessories. Today, LOFT has more than 650 full-price stores and outlets located in the United States, Canada, and Mexico, in addition to an e-commerce website.

Subject Line and Preheader Don’t Convey Value

This email was sent to a loyal LOFT customer, with the subject line: “Mindy, Remember You’ve Been Pre-Approved For A LOVELOFT Credit Card!” The same copy was used for the preheader. Although the subject line is personalized to help it stand out in the inbox, the copy doesn’t provide any value for subscribers to motivate them to open the email. What are the benefits offered by a LOFT credit card? Are there any incentives if subscribers apply for the card? That’s the type of information that should be included in the subject line and preheader to help capture the interest of subscribers, as well as entice them to open the email and find out more.

Preview Pane and Eye Path Are Weak

The preview pane without images doesn’t use alternative text effectively. In fact, some of the text that is in the preview pane is cut off. In addition, there is no enticement for subscribers to download images. However, the important call-to-action copy and link are included.

The eye path of this email is weak. At first glance, subscribers are lost in a sea of pink and gray. There is a call to action, but it’s small and recipients must work to find it. In addition, the exclusive use of uppercase letters throughout the email may be the style used by LOFT, but it’s difficult to read.

Good Information Is Included, But You Must Work Hard to Find It

Buried within the copy is a lot of good information about the benefits and incentives for accepting a LOFT credit card. However, a simple and clear headline that summarizes the content of the message (e.g., you’re preapproved for a LOVELOFT credit card that entitles you to some sweet stuff) combined with a bulleted list of the value propositions would go a long way in improving the clarity of the email message.

The call to action is a tiny, pink “CLICK HERE” link that is lost in the email design. A big, bold button would help draw attention to the action required and likely help drive more conversions. In addition, making the entire email message clickable would also make it easier for recipients to take action.

The offer is a good one: 15% off the first in-store purchase, as well as a rewards program that earns points for every dollar spent, a $15 birthday gift, and 15% off during every first Tuesday of the month. But recipients have to work to find this information. Promoting the different incentives in the subject line and headline, and rotating each of them in an email series, would be one way to highlight the benefits of accepting the LOVELOFT credit card.

Urgency Exists But Needs to Be Presented More Clearly

As far as urgency, there is an expiration date for the preapproval offer and a generic urgency line above the headline: “DON’T MISS YOUR CHANCE!” Again, the information could be presented more clearly and prominently. The congruency of the email could also be made stronger by creating a headline and subject line/preheader that are more cohesive.

Overall, LOFT has a great customer-focused email-marketing program. However, we identified a few improvements for this email promotion of the company’s credit card that would likely increase engagement metrics, drive more conversions, and do a better job of representing the high credibility already established by LOFT’s email campaigns.

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.

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