The Retail Email Blog monitors the email marketing campaigns of more than 100 top online retailers. Here are highlights from my inbox this morning:
Ross-Simons, 1/9 — Final Day to Save 25% Off Sitewide
Plain text emails are used sparingly—if at all—nowadays. Most often they are used for sale or product alerts or for final hours emails. Their stripped down simplicity can support a message of urgency, making it appear that you rushed so fast to get the news out that you didn’t have time to dress it up at all. Of course, that’s just a psychological tactic, since email templates make it easy to get out a simple message with branding and navigation intact. Here, Ross-Simons gives us an excellent example of an HTML-lite email that includes branding and a little color for highlighting important information, but keeps all the messaging in HTML text so that it’s quick to create and renders even when images are blocked.

Old Navy, 1/8 — Further Reductions: Up to 75% Off Clearance!
Old Navy gives us another example of an HTML-lite text email, although they shun images entirely. When I showed this email to Aaron Smith, Responsys’s director of creative technologies, he was concerned that the lack of branding made it look cheap and that it might be mistaken as spam. So you be careful of what you sacrifice in the name of speed and make sure that you setting up templates that allow you to crank out simple alerts when needed.

Bluefly, 1/9 — Cold Weather Sale! EXTRA 20% OFF Winter Styles
After naming Trang Huyen America’s Most Stylish Blogger last month, Bluefly continues leverage the fashion blogging community, using their email program to promote Trang’s blog. Urban Outfitters has also reached out to fashion bloggers (see June 16 AM Inbox).

SUBJECTIVITY SCANNER: Select noteworthy subject lines
Art.com, 1/10 — New Year, New Inspirations, and New Art + 22% off Everything!
Sears, 1/8 — Your Turn Now: $300 Off NordicTrack, Just $799
Office Depot, 1/8 — Smart Offers To Get Ready For A Busy Year + $10 Coupon
Dell, 1/8 — Ring in the New Year With the Hottest Electronics and Accessories
Target, 1/10 — New Year Home Event: Save 10% when you spend $100 + free shipping on home updates.
Chadwick’s, 1/8 — Quick slim down tricks plus more SALE!
Oriental Trading, 1/8 — Score free shipping for game day + no payment until April
Disney Store, 1/8 — It's a First! New Personalized PJ Pals
JC Whitney, 1/8 — Weekend Projects Everything You Need + Big Savings!
J. Crew, 1/8 — Meet Brodie, our most-wanted bootie...
Neiman Marcus, 1/9 — What made our LUST-HAVE list? Romantic tops
Spiegel, 1/9 — The 2010 Shape fx Swim Preview is here!
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