Battle of the Beauty Brands: Email Edition
In the highly competitive beauty and cosmetics industry, two heavyweight contenders, Estée Lauder and Clinique, have been long-standing rivals, striving to capture the attention and loyalty of beauty enthusiasts worldwide. As these beauty icons continue their ongoing battle for supremacy in the ever-evolving landscape of skincare and makeup, there’s a lesser-known arena where they compete with equal vigor: email marketing.
Sign-up Process
Clinique’s sign-up process was user-friendly. Instead of using a disruptive full screen pop-up, their sign-up page discreetly appeared in the corner of the webpage. It’s a bit of a mixed bag — good because it doesn’t rudely interrupt your shopping spree, but potentially bad because it might tempt you to procrastinate on becoming a Clinique subscriber while you’re busy adding items to your cart.
Next Stop, Rewards Land:
After signing up with Clinique, they rolled out the red carpet, asking me to create a password and join their exclusive rewards gang. It’s like they’re saying, “Hey, let’s take this relationship to the next level!” This process is a great and easy way of converting subscribers into full-blown Clinique rewards members. By doing this, it allows for better retention of customers because they feel more invested in the brand by now becoming a member.
A Grand Welcome:
Their welcome email arrived almost immediately after signing up. It had a sampler of all things Clinique — they flaunted their social media profiles, showcased their hottest products, and dropped some points about their brand philosophy. The email was short, sweet, and to the point. They even featured some of their top posts, both from the brand and their brand ambassadors.
Email Extravaganza:
Clinique has sent a total of 20 emails since my sign-up on October 23rd, averaging about 5 emails per day. These emails encompass general Clinique marketing or are part of their fall gift campaign, featuring a different sale every day. While these emails could be communicating great deals, the frequency of the amount of emails received is a bit overdone and could deter someone from even wanting to purchase from the brand or even also unsubscribe from the emails.
Email Etiquette
Clinique adheres to email best practices. They include an unsubscribe button at the bottom of every email, share terms and conditions relevant to the email’s content, and offer an option to manage email frequency, giving subscribers control over their inbox. Their website also offers more information about the privacy policy and various rules and regulations in regard to their email marketing list.
In a Nutshell:
Overall, Clinique’s email marketing practices are commendable, but the high frequency of emails, five per day, runs the risk of resembling spam. While the ability to customize email frequency is appreciated, I believe they should initially set a lower frequency to avoid overwhelming subscribers. The quality and content of their emails are excellent, but striking a balance between regular updates and subscriber comfort is crucial to maintain a positive customer experience.
