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Subject Line Personalization Techniques and Their Influence in the E-Mail Marketing Open Rate

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Information Systems and Technologies (WorldCIST 2022)

Part of the book series: Lecture Notes in Networks and Systems ((LNNS,volume 470))

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Abstract

E-mailing is an effective and close form of communication between company and customers. However, due to the massive number of e-mails sent by almost all brands, companies have faced recently low open rates on their e-mail marketing campaigns. It is important to understand the most effective techniques that capitalize e-mail marketing. Considering the importance of customization in direct marketing, this study explores the impact of e-mail marketing customization in subject line. Four A/B tests were used regarding the subject line of a specific brand campaign. Four tactics were used: include the first name of the reader to the subject line; include the first and last name of the reader; add emojis to the subject line; opting for a subject line in form of a question; and lastly, the default subject line without any of the previous variables. The study considered a sample of 102.574 individuals of a company’s e-mail marketing database. The variables of subject line were analyzed according to the layout and segmentation, as well as open rates and clicks. The results showed that e-mails containing the variable with the first and last name had the highest open rate, specifically 50,07%. Although A/B tests should consider the specific database of the company under analysis and generalization should be seen with caution, the study enhances the importance of e-mail personalization in the subject line.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. IPAM, Rua Manuel Pinto de Azevedo 748, 4100-320, Porto, Portugal

    Joana Almeida

  2. School of Economics and Management, University of Minho, Campus de Gualtar, 4700-057, Braga, Portugal

    Beatriz Casais

  3. University of Minho, CICS.NOVA.UMinho, Campus de Gualtar, 4700-057, Braga, Portugal

    Beatriz Casais

Authors
  1. Joana Almeida
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  2. Beatriz Casais
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Beatriz Casais .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. ISEG, Universidade de Lisboa, Lisbon, Portugal

    Alvaro Rocha

  2. College of Engineering, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH, USA

    Hojjat Adeli

  3. Institute of Data Science and Digital Technologies, Vilnius University, Vilnius, Lithuania

    Gintautas Dzemyda

  4. DCT, Universidade Portucalense, Porto, Portugal

    Fernando Moreira

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Almeida, J., Casais, B. (2022). Subject Line Personalization Techniques and Their Influence in the E-Mail Marketing Open Rate. In: Rocha, A., Adeli, H., Dzemyda, G., Moreira, F. (eds) Information Systems and Technologies. WorldCIST 2022. Lecture Notes in Networks and Systems, vol 470. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-04829-6_48

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