Zappos is know as one of the top eCommerce sites on the web. Certainly top in the eyes of Amazon.com who bought them not too long ago. I noticed recently that Zappos.com is working on building their list.
How good a job are they doing at collecting email addresses?
First observation I would make is when you are on the Zappos.com home page, you can find a Weekly Newsletter subscription form. You won’t find it in a preferred spot. It’s below the fold and on the lower right.
They must have a reason for it, but you know from my previous posts that’s not an ideal spot.
Now let’s look at the form.
Four things that are good about this signup form:
- They ask you for your first name so they can personalize their messages
- They tell you they respect your privacy – and link to the privacy policy
- They have a ‘SIGN UP!’ button instead of the lame ‘SUBMIT’ version
- They tell you to expect a weekly newsletter
And they have one glaring mistake:
- WHERE ARE THE BENEFITS? Fun and informative is not a benefit to sign up. Tell me why I should sign up. Tell me what I’ll get when I sign up.
The next page you see is the Thank You page. Usually one of the most underused pages in email sign up. What do you want to tell someone who has just left you an email address and separated themselves from the other 98% of website traffic on the site?
You could offer so much more here.
- How about a coupon for 5% off your first order?
- Or a story about product selection
- Or a link to a visitor survey
- Or a link to the Zappos.com story
But you have to use this real estate. It’s got a chance to do something and it’s a shame to waste it.
However, if there is only one thing you’re going to say here it must be: “Your sign up was successful! Thank you”.
Why does no one answer the one question human nature demands. Did I do it right?
Check your own sign up process and see how you’re doing it now.