Google is bowing to the inevitable and shutting down the Inbox email app. Though users will have until March to switch over to Gmail. It’s a little sad for fans of the app, but it’s also not a very big surprise.

Google launched Inbox as an innovative app

Almost exactly four years ago, Google launched Inbox by Gmail as an innovative new email app that lived alongside Gmail. It brought a ton of new ideas to how email could work. Including old standbys like snoozing and newer ideas like bundling. Over those four years, Inbox app gained a small number of adherents who suffered through too-rare updates so they could have a better email experience.

features in Inbox were well-loved

A lot of the features in the Inbox by Gmail well-loved. Mainly because they were so obviously lacking in Gmail without dealing with hacky third-party solutions. Inbox provided a way to manage the onslaught of email with gestures that made it easy to process messages on the go. It also generally seen as a potential incubator for new email features that could come to Gmail. Though, in practice, Inbox didn’t see enough updates to justify its reputation as a testing ground.

Inbox by Gmail Did a nice Job

Inbox app did such a nice job of integrating tasks with emails. Being able to create reminders that appeared in line with emails and could be managed with exactly the same set of snoozing and archiving tools was super useful.

In April of this year, Google released a complete redesign of Gmail that incorporated nearly all of the key features of Inbox: snoozing, connected tasks lists, and more. If users didn’t see the writing on the wall with that release, the long delay of Inbox’s iPhone X compatibility was another sign.

One app for Email: Gmail

Google says that there are still a few features due to make the migration from the Inbox app. Specifically, the “bundles” that group similar emails together into a single block, like those related to a single trip. That’s coming to Gmail, but there’s no word yet on the timeline for it.

Overall, it’s probably good that Google is focusing on one app for email: Gmail. No employees will be laid off from the Inbox team, which was already well-integrated into the Gmail team. Still, the unsurprising ending is a little bittersweet. Inbox app implemented great ideas about how to make email less of a database-like chore by giving the app a more playful and interesting UI. An email will always be a chore.

Email Campaign, Email Marketing

How to Structure your Email Campaign to Retain Customers

September 15, 2018

Retention Email marketing is important. If you haven’t sat down to consider how to keep your customers happy and coming back for more, there’s no time like the present. And if you have, but you’re out of inspiration or lack strategic direction.

Here are some important ways to retain customers faster:

Segmentation is king

To craft an effective retention Email Marketing strategy, you must first understand your customers and how they behave. Forget for a moment their age and all the other demographic data you’ve stockpiled.

Instead, focus on how they interact with your products as they browse your store. They are essentially doing the work for you and segmenting themselves based on their actions. Recognize which of these behaviors is important and merits its own retention tactics.

Engage your customers with email

Aside from the fixed cost of whatever email Marketing service you’re using, emailing your customers is free, and you’ve already got their addresses, so put them to use. These are the email types (and corresponding best practices) you should weave into your retention strategy.

The welcome email

After submitting their email addresses, most online leads expect to receive a welcome email. In general, the goals of the welcome email are to:

Introduce the user to the company
Reiterate the value of the product/service
Establish a humanizing tone.

Note that it’s important to acknowledge that this is a welcome email within the subject line. This can be done simply by incorporating “Welcome” or “Hi” within the subject line. Examples include “Welcome to The Family” or “Hello From Company XYZ.”

The nurture email

Unlike other email types, the goal of nurture emails is not explicitly to sell, but rather to build your brand among your email subscribers. When users need to purchase a product your company sells, your brand will be the first one they turn to if nurture emails have done their job.

The promotional email

These should be an integral part of any email strategy, as they are an effective way to increase conversion.

Utilize a prominent CTA

Design the email so that the promotional offer is prominently displayed and stands out from any other text in the email. Position the promotional text so that it aligns with the CTA (call-to-action) button.

Create urgency

Create a sense of urgency around the promotional offer. Provide a countdown or mention that this offer is available for a limited time. Note: Overusing urgency will dilute its effectiveness.

Include a reason for the offer

Providing a reason for the offer, regardless of the reason, has been shown to improve conversion rates. Reasons can include celebrating a milestone or simply thanking your email subscribers for being part of your community.

Keep tabs on the competition

When developing your retention strategy, it’s useful to keep an eye on the emails your competitors are sending. I recommend that you:

Identify your competition.
Become a lead for the competitor by engaging in behaviors of interest (e.g., order complete and cart abandonment)
Set up a folder in your inbox to receive their emails
Wait.

Typically, one month of the collection will give you a clear sense of their retention strategy, though some long-tailed verticals may need more time.

After you’ve collected your competition’s emails, begin examining the strengths and weaknesses behind their retention strategy.

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