Archive for April, 2007

I was up early this morning, trying to get some of my daily chores out of the way before heading off to an early morning appointment. Getting a head start on the day’s email was part of the agenda.

I had an email from a new retailer that I needed to answer ASAP. It was a very pretty email, formatted to within an inch of its life with background color and graphics. It did look very pretty and I would guess that it is part of her *Shop Brand*… which would seem to be a good thing…

However, I send out plain vanilla text emails, and it took me an additional 5 minutes and 5 tries to get my plain text reply appended to her pretty email. Now, in this case, I was motivated by our professional relationship to persevere until I triumphed, BUT…

If I were a customer, trying to email her about making a purchase, and if I knew that the product was available elsewhere, I probably would have given up, and purchased from someone else!

We are at an interesting place in technology. There are many new options available and at a glance, many of them seem to provide excellent value. Visually branding email would seem to be a GOOD thing, especially in an industry that is all about presentation…

However, it is also important to keep in mind that part of the unspoken goal of the internet (real or otherwise) is to make life easier and more efficient. Do make sure that in your quest for pretty and innovative you are not shooting yourself in the foot with things that are annoying, unwieldy, and a barrier to efficiency!

This is especially important for those who are selling to busy women who are trying to fit 26 hours into a crowded 24 hour day. Nothing personal, but they are likely to just move on person providing the FASTER solution to the problem they are trying to solve!

Sharing the Road to Success!

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