Mailings and building up your base are both key aspects of how to run a successful business, we all know this. But there are ways to build up a contact base in an organised and productive way, so it will deliver the most effective webpage interactions.

Step 1. Give people an offer

Signing up to a newsletter is not always a snap decision that people make in a moment. They often have to think about it, analyse whether they really need this additional information in their lives, will it benefit them? Many times they will exit the page without signing up. However, we have an easy, yet powerful solution to these problematic page leavers.

It is incredibly simple to prepare a pop-up on your WWW that contains tempting information on special offers that will benefit the customer once they have signed up for the newsletter. For example, offer a one-time discount for first-time customers.

It is important to remember not to bombard the customer with pop-ups the moment they enter the site. Only display the pop-up after several seconds have elapsed, or after they have visited the second or third subpage. Try to limit the display to two times per user (so-called capping). This will limit the number of irritated pop-up users.

Offering a discount code for the first purchase is a common incentive to get people to subscribe to the newsletter. Many popular pages offer these, such as Zalando :)

Step 2. If you offer products dedicated to both men and women, be sure to ask the customer about their gender.

In some industries, different products are displayed to women and men, so gender information is crucial.  You can also ask for the customer’s name instead. But be prepared to receive the classic “Jdgunskaofdh” name - random letters supplied by the customer to avoid writing their real name.

For a great example on how this type of approach could work, check out the shoe and clothing store - Answear.com:

 Step 3. Segment your base

Since you already have information regarding gender or name, you can segment the database for ladies and gentlemen and then prepare mailings with different products for both groups.  Another idea for segmentation is based on the use of behavioural data regarding:

• - the size of shoes that individual customers wear
• - the size of clothes that they wear
• - other preferences (depends on your business)

You can send out a mailing, composed of a few simple to use buttons, targeting different categories (size, etc.). Based on customer clicks, you can gain valuable insight into who is interested in which product, allowing you to fine tune your messaging to potential customers.

Step 4. Be inspiring

The differences between a standard and “better” shop exist on a variety of different levels. In a regular shop, we simply purchase products while the above average shop we visit (or subscribe to) inspires its customers. Take a look at the IKEA webpage, it isn’t limited strictly to products right? It is packed full of tips, tricks and design ideas that keep you glued to their site. And for sure you want to know about all of the news available to their customers. Why not send your client tips and prove to them that you are more than just a shop? This will not only increase your customer satisfaction and loyalty to your store, but will also boost purchases.