They’re typically the most active holiday emailers, but big retail chains shunned the bunny this year. Target didn’t send any Easter-themed campaigns, Kohl’s mailed but three, and Macy’s just eight. Walmart was the exception, sending 45 different emails, according to eDataSource, which tracks emails sent by leading brands.
“If you look at the promo calendar of any major retailer, they’re on sale a lot of the time, so to layer in a Valentine’s Day or an Easter on top of the one-day sales may be a bit much,” says eDataSource’s director of analytics, John Landsman.
One retailer that bucked the trend was Stein Mart, which blasted out 1.2 million of its “Up to 50% off your Easter outfit” emails. It won a respectable 11.5% read rate, and nearly doubled that to 21% with a 150,000-address mailing of a more personalized version.
Build-A-Bear Workshop is all about fuzzy bunnies, and so, apparently, are the consumers on its email list. The D-I-Y plush toy shop’s March 2 mailing of 105,000 earned an open rate of 40.5%.
Big ears and fur also worked for Pier 1 Imports, though rabbits had little to do with the home furnishings it had on sale. The retailer’s “Now that’s bunny” mailing of 353,000 got a 29.1% read rate. Pier 1 latched on to what has become the biggest holiday email trend, according to Landsman: hooking your regular sale to a holiday star.
Vertically speaking, food and candy brands led Easter emailers with a total of 582 campaigns, followed by restaurants with 393 and supermarkets and drug stores with 180.
