Tips to boost e-mail open rates

Reading this on a mobile device? Try our optimized mobile version here: http://r.smartbrief.com/resp/drkzCaiGapCcbWblCidawJBWcNIsmo

January 9, 2012 Sign up Forward Archive RSS Feed News about digital retail commerce   Top Story    Sales of digital music surpassed those of CDs in 2011 Digital downloads accounted for more music sales than CDs and other physical media for the first time last year, according to Nielsen and Billboard's 2011 Music Industry Report. Digital track sales increased 8.5%, while physical sales fell 5%. InternetRetailer.com (1/6)      Just announced — ChannelAdvisor’s 2012 US Catalyst Conference will be held at Mandalay Bay Convention Center in Las Vegas on April 16-18, 2012. Join representatives from all major online channels and leading retailers at the most valuable e-commerce conference of the year. Register today.   Online Retail Trends    Tips to boost e-mail open rates Entertainment event site Eventful sent 7.5 million e-mail alerts last year and achieved a 40% open rate, says operations vice president Paul Ramirez. He offers tips for boosting the number of customers who open your e-mails, starting with customizing alerts with information that's highly relevant to each subscriber. MarketingSherpa (1/5)      Online shopping on the rise in the Middle East Consumers in the UAE, Saudi Arabia and Egypt spent $1 billion shopping online in 2011, according to research from Euromonitor International. Online sales are expected to reach $2 billion by 2016, as the region's consumers turn to the Internet for deals and the convenience of shopping from home, the firm said. The National (Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates) (1/8)        Gain Deeper Insight into the Hyperconnected World To accelerate your online business and stay ahead of the competition, you need insight into the latest security, connectivity and mobile trends. Click here to join Akamai, as we discuss the findings from the latest State of the Internet Report and its impact on the online industry.   Hot Topics  Top five news stories selected by Shop.org SmartBrief readers in the past week. Sears launches fitness site for the new year (InternetRetailer.com) Preparing for a mobile wallet future (Marketnews Magazine (Toronto)) Isotoner uses e-mail to turn browsers into buyers (InternetRetailer.com) Getting social with One Kings Lane CEO (Shop.org Blog) Social media blurs the lines between marketing, PR (iMedia Connection) Results based on number of times each story was clicked by readers.   Companies in the News    Netflix debuts in U.K. and Ireland Netflix began operating in the U.K. and Ireland, ramping up its effort to compete against Amazon-owned LOVEFiLM. Netflix's offerings include movies and TV shows from Disney U.K. & Ireland, BBC, CBS and Miramax. Bloomberg (1/9)        PayPal spinoff would boost eBay's value, analysts say Spinning off payment service PayPal would raise eBay's value by about 30% and allow the parent to expand its core online retail operation to better compete with Amazon, analysts said. Bloomberg Businessweek (1/9)      Home Depot launches PayPal in-store test Five Home Depot stores are testing in-store payment systems from PayPal that let shoppers check out without cash or credit cards. Customers using the system pay by typing their phone numbers and personal ID numbers into terminals that connect with their PayPal accounts. Bloomberg (1/7), The Wall Street Journal (1/6)      The 4 men behind Amazon's rise to becoming a tech giant CNNMoney credits executives Andrew Jassy, Steven Kessel, Brian Valentine and Jeff Blackburn for building Amazon's reputation as a top tech company. The Business Insider (1/6)      Other News Shoes.com parent names new CIO InternetRetailer.com (1/6)      Your job as an Exchange administrator isn't easy. You have to respond to lost messages, handle email discovery requirements, and keep everything up and running. Is there an easy way to manage your Exchange environment — and do it under budget? Learn about the challenges faced by three real organizations, and how using the right solution brought them peace of mind.   Featured Content    Recipe for Success: Q&A With Steven Johnson of "Innovator's Cookbook" Heidi Pearson - FedEx Small Business Team Resolve to Make Your Business Healthier This Year GABRIEL SHAOOLIAN 4 Tips to Keep Your Website Ahead of the Curve in 2012 Lauren Hockenson Would You Buy a Car From the Black Eyed Peas' will.i.am? Courtney Rubin 7 Must-Have B2B Web Design Elements for 2012 Ivana Taylor Most Popular Headlines from Last Week How Oprah Nearly Killed My Business STEPHEN SHAPIRO 6 Secrets To Overcoming Burnout Mike Michalowicz 6 Ways You Can Get Into Shape Using Your Workspace Karlee Weinmann Results based on number of times each story was clicked by readers.   Legislative & Regulatory    Indiana lawmaker pushes for online sales tax A federal law to require online retailers to collect state sales tax could help offset the loss if a proposal to eliminate Indiana's estate tax becomes law, says state Sen. Luke Kenley. "It's almost a one-for-one replacement and it's a perfect replacement for the estate tax." South Bend Tribune (Ind.)/The Associated Press (1/8)      The 2012 Email Evolution Conference February 22-24, 2012 | Westin Diplomat Resort & Spa, Hollywood, FL For everything email and more, EEC12 is where it’s at. This tried-and-true event focuses on the best ways to capitalize on the high ROI this low-cost communication tool can provide both on its own, and integrated with social, search, mobile, video and other email enhancers. Register now for early bird savings!   Shop.org Spotlight  How Ralph Lauren keeps a classic brand modern Ralph Lauren has worked to keep a consistent image for more than 44 years. David Lauren, EVP of advertising, marketing and corporate communications, will discuss the iconic brand's strategies for staying fresh and relevant in a fast-changing world at Retail's BIG Show, Jan. 15 to 18 in New York City. Learn more.      Shop.org SmartStat: Jan. 9, 2012 More than 22,000 people are expected to attend Retail's BIG Show, starting this Sunday in New York. Source: NRF.        One Kings Lane CEO shares which retail trends will sink or swim Today's hot topics in retail include all things mobile, tablet, social and flash. But not all efforts in these spaces will flourish over the next few years. In a recent Shop.org Q&A, One Kings Lane CEO Doug Mack shares his views on innovation, embracing technology and optimizing customer experience -- and how to ensure efforts in the mobile, tablet, social and flash arenas succeed. Read the Q&A. Shop.org Blog (1/4)      Learn more about Shop.org -> Website  |  Events  |  Research  |  Shop.org Blog  |  Join Shop.org Retailers walk Retail’s BIG Show EXPO for free Retailers, don’t miss out on your free pass to the EXPO at Retail’s BIG Show, Jan. 16-17. The EXPO hosts 400+ solution providers along with 50+ free sessions featuring Ideeli, 1-800-Flowers.com, Walmart and more. Register for your free pass.   SmartQuote  Knowledge can be communicated, but wisdom cannot. A man can find it, he can live it, he can be filled and sustained by it, but he cannot utter or teach it." --Hermann Hesse, German-Swiss writer and poet        This SmartBrief was created for cpgbrokers.data@blogger.com   Subscriber Tools       Update account information | Change e-mail address | Unsubscribe | Print friendly format | Web version | Search past news | Archive | Privacy policy Grab our News Widget Publish your Press Release   Advertise Senior Account Director:  Dena Malouf (202) 407-7837 Download Media Kit       Recent Shop.org SmartBrief Issues: Friday, January 06, 2012 Thursday, January 05, 2012 Wednesday, January 04, 2012 Tuesday, January 03, 2012 Friday, December 30, 2011     Lead Editor:  Megan Conniff       Mailing Address: SmartBrief, Inc.®, 555 11th ST NW, Suite 600, Washington, DC 20004     © 1999-2012 SmartBrief, Inc.® Legal Information