The vast majority of store owners invest substantial resources in acquiring new business, abandoning former prospects. Research shows that only 8% of ecommerce shoppers are returning visitors, however they are responsible for 41% of the store’s overall revenue. The logical conclusion, therefore, is that business owners should allocate a significantly larger portion of their resources to repeat visitors.

One of the most effective forms of targeting former visitors is through email. According to Marketing Sherpa, email is the preferred method of communication with business for consumers, eclipsing social media. Research by Econsultancy cites that 20% of sales can be attributed to email. Nonetheless, to effectively attract new customers, you need an email list. Most consumers leave your website without making a purchase, increasing the likelihood of anonymity, however these are potential customers who can benefit from  email retargeting.

What’s in It for Me?

If you’d like a visitor to hand over their email address, you must make the benefits clear. By offering them a powerful incentive they will happily provide you with their contact information. According to a study by the DMA  the main reasons consumers sign up for emails are offers/sales (61%) and discounts (59%). Avoid appearing desperate for business – abstain from offering discounts to every visitor to your site, and instead offer content or participation in a raffle.  

Keep It Simple

The way in which you request information is just as important as the request itself. Make it easy for visitors to give you their email addresses. Don’t make them fill out a long form with many fields; Their name and address is usually more than enough and in most cases email alone will suffice.

Email address entry fields can be located in pop-ups, sticky top bars, sidebars, at the top of your webpage or at the bottom of the site. Just make sure the entry field is direct, rather than a linki. If a customer is ready to give you their email address, don’t place an additional barrier in their way by making them go to another page.

A Multitude of Ways

We’ve assembled 19 tactics to help you  entice your visitors to give you their email address. We’ve divided the tactics into four main categories:  monetary incentives, informative incentives, visit type and offsite captures. Every company’s clientele is different and responds in a unique way. Give some of these techniques a try and see what works best for you.