To follow on from the previous post on graphic versus text in your email layout, let's take a look at some other key points around personalisation and mobile devices.

Personalisation:

From greeting and subject lines to whole content blocks, personalisation can be achieved to varying degrees of complexity. However you should test the performance of your email to understand to what extent customers expect "personalisation". For example, most customers want content to be individualized based on their preferences or buying habits. However they may not necessarily prefer a personalised greeting. The solution is to test!

Here are some different ways you can personalise:

Mobile Devices:

Given the prevalence of mobile devices, and the greater frequency that mobile-users tend access email*, you should consider your email compatibility here. However it can be tricky -

IPhone and BlackBerry render images differently.

Here are some things to bear in mind:

*43% of mobile email users check email four or more times per day, compared to 29% of those who do not use mobile email. - Merkle "View From the Digital Inbox 2011"

**78% of mobile email users are also regular users of social networking sites. - Merkle "View From the Digital Inbox 2011" (2011)