Hot take: Email subject line personalization is getting creepy

Used to just throw a first name in the subject line like "Hey Sarah" and call it a day. Last week I tested a campaign where I referenced a customer's actual browse history from 3 months ago and open rates jumped 22%. But now I'm wondering if we're crossing a line. My friend said she felt weird getting an email that mentioned a specific product she only looked at once. Where do you guys draw the line between relevant and invasive?

2 comments

2 Comments

sage_perry10d agoMost Upvoted

Actually I think there's something worth correcting here - browse history from three months ago doesn't necessarily mean you're being creepy, it just means you're using data the right way (well, semi-right). The real line gets crossed when you mention something they looked at once without any context, like "hey remember that weird garden gnome you stared at for 5 seconds in June?" versus "saw you checking out fall gardening stuff, here's 20% off". The browse history thing is fine if you're being helpful about it, but when you start naming specific products they barely glanced at, that's when it feels like you're watching them through their webcam or something. I'd say the difference is between "we noticed you like this category" and "we know exactly which shade of beige you hovered over last Tuesday".

jade22110d ago

Yeah I used to be in the camp that any browse history targeting felt like spying, but you've actually got a point. The difference between "here's stuff in your wheelhouse" and "we saw you look at that exact product at 3:47 PM" is huge even if the data is the same. Still not totally comfortable with it but I get why general category suggestions feel way less creepy than the hyper specific stuff.