Yesterday, I swiped past a post inside an e-commerce marketing group.
An email marketer was rambling on about an email he saw:
Subject Line: “, ⏳ last chance for free shipping!!”
Typical e-commerce email.
The fuss?
They tried to use {merge-field} to pull the subscriber’s name… and failed.
Look. I get it.
You should always review your emails before sending…
But here are my three cents:
CENT #1
Just… don’t use {merge-field}?
Most e-commerces (and marketers) overestimate the “effectiveness” of saying – “Hey [FNAME]”
Come on. It’s 2025.
Your subscribers won’t reach a climax just because you mention their name in the subject line or greeting. That’s not what “customization” means.
Not to mention –
A very (very) big percentage of subscribers will enter a fake name into your optin form. Like aWR*asKHq…
So, every time you use a merge field, they see:
“aWR*asKHq, ⏳ last chance for free shipping!!
🤣
CENT #2
It’s easy to make fun of silly mistakes.
BUT
I’m willing to bet half-a-bag of diapers… that E.V.E.R.Y. S.I.N.G.L.E. brand/marketer has made this mistake before…
…and will make it again in the future.
It’s Murphy’s Law: “Anything that can go wrong will go wrong.”
(damn it, McConaughey… every time I mention Murphy’s Law, I can hear “Murrrrph….!!!” in the back of my head)
I don’t care how many checkpoints you have—it’s inevitable.
So… stop making a big deal out of it.
CENT #3
Let’s be honest.
Did you even notice the missing first name?
In my experience –
This makes literally no difference.
Most people… and I’m saying 90% of your subscribers… won’t even notice the missing first name. PLUS –
Even if they notice, they don’t care.
Because most people decide which email to open the moment they see the “Sender Name.” The Subject Line?
That’s icing on the cake.
And this is what I hate about marketers—especially email marketers.
Most email marketers are obsessed with the trivialities.
The color of the link.
The size of the button.
The typos.
The missing first name.
Obsessing over these “tiny things” is an easy way to look “professional,” but it does not move the needle.
Want to really boost the Customer Lifetime Value?
Focus on finding the right hook.
Telling better stories.
Making your email “worth” your subscribers’ time.
To your success,
– WYH