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Marketing emails

Membership
#1

It’s been clear to me for a while that I’m turning into a grumpy old man. However, I’ve just received a TWS email titles “[my name], do you want to know our buyers’ recommendations for drinking in 2022?” and got unreasonably annoyed.

Clearly there’s been some research that shows that putting the recipient’s name at the start of an email subject increases engagement, but to me it screams “we’re a tacky organization who are happy to resort to cheap tricks to get you to read our emails”. It also pushes the informative part of the title off the edge of my phone (as does the ridiculous framing as a question which immediately makes me want to answer “no” regardless of whether I’m interested).

Clearly I’ve already spent far more time on this than it’s worth, but I’m curious as to how singular my grumpiness is here, or whether it’s annoying other people as well.

6 Likes
#2

I think it seems appropriate however we’re all different.

#3

Well, no, not with my name. Plenty of marketing emails - 9 So far this year I think - but none specifically addressed to me. I must say that as the frequency increases my attention decreases, and I rarely read them properly.

Not sure if my name would or wouldn’t get more attention. Maybe initially, but after a few times it wouldn’t make any difference at all.

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#4

Oh I just roll my eyes at them. Particularly as my name is " Andrew Matthews" and i get “Dear Matthew” or “Dear Mr Andrews”
Makes me feel like Mr Pooter at the Mansion house

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#5

I am disgruntled as I do not appear to have had a TWS email with my name in it. Do they not know who I am?

Joking apart, yes it is a bit naff in my view, I know it is just a piece of software picking it out of the database. It’s not really personalised. Lots of online business I send straight to junk do it, so it’s not a good association.

Now what would be personalised is if I could get emails on stuff I buy regularly, warning me it’s low stock or indeed that new stock is coming and when it’s likely to arrive. That could be for stuff I routinely buy or indeed wines I’ve indicated an interest in.

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#6

If I don’t see my name/account no/some other identifier then I assume it’s spam and junk it!

#7

Unsubscribes…

#8

The volume and frequency of marketing emails I get from various parties has increased markedly, and I would say very markedly from TWS. Which annoys me generally.

I used to get a few from TWS but it has increased markedly in recent months. Most of them I ignore, and no, I don’t like getting a ‘quasi personalised’ one either. I got the information about which wines buyers think one should drink in 2022 in the paper copy of the 1874 magazine. Which is fine. I don’t need an email to tell me about the 1874 magazine too, then another one to repeat part of the content of it.

Therefore I am probably towards the grumpy camp too! I think it’s counterproductive in some ways.

If I get an email to alert me to an EP campaign where I’ve indicated an interest, or bought from previous ones, that’s fine. However, I’d much rather get an email telling me that some of the website problems which I’ve highlighted have been resolved.

EDIT: to note that I am now slightly grumpier having had another email asking me to read about the 1874 magazine…

5 Likes
#9

Surely it’s all part and parcel of transforming our warm friendly (albeit fuddy-duddy) old TWS much loved and praised by just about everybody who’s anybody in the wine business, into a younger, thrusting, expansive, middle-class sort of Laithwaites? Isn’t it time for the young 'uns to have their go at transforming TWS into a 21st Century entity. After all we were all getting a bit curled up around the edges weren’t we?..‘me neither’ ???

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#10

Thank you all for your feedback around our emails. This is a feature our team has been testing and as always we appreciate and value your feedback. :slight_smile:

@MarkC We’re working more closely with the web team on some sort of system where we’ll soon be able to start providing our Members on the Community with more regular website updates. Hopefully this will help everyone see what’s the status on the major things that we’re working on our website.

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#11

Glad to see others are a bit unhappy as am I with the frequent TWS marketing emails and the tacky use of ones name. Maybe TWS has too many marketeers.

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#12

I would suggest you couldn’t get more middle class than membership of a wine club that requires a proposer :grinning: …

(…unless you’re insinuating it’s lowered to Middle Class??)

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#13

Is there any provision to ‘black ball’ someone who applies for membership I wonder…that is if we are still allowed to use that expression!

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#14

I still use Laithwaites from time to time (as they offer decent deals on EP and occasional case discounts). From a customer/member perspective I’d say that both their marketing and wider business models are a million miles away from those of TWS.

I’ve been a TWS member for a relatively short space of time so have no idea how far the marketing has changed, but it’s easy to opt out of anything you don’t want to receive.

The society is between a rock and a hard place though, with people who dislike being bombarded with mailings and emails and those who feel aggrieved at missing out on time-limited offers.

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#15

I suspect that some feel even more aggrieved if they get an email then find out it’s all gone an hour later anyway…bit like some EP offers where there are pages of ‘sold out’ showing…why taunt the masses with something that’s not for sale?

#16

Yep, agree that people shouldn’t be marketed stuff that’s already out of stock. That’s bad customer service, however well-intentioned.

I know this has been debated to death on here, but what’s the most ‘democratic’ way of giving as many members as possible a fighting chance of buying wines which will inevitably be snapped up quickly? Email? Social media? Knowing one of us on here will spot it? Someone will always feel excluded and annoyed so I don’t think there’s a perfect approach.

I personally don’t mind TWS marketing as I find it less annoying than that of 95% of other retailers I’m bombarded with.

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#17

Damned by faint praise indeed…

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#18

Maybe :blush: But who really likes any marketing content? It’s a fact of life in 2022 and at least in TWS’ case I find the general tone far less nauseating than most and there’s a reasonable chance I’ll be interested in its contents.

Overall there are a million things I find more annoying in life!

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#19

I can live with the tones of the TWS emails, but I wish there wasn’t so many of them!

I’m too scared to unsubscribe from TWS marketing emails in case I miss an EP offer or a Ulysse / Leflaive special release, but I really don’t need the daily offers…

6 Likes
#20

The only emails I want to receive from TWS are the alerts to a new range or vintage arrival that is of limited supply and / or likely to be popular and / or sell out quickly, which I would receive to coincide with the item / range still actually being available as opposed to already sold out by the time I receive it.

A simple Ask and should get priority over these scattergun marketing shots ?

1 Like