A few days back I tweeted a thought I had for a while:
@tictail I wish that the emails genererad from my store would mirror my brand, instead of the Tictail brand.
— Viktor Bijlenga (@viktorbijlenga) 27 oktober 2014
A simple wish that my online shop solution of choice, Tictail – would consider to improve the email which is sent to the customer as a confirmation when something is shipped.
Current email template design
Emails currently look like down below, when something you bought is shipped from a store powered by Tictail.
I think that this design is good, but it’s too focused on Tictail. I wish that the store’s brand would be the focus, since the communication is between a store owner and a customer.
The reasoning behind this, according to Tictail – is to establish trust and reliability for shoppers around the world1, ensure safe and protected transactions through the platform2 and add the benefit of being part of a strong community of entrepreneurs3.
Okay, those reasons sounds healthy to me. I want to be able to trust the store/plattform and have the opportunities that comes with a large community of creative people that creates something they believe in.
So I tweeted Tictail again:
@tictail All those things could still be possible, with a toned down design where the store’s brand is in focus. “Powered by Tictail.”
— Viktor Bijlenga (@viktorbijlenga) 28 oktober 2014
A bit later I got a reply + multiple people had joined in to the discussion at this point.
@viktorbijlenga @agaton @martenbjork Def hear you! And appreciate the ideas 100% Aside from trust, growth is a huge motivator in our brandin
— Tictail (@tictail) 28 oktober 2014
@martenbjork @viktorbijlenga @agaton Aside from trust, growth is essential to how/where we brand – the bigger we get, the more we can offer!
— Tictail (@tictail) 28 oktober 2014
@martenbjork @viktorbijlenga @agaton Ultimately our goal is increased value for our shops, so we really appreciate you bearing with us!
— Tictail (@tictail) 28 oktober 2014
At this point things are getting interesting I think. Growth is mentioned as a factor of how they have decided to brand. Not only trust (in which in this case the customer already has trusted both the stores brand and Tictail enough to actually buy something).
I understand that growth is important for a startup. And I truly understand how important the brand can be to be able to create and sustain a sustainable business. But don’t let your growth be more important than your customers’ growth.
This is exactly my point from the beginning. I’m working on creating a brand with a consistent experience – on my website, business card and store as well. Hopefully the values that the brand communicates creates a good experience for my customers. A good experience, which results in more happy people.
Suggested email template design
So this is my simple suggestion on how you could improve the email template. I know your design team can make it even more beautiful, because I trust Tictail as a brand.
Let the store brand be the focus, and co-brand with your brand in a subtle way. It’s a win-win situation.
In the long run, a better experience for your customers (the stores) is making way for a better experience for their customers (the stores customers). Which, once again, is a win-win situation.
Note: Both the store and the Tictail logo would link to their respective URL:s.
If you want to talk with me or follow me, I’m @viktorbijlenga on Twitter.