A few months ago I listened to an episode of the very good Ping! podcast by Grégory Pouy, who interviewed Maud Sarda, co-founder and director of Emmaüs label.
In the episode, Maud talks, among other things, about the genesis of the project, the values of Label Emmaüs and why people buy from the activist eshop rather than from Vinted, Leboncoin or Vestiaires collectives.
I have subscribed to the Label Emmaüs newsletters since 02/08/2021. I don't really feel the Emmaus values of mutual aid or the strong convictions that Maud advocates.
In fact, Label Emmaüs people buy for 4 reasons:
- low prices that saves you money
- buying nuggetsrare items, one-of-a-kind products, treasures found in grandpa's cupboards
- solidarity purchasing. When you buy from Label Emmüs, behind the scenes you'll find companions who are handicapped, living in very precarious conditions or being reintegrated into society, who have cleaned the item, found the right price, put it online, packed it and sent it off.
- green purchasing. Second-hand is obviously more ecological, but the militant eshop reconditions in France and delivers mainly in France. Where competitors recondition abroad. Products often cross the globe before being delivered.
These are very strong arguments. When I read the email, I feel the price argument but not (or very little) the others. I would have liked the 4 arguments to have been at the same level. Like any organization, Label Emmaüs has a responsibility to influence. It must raise awareness and convince its readers that, from now on, the first thing to do when you want to buy a second-hand product is to visit the Label Emmaüs eshop rather than other second-hand platforms. In fact, reading this newsletter, I get the impression that Label Emmaüs is trying to stick to e-commerce codes (prices, promotions, marketing chestnuts) when they should be doing the opposite. stand out by the 3 other arguments that their competitors don't have.
Layout analysis
I'm not going to go into detail about newsletter design. It's not really my expertise. I just think it lacks graphic coherence with the e-shop. The choice of font type and text size lacks force.
- Object and preheader are clear enough, but soft for an organization with such convictions
- The logo takes up a lot of space. Why not? The baseline "eshop militant" and "les news solidaires" are strong, differentiating words that underpin the brand's values. Too bad it's all in images. We could have put the baselines in text.
- Font sizes of the main title and text are quite small. The light gray of the text is not easy to read.
- The cover image contains important information: the dates and the -50% promo. All important information in emailing should be written in text, not images. Don't forget that email clients don't automatically load images. And visually impaired people won't be able to read text if it's written in images. #accessibility. Besides, there's no alternative text behind the images. Bad point.
- CTAs take up the entire width of the email. At first, I thought they were headings. It's better to shorten the width of the buttons.
- The sections "Upcycled Selection" and "Grandpa's Closet" are in image format. It's best to take them out of the image and use them as a heading.
- There is no product blocks. I would have liked to see some products from the eshop.
- The block at the end "in solidarity" "L'Équipe Label Emmaüs" comes as a surprise. These types of words are often used at the end of a newsletter editorial, for example, at the end of a strong statement. Not at the end of a promotional or product email. Unless that email starts with a little editorial 😉
- The footer is not very well laid out.
Text content analysis ?
I haven't yet talked about the content, the writing. Earlier in this analysis, I said that we should try to put the 4 purchasing arguments on the same level (price, nugget, solidarity and ecology).
This is a promotional email. I was surprised. Why would Label Emmaus run promotions? Prices are already very low. If the reason is to help companions make room in the warehouses, we have to say so!
There are words that fit well with the Emmaus spirit, such as "chiner", "pullovers jacquard", "placard de papy", "pépites", "faire du neuf avec du vieux". Papy's closet" is pretty well written... But other groups of words are surprising, like "fashion week". When your name is Label Emmaüs, shouldn't you take a stand against it?
In general, the text content lacks militancy. I'd like to read words as strong as those spoken by Maud. I want to be convinced, I want to be made aware, I want to be made aware!
What could we have done?
I'm not going to rewrite the whole email. I'd have to have a little chat with the people at Label Emmaüs to come up with a laser-cut text that contains editorial rough edges. But here are a few ideas to inspire them:
- Object : Promotions to free up our warehouses
- Preheader : -50% for 10 days. Buy militant!
- Main block :
- Main title : Help us make room in our warehouses
- Subtitle: Braderie d'automne: -50% from September 27 to October 8
- Text explaining the reason for this promotion, which puts the spotlight on companions.
- CTA: Je chine engagé.e
- Elements of persuasion just below the cover close to the main CTA to maximize the chances of these words being read!
- Low prices set by our companions after a thorough search.
- Unearth treasures : Our objects are unique. Real nuggets. They come from the donations of French people. What a story!
- Take part in professional integration When you buy from us, you give a chance to people who are far from employment. Make a difference!
- Build tomorrow's world with us Our model is powered exclusively by social economy structures. Join the movement!
- Buy truly green Our products do not travel around the world before being delivered to you. We refuse express delivery, an ecological disaster.
- Secondary blocks
- Category name
- Text
- CTA
- Product blocks: 3 products illustrating the category with price, crossed-out price if there's a promotion, estimated new price, companion's first name who took care of putting the site online.
- Numbers block
- Contact block
- China online near you
- Where to donate? online or in person
- FAQ
There's a lot to talk about when you call yourself Label Emmaus. Explain why Label Emmaus is a cooperative or that you can become a volunteer or a member.
What would also be good is to insert "news blocks" that explain the reality of things, to alert people and raise awareness. For example:
- The donation reflex is disappearing. This is very worrying. The French have got into the habit of selling their clothes to buy other products, often new ones. If we stop donating, Emmaüs disappears!
- the recidivism rate upon release from prison is 40%. The classic model doesn't work very well. The Emmaus reintegration model works quite well!
- and much, much more...