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Best Practices for Apology Emails
April 2009
Best Practices for Apology Emails
When to Send Apologies and What to Say
By Chad White

As was made clear by the 2008 inductees into the Retail Email Blogs 1TUOopsy Hall of
FameU1T, its incredibly difficult to avoid making at least small slip ups and mistakes in the
fast-paced world of email marketingeven for the largest retailers. However, as cringe-
inducing as many of those oopsies are, most do not rise to the level of requiring an
apology email. For those that do, there is a set of best practices worth noting.

Do I Need to Apologize?
The hard and fast rule is: If the mistake is not likely to result in lost revenue or cause
significant brand damage by annoying, angering or offending subscribers, then dont
send an apology.
For instance, mistakes in subject lines rarely rise to the level of needing an apology. If
the offer in the subject line differs slightly from the one in the body copy, but the body
copy is in sync with the landing page, people will realize that the subject line is just
wrong. Even if your subject line says subject line, as one of Targets emails did, its not
worth correcting because it doesnt affect any of the body content.
Glitches in personalization, minor coding errors, missing secondary images, egregious
spelling and grammar errorsnone of these rise to the level of needing to bother
subscribers with an additional email.
Broadly speaking, we see apologies for four kinds of issues:
The email misstated the offer (body copy not in sync with landing page),
contained broken links or otherwise didnt function as intended.
The email suffered major rendering problems.
A deployment error sent emails to the wrong segments or recipients.
Server problems caused website availability issues that affected subscribers.

Limiting the Scope of Apologies
To head off the need to send a mass apology email, try to contain the problem. For
instance, if you notice a serious issue with an email, attempt to halt the send. Then you
only need to send a correction or apology to those that received emails.
Another way to limit the scope of your apologies is to only apologize to those subscribers
that you know were affected by the glitch. For example, if a certain link in an email is

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Best Practices for Apology Emails
April 2009
broken, note the subscribers who clicked on that link and only send the apology email
with the correct link to those people.

Apology Email Formats
Apologies come in three main formats:
1. Subject line onl y
In some cases just changing the subject line is enough. For instance, a Dec. 26 email
from Harry & David (see 1TUFig. 1U1T) used the subject line Correction: Up to 70% Off &
FREE Shipping* on orders over $99. The subject line of their earlier email had claimed
that the after-Christmas sale featured savings of up to 40%.
2. Preheader message
Usually in addition to indicating a correction or apology in the subject line, some retailers
included the apology message in the preheader text. For example, a Dec. 22 CompUSA
email (1TUFig. 2U1T) includes a preheader message thats highlighted in yellow and starts with
Correction: in red type. Yellow highlights and red type are often used for apology
messages in the preheader text.
3. A dedicated email
Particularly in the case of website outages, youll probably want to dedicate an entire
email to apologizing. For example, Chadwicks sent a dedicated apology email on J uly 15
(1TUFig.3U1T) after it experienced website issues.

What Makes a Good Apology?
The point of any apology is to fix the mistake and get back in the persons good graces.
When it comes to retail apology emails, here are seven tips for a graceful recovery:
1. Send the apology email as soon as you can.
Apologies work better the sooner theyre sent. Placing the apology in the preheader text
can be quick, but for those times that you need to send a dedicated email, consider
creating an apology email template like Norm Thompson (1TUFig. 4U1T) and SmartBargains
have done.
2. Make it clear in the subject line that youre apologizing.
The silver lining about having to send an apology email is that some marketers say that
they are some of their best performing emails. I suppose its rubbernecking meets the
inbox. For that reason, if youve made a big error and are apologizing for it, make it clear
in the subject line. Even if someone wasnt affected by the problem, theyre likely to open
the email just to see what youre sorry about.

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Best Practices for Apology Emails
April 2009
Here are some examples of apology email subject lines from the past 12 months:
Barnes & Noble, 3/24 Correction: This Week -- Coupons, Exclusive Twilight DVD Offer,
J onathan Kellerman, Walter Mosley, More
SmartBargains, 3/20 We apologize - here are more rewards for you.
Road Runner Sports, 2/17/09 Our Apologies. You Deserve This Gift.
Harry & David, 12/26/08 Correction: Up to 70% Off & FREE Shipping* on orders over $99
SmartBargains, 12/11 Please Accept Our Apologies.
Norm Thompson, 12/9 Oops! We made a mistake - please accept 20% SAVINGS
CompUSA, 11/19 CORRECTION: New 19" Samsung LCD $149 (DVI, 3yr Warranty, Save
$100)...6gb PC $549
Lillian Vernon, 11/16 We Messed Up! Here's Your New Code for Our 15% Off Stockings
Norm Thompson, 11/10 We're sorry...
SmartBargains, 10/23 Please accept our apologies. Extra 25% off extended today.
Walgreens, 9/30 Correction: Weekly Ad Savings, Coupons & Bonus Offers
Norm Thompson, 9/23 Apologies for technical problems yesterday. FREE SHIPPING IS
STILL AVAILABLE!
Road Runner, 9/15 Runner, we are truly sorry. Please accept this...
Chadwicks, 8/8 Special Bulletin: Our apologies and a limited-time offer!
AbeBooks, 8/5 We're Sorry - Here's a Coupon, Good Until August 19
J . Crew, 7/30 With our apologies...
Chadwicks, 7/15 Please accept our sincere apologies...
Kmart, 7/2 Correction: 4th of J uly Online Blowout Sale. 4 Days Only!
Ann Taylor, 5/9 Technical difficulty for us...25% OFF for you!
Neiman Marcus, 5/7 Oops! The site is back up! Enjoy FREE SHIPPING at ANY price.
3. Give them a reason to forgi ve you.
If you want to increase the effectiveness of your apology, give your subscribers a
compelling reason to forgive you. Youll notice that the majority of subject lines above
included a reference to an incentive or reward.
For instance, if you have server problems that stop some of your customers from taking
advantage of an email offer, extend the offer. Thats what SmartBargains did in a Dec.
12 email (1TUFig. 5U1T) when website sluggishness prevented some of their subscribers from
activating the discount in their Secret Santa email. You dont want customers to feel like
they missed out because of your mistake.
4. Know when to use humor and when to be serious.
You can try to laugh off relatively minor mistakes, especially if your brands email
personality is a little whimsical or jokey. People appreciate it when you poke fun at
yourself, especially when no one was seriously impacted by your mistake. For instance,
in a May 7 email (1TUFig. 6U1T), Neiman Marcus uses the image of a woman writing lines on a
black board to inject a little humor into their apology. And in an Aug. 5 apology email
(1TUFig. 7U1T), AbeBooks blames vampires for their problems telling subscribers about the
latest book by Twilight author Stephenie Meyer.

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Best Practices for Apology Emails
April 2009
However, the safer play in most cases for most brands is a straightforward, sincere
apology that shows that you respect your subscribers time.
5. When its reall y bad, have it signed by an executive.
When its serious, you escalate itup to the head of customer service, to a VP, to the
CEO. 2TFor instance, in a 2TJ uly 30 email (1TUFig. 8U1T), J . Crew apologizes for website and call
center problems in an email signed by two executives as a sign that they take the issue
seriously. In a rather bizarre apology, an Aug. 13 Overstock email (1TUFig. 9U1T) used the
CEOs occasional column to apologize for a typo that apparently created an
inappropriate message.
6. Dont make excuses. Just fix the problem.
People dont care why a problem occurred so much as what youve done or are going to
do to fix it. For instance, in an Aug. 4 email (1TUFig. 10U1T), Spiegel assures subscribers that
the problem has been corrected. Keep any explanation of what went wrong to a
minimum, as J . Crew did in the previously mentioned apology email (1TUFig. 8U1T).
After you apologizeand preferably even beforemake sure the problem is fixed. If you
have to apologize repeatedly for the same problem, your customers wont believe that
youre truly sorry. If youre prone to deployment problems or coding errors, put a process
in place to eliminate or at least reduce those errors. If your servers keep getting
overloaded, find a way to expand your capacity.
7. Dont make a mistake in the apology email.
This may seem obvious but weve seen this happen on more than one occasion. For
example, on March 30, 2007, MLB sent an email with the subject line Watch the Civil
Rights Game LIVE on ESPN. The email was completely blank. The next day they
apparently tried to correct the mistake by resending the email, even using the same
subject line. That email was also completely blank. If youre really sorry, make sure that
the apology email or any resend is flawless.
And this year, after sending a Dec. 11 email (1TUFig. 11U1T) that apologized for a malfunction
in their Secret Santa email promotion, SmartBargains had to send another apology (1TUFig.
5U1T) when the response to the now-functional promotion overwhelmed their website.
Although in this case the problems were different, the back-to-back apologies still looked
bad.

Good Luck!
We hope that youll be able to avoid making any major mistakes, but if you find yourself
needing to issue an apology, follow this advice and your subscribers will be more likely
to forgive you.


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Best Practices for Apology Emails
April 2009
Creative Gallery

Fig. 1: This Dec. 26 Harry & David email had the subject line Correction: Up to 70% Off &
FREE Shipping* on orders over $99 and followed an email earlier in the day for the same sale
that had the subject line After-Christmas SALE: Up to 40% OFF! >1TUBackU1T


Fig. 2: This Dec. 22 CompUSA email didnt indicate in the subject line that it was an apology
email, but it included a prominent preheader text message. >1TUBackU1T










Smith-Harmon, Inc. | T: 206.774.0199 | www.smith-harmon.com Page 6
Best Practices for Apology Emails
April 2009
Fig. 3: This July 15 Chadwicks email dedicated the entire email to the apology and prominently
featured an incentive to reengage affected subscribers. >1TUBackU1T








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Best Practices for Apology Emails
April 2009
Fig. 4: Norm Thompson has created an email template for their apology emails, allowing them
to respond quickly when mistakes or outages occur. Below is a Dec. 9 email. >1TUBackU1T


Fig. 5: In this Dec. 12 email, SmartBargains extends the maximum discount offered in their
Secret Santa email. >1TUBackU1T




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Best Practices for Apology Emails
April 2009
Fig. 6: In this May 7 email, Neiman Marcus uses a little humor to try to recover from a site
outage. >1TUBackU1T







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Best Practices for Apology Emails
April 2009
Fig. 7: In this Aug. 5 email, AbeBooks blames vampires for their problems telling subscribers
about the latest book by Twilight author Stephenie Meyer. >1TUBackU1T


































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Best Practices for Apology Emails
April 2009
Fig. 8: In this July 30 email, J. Crew apologizes for website and call center problems and has the
email signed by two executives for extra sincerity umph. However, the email doesnt give
subscribers any reason to accept the apologyand worse, the subject line, With our
apologies sets the expectation that there will be a reward or incentive in the email. >1TUBackU1T


Fig. 9: In this Aug. 13 email, Overstock has their CEO, Patrick Byrne, apologizing for a typo that
lead to an inappropriate message. >1TUBackU1T


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Best Practices for Apology Emails
April 2009
Fig. 10: In this Aug. 4 email, Spi egel assures subscribers that the problems affecting their sites
performance has been fixed, and they have the message signed by the president and CEO.
>1TUBackU1T




















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Best Practices for Apology Emails
April 2009
Fig. 11: In this Dec. 11 email, SmartBargains apologizes for their Secret Santa email promotion
not functioning properly. However, after sending this email, the response overwhelmed their
website, prompting the need to send another apology (1TUFig. 5U1T). >1TUBackU1T



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Best Practices for Apology Emails
April 2009
About the Author
Chad White is the Research Director at Smith-Harmon, an email marketing strategy and creative
services agency. The founder and author of the 1TURetail Email BlogU1T, Chad is an authority on email
marketing strategies and trends in the retail industry. He regularly writes research reports on
email marketing best practices and trends, is an Email Insider columnist for MediaPost, is an
active member of the Email Experience Council, and supports Smith-Harmon clients with his
advice and exclusive research.

About Smith-Harmon, Inc.
Smith-Harmon is a unique agency providing email marketing strategy and creative services.
Since its founding in 2003, Smith-Harmon has developed a stellar reputation for email expertise,
maximizing performance and driving results for leading brands from Alaska Airlines to Williams-
Sonoma. Service offerings include email strategy consulting that includes innovative engagement
tactics, training in-house teams to become email experts, and email creative services. Beyond
serving clients, Smith-Harmon is an active member of the email marketing community, helping to
develop best practices with its research and outreach efforts and its leadership roles with the
Email Experience Council and the Email Marketing Roundtable.
For more information, visit 1TUhttp://www.smith-harmon.comU1T