And for users who connect their store to Mailchimp, the in-depth sales data in your reports makes it easier to visualize what’s paying off.
This is just the beginning of what your reports can tell you. We’ve got in-depth resources about each report and metric if you’d like to know more.
Find context: Why are you seeing what you’re seeing?
To understand your individual reports, you’ll need to think about context.
Context comes from knowing the history of your business and the nuances of your market, and understanding context will help you decide what the data means.
Think about the season
For example, if you sell wool jackets, and your campaigns see fewer opens in the summer, don’t be discouraged. It’s normal to see seasonal fluctuations like these in your business. Things like the list average for opens and the performance graph show what your typical success looks like, so that you can determine what’s a matter of the weather and what’s a sign that something needs to change.
Look for anomalies
When you’re evaluating your reports, you’ll need to be on the lookout for anomalies. Anomalies are when a metric dramatically rises or falls in your data. They can tell you, for example, if your message resonated with customers.
They can also clue you into outside factors that are affecting your audience’s behavior. A big spike in list signups on your landing page, for example, could be from handing out cards with the URL at a conference.
Identify outliers and inliers
It’s a good idea to lookout for spikes and dips in your reports and investigate why they happen. To figure it out, take a look from the outside in.
First, look for outliers. That could be anything that affects your metrics, like a holiday or big news events.
Then look for inliers. Those are things like subjects lines, promos, or offers that impact customer behavior.
When in doubt, run a test
Sometimes finding the specific thing that caused a data fluctuation isn’t easy. That’s where A/B testing and campaign iterations are really valuable.