From: net-a-porter.com
Subject Line: What's new for you on Wednesday
Date: Wednesday, November 25, 2009

Earlier this month I wrote about a positive experience with an email message from net-a-porter.com. While I maintain that their intention to message on favorite designer new arrivals is a good one, I have some reservations about the execution. I've been receiving emails literally every day highlighting relatively random (not email-worthy) Burberry product such as this mish-mash of sportswear.

It's a tricky balance. Moving toward systematic automation based on either stated or inferred preferences is definitely "the way of the future," but there's something to be said for the value of human input. I'm not sure that the net-a-porter.com merchandising team would have highlighted this particular "Cotton waffle-knit top."

Perhaps it's a simple matter of adding a "hot or not" flag that indicates whether a particular item should or shouldn't hit the inbox.