New Templates for the Template Library
TLDR: The ‘Themed Templates’ in the Klaviyo Template Library have not been updated since 2017. I interviewed various customers asking their thoughts on the current available templates in the template library. The customers' I interviewed were not currently happy with the designs and range of selection for the template library. I also found numerous tickets from customers within Zendesk requesting specific types of templates, or features they would like in templates. I then used HEAP data to show only 2 out of the available 52 Themed Templates were being used regularly. So, I designed 12 new templates for the template library. These new templates will utilize customer requests, competitor market data, current design trends, and new capabilities possible with the release of the new template editor coming by end of 2021. Once these new templates are published to the Template Library, the goal is to use HEAP data to determine if these templates are being used more than the current 2017 templates available. If customers are using our themed templates more, then this will provide a better experience for them, as they will not have to be so reliant on their in-house or agency designers, and can create marketing emails quicker, as well as submit fewer Support Tickets asking for design help.
What is the current problem. How did you validate this. Reference any data or feedback that you’ve collected:
The template library is out of date and not being utilized. HEAP data shows customers are using imported or custom built templates the most, within the past year. Customer interviews quoted saying they do not use the ‘themed’ templates because they were “too simple & outdated”.
HEAP report on usage of the themes templates used, weekly and within the past 365 days screenshot below. Most customers are using their own templates (other) or the first template listed ‘Vision and Blues’. The ‘Vision and Blues’ template is the first in the template library, and uses the most white space:
What should the solution to the problem achieve. Just a list of the project’s goals framed in the context of the user and/or in terms of what the purpose of “themed templates” should be.
Designing & building out templates, based on market research of competitors’ popular templates, as well as, commonly requested for templates/usage within Zendesk.
What is out of scope for this project?
Filtering by category dropdown & tagging templates in order to use a dropdown to find a ‘type’ of template or by industry.
How did you determine which objectives to focus on for the new designs?
I collected quotes from Zendesk of customers requesting features and designs in templates, a spreadsheet of pull quotes can be found here. I also did a market deep-dive of current trends, the qualitative data notes can be found here.
Screenshots of example pull quotes from customers via Zendesk:
What options do we have in how we deal with the current templates. What are the risks to each option, if any?
There is no limit of how many templates can be in the themed templates library. So, we can keep all the old templates, for the small percentage of people that use them. Or, we could delete the templates that according to HEAP data, have gotten used less than 100 times within 365 days. Even though some of the templates are barely used, I don’t see the harm in keeping the old ones, for the small percentage of people that use these. We do not want to disrupt their customer experience.
What does success look like?
Releasing new templates within the editor, and seeing customers use the templates within HEAP data. Ideally, I would like to see the new templates being used more than the current themed templates.
Template Designs:
Link to Figma File here of the template designs.
Names/Themes of templates (from left to right):
1. New Product Announcement - An example of commonly requested for template. There were over 15 tickets of customers requesting for a template that announces a new product. This template uses new product images and copy, describing the benefits of the new product.
2. NPS/Product Review Email - Another example of commonly requested for template. There are instructions for how to set up a customer review NPS template in a Knowledge base Doc, but the template itself did not exist in Klaviyo. Many customers submitted tickets asking for assistance setting up the template.
3. Sale Notification - An example of keeping a discount/sale promotion. Sale emails should be short and to the point, with limited distraction to increase coupon code use.
4. Minimal Open Design/Sleeping Cloud Co. - Utilizing negative space and open designs. HEAP data shows that the first emails are picked in the old template library, as well as templates with open space for customers to play around with.
5. Photography/Typography - Baby Clothing Co. - Using an eye-catching photo showing a product with soft typography, that is still readable and attention grabbing. A template showcasing a soft and calming aesthetic, to show customers not everything has to be 'loud' in order to be effective. This is a current design trend.
6. Editorial Columns/Paris Tour - Highlighting being able to add text on top of images with the new use of sections in the updated email editor. This template also uses an editorial use of 25% 75% text and image columns.
7. Illustration/Plant Delivery - Showcasing the use of a simple header with open space as a strong and noticeable call to action. As well as, mixing photography with illustration to enhance the branding.
8. EBook - Showing how to market an Ebook, by including examples of what the Ebook will include, with a download button. This template also shows how to break up information/instructions with horizontal rules and images.
9. Internal Company Update - Inspired by customers submitting via Zendesk, asking for internal newsletters. These emails are short and to the point.
10. New Menu/Change - Through assisting with the Showcase tool, we saw many examples of high performing emails announcing a change or apologizing for a technical difficulty. This email gives an example of great design, with a change announcement. The images show the new menu items coming out with text describing the changes/reasons why the menu is changing. The header also shows an example of a text block with a background color, with a background image underneath.
11. Services/Marketing Agency - An example of service goods marketing. Our email templates now usually focus on retail/goods, while many of our customers are agencies. This template highlights lifestyle shots of the brand with text information about the services provided.
12. Colors/Oval Furniture Co. - This template shows how to use bright or contrasting colors in an effective and not overwhelming manner. This is a very popular design trend with competitors recently (Canva, MailChimp, Beefree.io). At the bottom of the template, the footer also utilizes a table block for different links. Many template requests from onboarding customers, request a footer table block.
These templates are in order of most requested or needed. The template designs/features were either requested via tickets in Zendesk by customers (ex: New product announcement & NPS were requested many times) or commonly requested for in onboarding template builds handled by the Templates Team (myself and one other coworker).
Customer Zoom Interviews Regarding the Current (2017) Themed Templates:
I met with 5 customers via Zoom for 30 minutes. I asked the same questions to each customer and then followed with a tutorial on the email editor/answered their questions. I offered to answer their questions as an incentive for customers to meet with me and answer my template library questions. Three of the customers reported they would pick out a blank template, and then completely customize it. They selected a blank template that had the column structure they wanted. One customer only used HTML templates imported in, because their team was unaware of what capabilities the email editor had. None of the customers used the Themes templates from the template library regularly. Customers created designs for different occasions (ex: Hero, General, Sale) and would then clone these templates to create new emails, repeatedly. A team with many designers said the designs of the template libraries were “too simple & outdated” to use. A team with no designers did not like any of the designs in the template library, but does not have their own designers, so they use an agency that makes HTML templates that they upload in. But, the customer did not like using HTML templates since they are not fluent in code so making changes requires a lot of back and forth with the agency.
Overall, each customer seemed disappointed with the current designs of the Template Library and could not fully utilize it.
Spreadsheet of customer answers from interviews can be found here.
The recordings from the Zoom Meetings can be found here.
Screenshot of example customer answers from interviews:
Conclusion:
The current 2017 themed templates are not being utilized. If these templates are updated to features/design trends customers are looking for, this will provide a better customer experience. Customers may not need to rely on agencies for template design and changes. This will cut down on the amount of Support Tickets submitted asking for these features as well. These new templates will pair nicely with the release of the new editor as the designs show what is possible in the new editor (background images, sections, custom fonts within the editor). The new templates will also show similar design formats as high performing emails being presented on Klaviyo Showcase. Klaviyo Showcase will be a landing page showing high performing (high click rates, open rates, etc) emails by industry as inspiration for our customers. So, customers will be able to see successful emails and then can create an email in their account with a similar design if using a new template in the themed library. If these templates are used more than the current template designs in the library, this will provide a better customer experience.
Next Steps:
I am currently building out the New Themed Template Library templates' within the Klaviyo Library Account. The Templates Project Manager and I agreed The templates will be released on GA for the new email editor since the templates highlight capabilities only possible in the new editor. As of now, GA for the new email editor will be roughly around the beginning of October 2021 (subject to change based on Engineering though).
Once the templates have been released for a few months, I will look at HEAP data again to see which templates are most used, and look into Zendesk tickets to see if customers are having any issues with them.
For internal Klaviyo employees, my Wiki Page of this report can be found here.