What is Merge tags?
Merge tags, also called personalization tags, are placeholders in an email that are replaced with stored data for each recipient, such as a first name or last product viewed.
The email platform replaces each tag when the message is sent. Common examples include first name, order details and a unique code.
They only work as well as the data behind them. If a first name is missing or entered in capitals, the greeting can look awkward, so set a fallback value such as a neutral greeting.
Personalization is more than a name. Referring to the product someone looked at or the order they placed usually matters more to the reader than a name in the subject line.
A worked example.
Imagine a hypothetical skincare brand that uses the first name tag with a fallback word in its greeting. A test send to a profile with no name shows the neutral greeting rather than a blank space, and the team fixes a few profiles stored in capitals.
Common mistakes.
- No fallback value for missing data
- Using a name tag in every subject line
- Never checking how the data is stored
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