Journal

Waitrose's classy unsubscribe

Email unsubscribes can be a really poor experience – abrupt at best, evasive and obstructive at worst.

I really like this email unsubscribe pattern from Waitrose – something I hadn’t seen before today. It’s what you get when you click the Unsubscribe link from Waitrose’s email newsletter.

‘Just to let you know that by unsubscribing from our distribution list, you will no longer receive information about any Waitrose special offers – including our money-off vouchers. If you’re still sure you want to unsubscribe, simply send this email. Nothing’s set in stone; you can always opt back in or register at waitrose.com ’

What I like about it is this:

• it’s a simple, straightforward explanation during the point of the action, not before it, or after
• it explains what you’ll lose out on, but not in a pushy way (I think in part because it’s an email, not a designed web page)
• it respects the user’s decision and leaves them in control
• clicking unsubscribe in the email newsletter doesn’t take you to a stark, unwelcoming confirmation page: sending the email ends the relationship, simply and quickly

Seen better examples? I’d love to know about them.