Question

Topic: E-Marketing

Suggestions For Email List Building At Retail

Posted by tiSHOPPE on 12/20/2007 at 7:04 AM ET 125 Points
We are looking for some effective means of grabbing emails from current customers, new customers and prospective customers for a Big & Tall Menswear Retail operation. They have a poor web presence to be sure and an even more meager list of emails. But we get a great bang for the email blast buck and really see it as the future of the business.

We were thinking about doing store contests, counter surveys and staff queries for the store but what do we do outside the store to help grow a base of potential customers?

Does anyone have any ideas for getting a good list (permissions) of qualified email addresses. Any ideas would be appreciated.
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RESPONSES

  • Posted by Jay Hamilton-Roth on 12/20/2007 at 9:25 AM Member
    I know why you want their email address. But what benefit do they get from you having it? Create a big enough benefit, and people will sign up. Perhaps you notify your "VIP list" about special sales that happen before the public sales. Perhaps VIPs can make appointments with sales advisors, so they don't have to wait to be helped.
  • Posted by Inbox_Interactive on 12/20/2007 at 10:26 AM Member
    For what it's worth, I don't like the idea of using lists, even permission-based ones, to build this sort of business.

  • Posted on 12/20/2007 at 3:37 PM Accepted
    Hello,

    I am a list broker and I would not allow you to rent and email list for this audience. At least thru me.

    Third party consumer email has its challenges and there are too many to list here. The most important factor in any DM, Email or telemarketing campaign is the list you use and here is where the problem lye's for you.

    The first thing I ask a customer is what do their current customers look like. Demographics, zip code reach of location, etc.. Then I try to find a file that matches there current customers. I always look for direct response lists and then go down the chain. Compiled lists for this audience would be a last resort.

    The problem with third party email is direct response. I don't mean someone filling out a survey or reg. to a website. i mean someone who has actually bought something similar to what you are offering.

    Build your own list for this project. Offer a VIP email exclusive discount offers. Send a monthly news letter.
    Send a direct mail piece to your current customers and ask them to register on your site to become a VIP. etc

    Please don't get me wrong. I am not bashing third party consumer email becasue it does work, but their needs to be a bonified list for you to use.

    Check out www.the-dma.org. They have some white papers on building a database. You can build your email database with direct mail. Direct mail is still king!

    I hope this helps!!

    Thank you


  • Posted by tiSHOPPE on 12/21/2007 at 6:30 AM Author
    I really appreciate all the responses. I do see email marketing as the future of this business.

    The customer believes that direct mail is "The King" presently, and you can't argue with that it does well for them. But for the cost to prep an email and send it out versus a printed DM piece we all were thinking that a really good e program starting now could pay dividends in the future...

    I really like the VIP idea, birthday/holiday reminder program and the Newsletters... it's all about relationships right? We are going to start a refer a friend program with the emails too and we are very hopeful that that can drive the list building some.

    Thanks also for the DMA.org tip. Good stuff.

    Does anyone have opinions on in-store contest to get people to sign up for the email program?

    Thanks again for all the good responses!


  • Posted on 12/26/2007 at 1:53 PM Member
    contact kevin cooper at kevinc@datachampions.net. You give him the criteria and they will build a list for you with permission based emails.
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