Mish's Playground

Building Your Retail Customer Database

2009-11-09T15:49:00.001-05:00

Most stores in my neighbourhood collect email addresses. From the large multi-store organizations to the small boutique business - it is clear that many companies still see and are benefiting from acquiring email.

Here are some cases:

Heather Reisman's latest new business venture, Pistacio, an eco-friendly gift shop, will give you $5 off your purchase over $30 when you supply your email address. Already a customer? Don't worry, they will email you a coupon (I got one!)

My favourite lingerie store, Beestung Lingerie, lets clients in their email database know about in-store sales prior to announcing them to the public. I went into the store to see what was on sale the day after I got the email, and it was pretty busy. All women clearly were there for the sale.

As a new mother, I am weary of the toys my little girl plays with. Afterall, I hear about product recalls all the time. Mastermind will inform parents of any products that they have sold that are being recalled and also announce their major sale of the week. I don't think there has been one email that wasn't worth opening.

So, if you are thinking of starting your own retail email database, here are a few tips:

1. Be consistent with the email you send out. If you tell your customer you will be sending them every week, make sure it is every week.
2. Make sure the content is valuable to your customer. If not, they WILL mark it as spam.
3. Make sure to offer the proper opt-in and opt-out functionality.
4. Offer a valuable incentive to customers to aquire their email. Once you have them, reward them. AND make sure that same reward is not offered (or at least offered later) to customers whose addresses you don't have.
5. Don't have a system set up yet but want to start collecting? Go old school and collect them in a notebook for re-entry later. Make sure to do a double-opt in because some people may forget that they gave you their email address a while back.

Have a program already and want to give it a boost, here are some tips:

1. Make it forward-to-a-friend friendly. Test it. Many look awful or lose some of the content when you do this.
2. Collect preference information for more targetted email.
3. Start looking at mobile. Look into one-day sales and only deliver the code via email.

Samples

2009-10-25T16:16:00.000-04:00

One of my first jobs in high school was being a product demonstrator at Costco. Every week the product would change - frozen pizza, cake, granola bars and even a mop. I didn't have to 'push' the product, I just had to cook the food and put it out in small sample cups or just demonstrate how to use the product should someone ask. Occassionally I would ask if someone wanted to have a taste or see how something worked, but very rarely. Here's why:

1. People, LOTS of people love anything that's free. Especially when there is no risk involved or you don't have to provide your name.
2. People get hungry when they are shopping. Have you ever opened a bag of chips or can of pop while shopping and then paid for the product when checking out?
3. Many people don't steer away from brands or products they are familiar with and know how to use or know what it tastes like. But, should they have the opportunity to try something without having to buy it...they'll take it. AND, if they like it more than what they already buy...(don't forget to give a coupon!)
4. People like demonstrations. They need to know how easy it is to cook or use. 'Yes, just pop it in the microwave!'

Farm to Table Marketing

2009-10-20T12:59:00.001-04:00

As the whole 'Eat Local Challenge' and '100 mile diet' grows in popularity, so too are small towns, food organizations and farmers' use of digital marketing.

Why the use of online?
1. Its cheap and/or free
2. You can connect with people from the comfort of your farm
3. There are already communities to tap into

Who/What are some of my favourite organizations making good use of online?

Niagara Culinary Trail
Accommodations, farms, cafes...you name it. This site gives you great information on getting local goods.

Savour Durham
I will be the first to admit that Ajax, Pickering or Uxbridge are not the first towns to come to mind when I think of yummy food. But the Savour Durham program gives local restaurants a chance to connect with farmers and feature local food on their menu's. YUM!

Ontario Culinary Tourism Alliance
Want the 411 on whats going on with food in this province. 'Follow' @OntarioCulinary on twitter.

Social Contests

2009-09-22T16:10:00.001-04:00

Are you interested in running a contest for your product on facebook
or Twitter?

Here are a few ideas of what some companies do to get their product
noticed. (As a newbie mommy, I enter quite a few of them)

1. Hook up with a popular site or blog that will run the contest to
their audience. Of course, make sure their audience is your target
audience.
2. Run the contest off your facebook fan page, site and/or blog.
3. Have entrants blog, tweet, video for extra entries. This helps
spread the contest around.

Here is a contest I am hoping to win ;)

Stokke Tripp Trapp giveaway - http://bit.ly/hkljC

CASE: Future Shop gets Beaten By Clock

2009-09-20T15:30:00.002-04:00

Future Shop's Beat the Clock contest suffered a computer glitch resulting in discounts to the XBox 360 lasting longer than the time they allotted.

The result: Angry customers who got a confirmation that their order was received and then emailed later that it was a misprint. Those angry customers went to the store's Facebook page and even their own online forums to complain.

PR disaster? Marketing disaster?

What are the potential effects?
1. Angry customers who will never trust Future Shop contests, promotions etc. again. Heck, they won't even buy from there anymore.
2. Decrease in contest entries for the next promotions.
3. A lot of bad comments on social networks that will affect the company down the line.
4. Nothing. It is a contest afterall.

Marketing During Construction

2009-09-13T21:02:00.001-04:00

Yonge street is a mess. The city tore up the east side of Yonge
street from Eglinton to Lawrence to replace some pipes and redo the
sidewalks. That took a good three months. They are now working on
the west side, and who knows how long that will take. Cars are down
to one lane traffic and pedestrians have to live with dust, gravel and
the never ending sounds of drills, trucks and saws.

With all this construction has in no doubt affected local businesses.
With the struggling economy, times must be tough. But, this is making
things extra worse.

However, there are a few marketing tricks some stores are doing to
help bring in business.

1. Dufflet pastries is providing delivery service for a small charge.
2. The Body Shop & L'Occitane have outdoor sample tables.
3. Lululemon, Khiel's and David's Tea teamed up for a weekend to
promote each others products in their stores. This is great because
they have similar target audiences.
4. Roots opens their doors earlier to catch morning traffic like
mommys on their way to starbucks prior to 10 am.
5. Lolo Restaurant and Alize offer set menu's like summerlicious for
$25.

Book Review: Six Pixels of Separation by Mitch Joel

2009-09-05T18:12:00.000-04:00

Almost everyday I get asked an online marketing question. I am afterall, an online marketer. Most people find me either through this blog, twitter, a simple google search, or via some of the other sites I like to play in, like chowhound.

Some questions are broad, like, 'How can facebook help grow my business?' to asking me to look at their online strategy for further comments or suggestions. I am always happy to do so.

From time to time, I also get asked about other business books I enjoyed or would recommend. I can now happily recommend Six Pixels of Separation by Mitch Joel.

Mitch guides businesses, especially those who are scared to take the plunge, through the world of online connectivity. His reason to dive in? 'In the digital world there are no degrees of separation between you and your customers.'

The book is full of great business examples, lots of questions to help you start building your connectivity and most of all, the online etiquette for safe entry. All stories and guidelines will show you just how close you can be to your customers and most of all, your potential customers.

NOTE: I worked with Mitch Joel and Twist Image, they are one of Scotiabank's digital agencies.

CASE: SIGG CEO Apologises

2009-09-03T21:25:00.001-04:00

A little to late for me.

The Sigg drama is a great example of the need for transparency in this
digital world.

No matter what you are saying, honesty is the best policy and your
community will reward you for it.

via:
http://www.non-toxickids.net/2009/09/finally-apology-from-sigg-ceo-steve.html

Buy Facebook friends

2009-09-03T15:52:00.002-04:00

I just read a very interesting article at the Globeandmail.com called Not enough Facebook friends? Buy them.

Similar to purchasing third party phone, mail and email lists, you can purchase 'friends' on facebook to try to connect with. The service will send a request to friend to the list first, I suspect this is what they consider their opt-in. If the person accepts, great. If not, no harm done...so you think?

What can go wrong?
- spamming. If you do this once, for one of your products, it may work fine. However, if you want to use this more than once, with the same target audience, you will land up spamming the friend request.
- how did they get your name anyway? Transparency is key if you are going to try this method.

CASE: Old SIGG Bottles do leak BPA

2009-09-03T14:36:00.001-04:00

If you have been following my posts on the whole SIGG drama, the story
continues. Turns out, it actually does leak BPA. Sorry Mr. CEO. I
had a hard time believing you before, but now you have no chance.

Via: http://thesoftlandingbaby.com/2009/09/03/fred-vom-saals-test-results-found-bpa-leaching-from-siggs-old-bottles/

CASE: 3 Green Angels Jump on SIGG

2009-09-01T08:10:00.001-04:00

Here is a great case study of a company jumping on the demise of
SIGG's green transparency failure.

3 Green Angels will be hosting a twitter party to talk about the
recent news and what you can do with your old SIGG at http://www.bigbottleswap.com

http://3greenangels.com/the-scoop-on-bpa-and-aluminum-bottles/

CASE: SIGG Brand Damage Control

2009-08-31T15:53:00.004-04:00

I try to stay away from plastics are much as possible. I don't even like to microwave my food in a plastic container. And, ever since the Health Minister declared BPA a toxic substance, I became even more cautious.

With that came my purchase of a SIGG canteen. Something I thought would be a safe bet for lugging around the city. And then the news today...

"SIGG bottles manufactured prior to August 2008 have the former water-based epoxy liner which contains trace amounts of BPA. These bottles have been thoroughly tested and showed 0% leaching of BPA"

After a quick check, of course, mine was made prior to 2008. Ergh. This was a $35 investment. I paid $20 for the bottle and $15 for the cleaning tablets (of which I still have plenty of). More importantly, I highly recommened this for my cousin's children as a great alternative to water bottles - and yes they did purchase it (email already sent).

So now what?

Although the bulletin states that "absolutely no migration or leaching of BPA or any other substance from the protective inner liner" - do I take my chances? They had clearly known about this for a long time.

How would you navigate through this brand crisis?

Some tactical items I would consider:
- Email your customer list right away with this information
- Connect with your community - online and offline
- Offer a discount on a new bottle when you bring in your old bottle
- Make sure that your vendors are well informed and make customers feel that there is no harm

VIA: Sigg Tries to Control Brand Damage After Admitting Its Bottles Contain BPA. http://bit.ly/16a0Uc (via @adage)

Online Deception

2009-08-30T17:50:00.002-04:00

The PRSA's latest stand against unethical editorial content by way of
paid bloggers, tweeters and such should also be adopted my marketing
agencies and departments. Believe it or not, this also applies to
internal communications as well.

I have been in many a meetings where colleagues believe that this is
okay, especially on sites they are advertising on already.

But, your audience isn't stupid. It is clear and many times obvious
when a community member is not authentic. You will lose more than you
gain.

http://media.prsa.org/article_display.cfm?article_id=1370

Via @shel

http://shelholtz.com/prsa-condems-growing-use-of-online-deception

How much is a cup of coffee worth?

2009-08-24T10:41:00.002-04:00

Mark went into the local Starbucks (http://www.starbucks.com) the
other day and was told at the register that it was his lucky day.

No, he didn't get his drink for free, which was what he thought.
Instead, he was given a code to fill out a survey online and upon
completion he would then get his free bevie.

So when he got home, he logged onto the site and started the survey.
Seven questions in, he noticed that the progress bar said 7 percent.
Quickly doing the math, he would have to answer 93 more questions to
obtain the free bevie. He didn't think it was worth it. Do you?

Although surveys are a great way to get customer insight, be
realistic. Starbucks may think that their drinks are worth 100
answers but their patrons might not.

Your hair is your crown

2009-08-17T06:01:00.002-04:00

There are quite a number of hair salons in my neighbourhood...probably about 6 within a kilometer.

The thing about the hair business is that it is built on customer service.

1. People search for a hairstylist for a long time. The stylist must suit different personalities - they will do what the customer wants, offer suggestions or will have built trust so they can do whatever. If a salon's sylist can do all three of these on the fly by knowing their clients, they will be successful.
2. People are more likely to go to the hairstylist who they have built a relationship with - even if it means travelling a distance.
3. People are willing to pay a reasonable to a lot amount of money on their hair.

If the top three points were met, then a salon should be buzzing with clients.

However, in the last few weeks I have noticed that the three points mentioned above are just not enough anymore for salons. Some of the recent services I have seen salons in my 'hood offer are:

1. Longer hours and open on Monday's!
2. Clinics - how to blow dry your hair, how to trim your bangs, etc.
3. Discounts - 10 - 20% off!
4. Use of online tactics and social media to help spread the word.

Nannies4hire.com

2009-08-10T06:49:00.003-04:00

As a new mommy, you quickly learn that taking care of a baby is not easy. Toss in the housework and you can feel the stress pretty quickly.

A second pair of hands, whether it is your mom, sister, friend of neighbour always helps. But, if you are looking for something longer term and regular - a sitter or nanny may be a great option.

I came across nannies4hire.com while going through my feeds and thought this was a brilliant idea. As another friend mentioned, it is basically eHarmony for nannies. You simply put in your postal code and a list of available nannies will show up complete with their bio. You have to sign up to speak with them.

Why does this make perfect sense?
- It doesn't waste your time or the nannies time. Every family has different requirements for the type of care they need. It can be special needs, time of the day etc. This allows you to search the database and find the person who fits the upfront criteria you are looking for.
- For someone who has never had a nanny or knows someone who has one, it offers resources that give you a general idea on pay, how to go about finding a nanny safely etc.

This is another great use of the web. A way to connect people who both have a need.

How to not get new business

2009-08-03T06:16:00.000-04:00

1. Don't return phone calls or emails from prospects and customers - especially those who say they want your product.
2. Don't ask customers if they need any help when they walk in your store.
3. Follow your customers when they are in your store.
4. Make your customers feel bad when they don't buy additional accessories to a product they are purchasing.
5. Don't smile or look your customer in the eye.

Having a Bevie with Don Draper

2009-08-01T15:13:00.004-04:00

I just bought season two and I can barely wait to crack open the shirt box. I was a big fan of season one!

The one thing that has been all the craze over the last few days on facebook and twitter has been the 'Mad Men Yourself.' Lots of my friends and tweeps have been creating their own avatar and changing their profile pic. These snazzy illustrations are quite good.

For AMC, this is a great way to get people informed that season two is out on DVD (although it is hard to miss since it gets great reviews) or just interested in the show.

NPR wrote a great article about this.

Book Review: How We Decide

2009-07-27T07:00:00.002-04:00

Do you find it easier to spend money when you are using a credit card opposed to cash? Do you wonder why you can't make that 2-foot putt, even though you have played on that golf course dozens of times?

How We Decide is a great book by Jonah Lehrer that explores the workings of the brain on how we make everyday decisions in life.

Whether it be how a quarterback knows who to throw the football to in crunch time or how someone makes a decision to buy something.

As a marketer, I was intrigued when I read the first chapter on NYT. Afterall, it would be great to know how and why customers purchase your products and what goes through their minds. Not everyone purchases rationally, in fact, most don't (including me!).

The mind is a wonderful and complex thing - this book looks at how it works and essentially how we make decisions on everday tasks to challenging times.

Search within Google Search

2009-07-20T07:00:00.004-04:00

Okay, maybe this has been around for a long time...but I have never seen it or used it before. It is the ability to search a website, directly from the Google Search results.

I did a quick search on Grand and Toy (yup, I still do this and not in the address bar) - and the #1 listing was the ability to search the site.

Why does this make sense?

1. People don't go to Grand and Toy to window shop. Most people know what they want (I needed envelopes) so the ability to search for it right there without the extra click was great.

2. A store like Grand and Toy has sooo many products. Going right to their search is easier and faster.

3. Their prime audience are small businesses - they do not have the time to search so why not make the process easier.

Email - The Largest Social Network

2009-07-16T06:07:00.002-04:00

I read an interesting post from J. Owyang "Email: The First - and Largest - Social Network" a few days ago and thought to add my two cents.

When I started out in online marketing, email marketing was one of my top job functions. From newsletters to direct offers, I was responsible for campaigns to millions of customers and prospects. After several years deploying email (and campaign sites), the next logical step for me was social media, online communities and/or online networking.

After years working with email, it only made sense to me that those I was connecting with should connect with each other as well. How was this done?

1. Survey your customers and prospects via email. Try to connect those with the same responses, questions and thoughts - to try to work out a solution. Better yet, find someone who has the solution and make the connection. (I did this during my conference days).
2. Within an email newsletter, ask readers for their opinions and have them post it within a branded community.
3. Within a direct email (based on database preferences), inform customers and prospects of live web broadcasting or podcasting where they can ask their questions and share with the community.

I am looking forward to further migration of email and socia media. From a marketing point of view, it will be a great way to spread relevant messages (good offers) and get the word out!

CASE: How can Kodak rely on Future Shop's poor Customer Service?

2009-07-13T06:26:00.005-04:00

A few weeks ago, I read an article in the G&M about how customer service rules again. With sales still on the decline, stores are relying on good service to keep loyal customers.

A day after reading this article, I got an email from the Kodak Gallery in regards to the pick-up of photo's I ordered online the week prior - stating that my photos would be ready in 2-5 business days. NOTE: Future Shop's sold their photo service to Kodak (however, you can still pick up your photos from Future Shop).

2 business days later, I strolled into Future Shop hoping that my photo's would be ready. The service was slow. When I finally got to a representative, she told me that the email was incorrect and that I needed to wait for a phone call telling my my order was in (BTW, I ordered this online - I DON'T want a phone call).

Does Kodak know that their partner is providing poor customer service? Afterall, this bad service is not only a reflection on Future Shop but on Kodak as well. Do they know that this poor service means I will go and try Black's or even Loblaws?

More than ever, companies need to provide great customer service to keep and attract business. Just because you provide good service, doesn't mean your sellers are. Beware.

Closing Up Shop

2009-07-06T06:00:00.000-04:00

Over the last few months I have seen quite a few stores in my 'hood (Y&E) close up shop (Nike, Ten Thousand Villages, Nine West to name a few).

These brands may have closed their stores in this specific location, but surely, they did not close business completely. In fact, their ecommerce sites are still quite robust and they still have stores in prominent areas like the Eaton Centre.

In all of these instances, there was never any warning to local customers of the store closure. No sign on the window, no announcement online. Just here one day, and gone the next.

As a shopper at these stores - would you be disappointed that you were not informed? Here are some quick and easy ways to keep customers, even if you are on your way out.

1. Put a sign on the window "Thank you for your patronage, please visit us at one of our other locations or online at www."
2. If you have a store locator online - let customers know when it is closing.
3. Have a sale.
4. If you have a good database, send out a direct mail or email announcing the closure and perhaps a small discount at one of the other locations.

Cent, Five Cent...

2009-06-29T06:02:00.000-04:00

Toronto's plastic bag tax came into effect June 1st. Since its institution, I have seen a lot more people carrying around their eco-friendly bags while shopping, whether it is for groceries or clothes.

From a marketing perspective, companies that have been giving these bags out for free months prior are now getting the extra marketing boost - Lululemon is the popular one I see a lot. Those that have been selling them for a decent price are also getting the exposure - like PC and Whole Foods.

One odd customer service blip I have seen since this tax came into effect is cashiers unwillingness to put my purchases in my bag. This happened several times at stores in my neighbourhood. In fact, I have tried this with baby in tow, clearly a difficult task for me to do. Most times, I will tell the cashier that I have a bag and would appreciate it if they put my purchases in the bag. However, should I forget to say this in the frenzie of calming my baby, getting my wallet and signing my credit card statement...my purchase typically will sit on the counter beside my bag as the cashier attends to the next customer.

I don't get this? A small customer service flaw that ruins an otherwise good shopping experience.

Nursing in the Age of Apps

2009-06-23T10:12:00.006-04:00

Breastfeeding can be a very difficult and complicating. You don't know if you are feeding your baby enough, your baby falls asleep when it needs to eat more and of course, you too may fall asleep as you nurse in the wee hours of the night and lose track.

One of the recommendations to ensure you are feeding your baby enough is to track the time you feed as well as bowel and bladder movements. The baby should feed anywhere from 20-30 minutes each session and should have 3-4 bowel movements and 6-8 wet diapers in a 24 hours period.

Seems simple to track? Well, with little to no sleep, it is hard to figure out what time of day it is let alone how long your baby has been nursing.

In the age on apps, you can throw out little pieces of paper or your notebook and even tracking online. Use your iPhone or Touch!

I am using the Baby Tracker:Nursing app. It allows me to keep track of the time, breast and/or bottle feeding. It automatically calculates the total time of the feeding, lets me pause when the baby is taking a break or needs waking and allows me to edit any of the sessions as well.

It lets me do the basics of breastfeeding but with 5 weeks into motherhood - there are a couple of upgrades I would do:

1. Include a place where you can add that you fed your baby medication (if there are any)

2. Include bowel and bladder movements as this is one way to make sure your baby is doing well.

3. Add an alarm function that lets you know when your baby was fed 2, 3, 4 etc hours ago. This is key if your baby needs to put on the pounds and won't wake up.