Customized Flyers and Coupons Will Increase Response Rates

The Opportunity

Using special offers, discounts and coupons is a major strategy to increase sales volume in many retail operations. The drawback: most offers are too generic, meaning all shoppers receive the same communication, regardless of their preference for the product on sale.

 

How retailers differentiate themselves in a crowded marketplace.

Marketing studies prove that a specific, time-limited discount calls more people to action than a generic awareness promotion. If it does no more than attract traffic to the store, then the first goal of the campaign is accomplished. However, if the ultimate goal is to promote a specific product over its competitors, or to promote an actual purchase (instead of just a store visit), a more targeted strategy is required.

The Errington Group Advantage

Today, many database mining tools are available to help identify consumers’ specific buying habits and patterns. Many retailers also have “clubs” or “memberships” in which customer participation carries permission to track their purchases in order to serve them better. As a result of information retrieved from point of sale systems, purchasing preferences can be determined and coupons, flyers and offers can be highly targeted to the consumer’s preferences. People want to be communicated with as individuals. Numerous controlled studies have shown the up-sell and cross-sell ratio of targeted campaigns yields substantially higher revenue than in a generic campaign. Producing flyers containing graphics or messages tailored to the target consumer is effective. Marrying a specific discount coupon

Increase Response Rates with Fast, Personalized Communications

The Opportunity

News only has value and relevance to the target audience when delivered quickly and effectively. When deciding how best to communicate certain pieces of actionable information, you must consider the size of the audience and the desired levels of response.

Pinpoint your target one-to-one.

If a retailer’s message is going to a mass audience, the local newspaper or radio may be the most effective means. However, if an individual message needs to be sent to each customer or small group of customers, a personally addressed postcard with specific text and/or graphics may be the best choice.

The Errington Group Advantage

Many studies have proven that personalized direct mail increases response rates and shortens response times considerably over mass communications methods. Personally-addressed postcards, for example, are an excellent and cost-effective communications vehicle. More likely to be read than tossed away, these effective, customized communications can result in greater customer retention and increased revenue per customer. Postcards can be oversized to stand out in the mail, or a smaller size may be more economical. If all versions are the same, the postcards can be preprinted with eye-catching colour images. Or, they can be colour printed with individually selected images based on target audience demographics. Either way, the use of images is known to prompt higher readership and quicker response. Xerox helps retailers get personal with customers. Features of postcard production with The Errington Group variable-data composition tools and production printer solutions include: • • Message selection criteria • Postcard layout • Name, address and salutation personalization, • Postal sorting for optimal postage savings • Multiple-up imposition. The Errington Group's 1:1 Personalized Marketing Communications improve retailers’ response rates while lowering the cost per lead and tap the vast power of full-colour marketing.

Forget about the old system of mass mailings that resulted in unacceptable hit rates of 2 to 3 percent. Research shows that personalized documents deliver up to a 48 percent increase in repeat orders and a 32 percent increase in overall revenue, according to a recent CAP Ventures study

Join The Club . . . Loyal Customers Are More Profitable.

The Opportunity

Many retail operations have instituted membership and loyalty programs to serve customers most effectively. Signing up usually carries an instant reward, such as a 10 percent discount on an initial purchase. Membership programs provide retailers with significant value, since participation includes permission for the retailer to track the customer’s purchases and buying habits.

The closer you get to your individual customers, the closer they will stay to you.

This valuable information enables retailers to predict future needs of their typical customers. The information can be used to determine future inventory choices or quantities, as well as to target specific items to customers most likely to buy. Membership's also promotes a special relationship that rewards customers and makes them feel appreciated. This in turn enhances their shopping experience and encourages their loyalty.

The Errington Group Advantage

After customers have signed up for membership, it’s important to promptly thank them for joining the club. A letter of welcome can point out the exclusive privileges of club membership, such as special savings, prize drawings, featured items and other promotional news. The Errington Group helps you get personal with customers. The letter should also include a membership card for identity at time of purchase.

The Errington Group's variable data composition tools, printers, and special docucard substrates provide retailers with what they need to start a customized, personalized membership and loyalty program

Digital printing means faster, more cost-effective business cards.

The Opportunity

In face-to-face business interaction, personal business cards are an indispensable tool. When creating and producing effective business cards, the card should serve as a corporate communications vehicle and reflect the professional image of your business.

The old way wastes time, card stock and money.

The traditional process for producing business cards begins with the requestor filling in a new card request form. The form is submitted to the print service provider, who manually transfers the information to a production shop form. The cards are then printed in very large quantities using offset equipment.

This process is time-consuming and prone to error, with several opportunities for transposition or other mistakes to occur. Also, very large quantities must be produced to make the unit cost feasible for offset printing— whether that large numbers of cards is needed or not.

Furthermore, the time for delivery is typically weeks, not days. With businesses constantly adjusting their staffing needs and employees changing positions more frequently, the ideal solution would produce fewer cards more quickly, with lower costs and less error.

The Errington Group Advantage

The Errington Group digital process starts by replacing the manual request form with a Web-based electronic request form. The requestor then selects the desired layout from a library of corporate-approved templates. From there, he or she enters their personal information into the card template master. The composed card is then redisplayed to confirm the content— - step that dramatically reduces errors.

Finally, the precise number of cards required is printed digitally and delivered in a fraction of the time. Costs and delivery times plummet. The Errington Group has implemented this solution in many companies, including its own. Quantifiable results included a startling reduction in delivery time, from five or six weeks to just two or three days. When The Errington Group itself used the solution internally, accuracy significantly improved and production costs dropped as much as 66 percent. Most importantly, the solution has received extremely high customer satisfaction ratings from its users-like you!

The Errington Group's business card application can significantly improve the existing business card production process to save you time and money

Enhance Employee Satisfaction with Close-to-Home Communications.

The Opportunity

Motivating employees and keeping them focused on corporate goals can put any business to the test. At least one vital tool for inspiring people is good communications— a proven way to make employees feel included, important and informed.

Trying to reach people here, there and everywhere.

The retail industry has an especially hard time keeping all of its employees in a consistent communications loop. Typically, employees are distributed across a wide geography. Some work in more than one location on a rotating basis, while many are part-time and work different shifts from week to week.

Employees in some industry segments are often students working part time. In other areas, employees are retirees returning to work a few hours per week. Communicating effectively with this diverse community is a clear business challenge. The costs of uninformed, unmotivated employees can be devastating to a retail organization.

The Errington Group Advantage

A newsletter distributed at the store or directly to an employee’s home is a very effective way to share information on a regular basis. Many industries distribute newsletters electronically via e-mail. But in retail, a printed newsletter is the best, most practical alternative for reaching diverse and dispersed employees.

A newsletter can cover many topics, including some of corporate and local interest, as well as store-specific issues. This level of versioning or customization is a strong feature of many newsletter composition tools offered in The Errington Group Portfolio. The more information they get, the more connected they feel.

You as a retailer can use newsletters not only to inform, but also to motivate. Reward and recognition published in the newsletter is a terrific way to keep employee performance focused on excellence. Photographs of personnel, picnics and other events can be printed in black and white or full colour with great resolution and clarity.

This adds warmth and eye appeal to newsletters, making them more likely to be read. Delivering store news, information about benefit programs, employee recognition, or new policies and procedures can add substantially to the bottom-line profitability of any retail organization by increasing employee loyalty, satisfaction and performance. Well-informed, satisfied employees translate to increased business performance, higher job satisfaction and reduced turnover.

Newsletter composition is just one of many The Errington Group solutions that can help you tackle the daunting task of communicating to a large, diverse, geographically dispersed employee base.

Create new opportunities to cross-sell complimentary products.

The Opportunity

Displaying, presenting and matching inventory to consumer needs is a never-ending challenge for retailers. However, when consumer purchasing habits make buying preferences clear, retailers have a chance to create precisely targeted promotions.

Customized catalogues draw a bull’s-eye on the consumer’s purse.

For example, a consumer shopping online for children’s shirts could present a vital business opportunity for a retailer to make sure the customer also previews products complementary to those being purchased, such as shoes, coats, or even toys. Although retailers accomplish this task in various ways, the custom catalogue is ideal for this purpose.

The Errington Group Advantage

The custom catalogue solution applies variable data printing to retail marketing initiatives to help build customer loyalty and satisfaction. A full-colour catalogue can be variable length, with a consistent look and feel, regardless of product content.

A customized publishing capability —allowing layout and design to be completely independent of content— offers maximum flexibility for this type of production application. Making loyal shoppers more loyal. If the catalogue is produced specifically for each online shopper, its contents can be directed to the consumer’s typical choices.

For example, loyal shoppers who show a pattern of purchasing sport fishing items could receive a small (six- to eight-page) catalogue in their goods shipment. This catalogue would only contain items within the customer’s known range of preferences— in this case complimentary products might be fishing vests, nets or tackle boxes. Seeing customers as individuals can pay off. Retailers’ understanding of customers’ interests and buying preferences enhances customer loyalty. It’s what today’s successful companies are doing to differentiate themselves in a vast, crowded marketplace.

Using The Errington Group's variable data production publishing solutions, you can now request custom catalogues on demand