The Challenge
Years ago, when it came to retailing appliance, Sears was king. They were by far the largest appliance retailer in Canada and they had no problem dominating their competition. They had their marketing down and their overall sales showed it. The problem was that their Internet sales weren’t performing at the same rate. It wasn’t that hard to believe. Appliances are a major purchase for most consumers. It’s a buying decision that consumers want to take their time with. They want to shop around and see what their purchase looks like in person. That’s why they came to N5R for help. Sears needed a marketing campaign that would boost their online sales and show customers how easy buying an appliance online can be.
The Solution
We started out by doing some research. We looked into it and found out that, at the time, if the average consumer wanted to completely refit their kitchen with new appliances it would cost about $8000. With this in mind we decided to run a contest.
The Contest
The contest was essentially a giveaway for $8000 in appliances, the amount we had determined the average consumer would be able to refit their kitchen for. The catch was that in order to enter, contestants would have to pick which appliances they would win. With 8000 potential dollars to spend, contestant would use Sear’s online shopping site to pick which appliances they wanted, if they won the giveaway.
The Follow Up
The contest ran and prizes were given out, but our marketing campaign didn’t stop there. The contest had given us a huge amount of data about our customers. They had not only been exposed to the online shopping experience, but they had told us exactly which products they wanted in their home.
We used that information to send out a series of targeted emails to past contestants. The email informed prospects that one of the appliances they had chosen during the contest was now on sale. It gave consumers two options to take advantage of the sale. They could either drive to their closest Sears locations using a map that we provided, giving them specific directions right form their house, or they could simply click a button to purchase the appliance online.
The Results
The contest was a huge success. It took Sears’ online sales from 0 to $2 million per month almost instantly. It exposed consumers to online shopping and showed them how easy and convenient it really was. Not only that, it provided Sears with a huge database of valuable prospect information that could be used to nurture the prospects into qualified leads.
The Lessons
Learn Everything About Your Prospects
Take every opportunity to learn more about your potential customers. Forms and surveys are a great way to do this, but remember that your customers are more likely to offer information if you give them some incentive. Any information that you can learn from them could give you a valuable insight into your customer’s buying patterns.
Give Prospects Relevant Information
Use what you know about your prospects to speak to them about something they care about. This will allow you to target your messaging more efficiently and increase the effectiveness of your marketing communications.
If you want to learn more marketing strategies to increase your sales, apply to our exclusive one-day Condo Mastery seminar.
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