The Sum of the Parts, Part 8: Adding E-mail to the Multichannel Mix

Welcome to the eighth article in our series “The Sum of the Parts,” in which consultant Rob Galkoff discusses the elements critical to successful e-mail marketing.



Ten years ago we thought that there would be only clicks and no mortar within a generation. Many people also thought that catalogs would be a thing of the past by now. I doubt that anyone agrees with those sentiments today. In 2010 we are living in a truly multichannel world where consumers demand the ability to surf the Web for a bargain, flick through a catalog during their coffee break, and enjoy the in-store experience of a retail outlet. E-mail has a role in communicating to participants in any and all of these media and channels.

Let’s use automobile brand Lexus as an example. Last week I received an e-mail from Lexus with the headline “Take a Test Drive and Win Three Holes with Monty.” According to the message, “Right now, when you test drive any Lexus, you can enter our exclusive prize draw for a chance to play golf with a true great of the game—Ryder Cup Captain (and Lexus owner we might add) Colin Montgomerie.” This was followed (I think very coincidentally!) a couple of days later by a luxurious brochure celebrating Lexus’s 20 years in the UK.

The aim of both pieces of communication was to drive me into a showroom to test-drive one of their cars. Instead I clicked through to the Website, had a play around, told Lexus I was interested in a hybrid model that will be coming out in December, and filled out a survey. The only thing I didn’t see was any information about the opportunity to win a round of golf with Colin Montgomerie. Good multichannel marketing? Certainly there’s room for improvement, but it wasn’t bad. With this sort of long-term purchase, I expect to hear from Lexus toward the end of the year to test-drive the new car.

Let’s now look at another approach, that of whiskey brand Jack Daniels. Several years ago I made the pilgrimage over to Lynchburg, TN. I took a tour of the factory and filled out a form at the end. Ever since I’ve been getting snail mail and gifts from the brand but only the occasional e-mail (even though I happily gave it my e-mail address on several occasions in writing and online). Jack Daniels’ aim is obviously to get me buying more liquor by engaging me with the brand, but has it missed a trick by not e-mailing me along with communicating via the other media?

Then there’s Charming Shoppes, owner of five women’s apparel brands, including Lane Bryant, Fashion Bug, and Catherines. A true multichannel business with an online presence, bricks-and-mortar stores, and a paper catalog, Charming Shoppes is very clever when it comes to collecting data and driving you to all of its brands. Earlier this year it started offering free delivery of online or catalog orders into any one of its stores, even if the order is from a different brand; for instance, someone could order from Lane Bryant but pick up the items at her local Fashion Bug—where, the company hopes, the customer will try on the Lane Bryant garments and then accessorize them with items from Fashion Bug, thereby becoming not just a multichannel customer but a multibrand buyer as well.

My final example is the UK-based Beaverbrooks the Jewellers. It is collecting data in stores and online, and it recently ran a weekend promotion to drive people to its shops. It communicated via snail mail and a series of e-mails over the five days of the promotion. The key to this very simple but effective campaign was that retail and online worked together with no competition for the recording of the sales. Everyone wholeheartedly worked toward a common goal: driving total sales for the business.

Each example shows the importance of using e-mail as a driver to all channels. Just because e-mail is an “e” activity, that doesn’t mean that it should drive online sales only. If this were the case then no one would put his company URL on catalogs or in-store signage. Make it easy for your customers to shop with you in the way that’s most convenient for them, and use all the media and channels at your disposal to show them how they can do so. If you think that e-mail should only be used to drive online sales, then you’re missing out on huge revenues.

Rob Galkoff (rob@thebusinessconsultants.co.uk) is CEO of the Business Consultants. He was previously marketing director at multititle UK mailer Findel.