MAKE IT POP!: Driving Retail Traffic with Two C’s

In a multichannel retail business, using email to drive traffic to brick-and-mortar stores can be an interesting task. Chief challenges include:
(1) Internally, online and retail departments are often not only separate but also competitive;
(2) Generally, retail-focused campaigns don't drive as many immediate web sales, causing email crack-cocaine withdrawal; and
(3) Actual store traffic and resulting sales can be difficult to track, yielding performance metrics that sound like this: "Wow! Tons more people came into the store that day!"

Despite the hurdles, as retailers experience at least anecdotally positive results and simultaneously improve their geo-targeting capabilities, they also grow more sophisticated in store-specific creative execution. While in-store discounts, coupons and incentives will always remain a favorite tactic, I've seen more brands experiment with two of my favorite C's: content and cachet.

Below, Pottery Barn Kids, Crate & Barrel and Williams-Sonoma serve up varying degrees of virtual and physical content with Pottery Barn Kids heavy on virtual, get-psyched pre-visit tips and Williams-Sonoma listing a truly impressive breadth of in-store cooking classes and demonstrations. (This is one of the rare cases in which the events seem to exist for reasons other than to justify an email blast.) I do appreciate that Crate & Barrel has contextualized their store events by giving them a name. How cute is "Crate Ideas"?

From: Pottery Barn Kids
Subject Line: In stores now: Everything you need to celebrate the holidays.
Date: Tuesday, Nov. 6, 2007

From: Crate & Barrel
Subject Line: Crate Ideas store events this weekend
Date: Thursday, Oct. 25, 2007

From: Williams-Sonoma
Subject Line: Join us for Culinary Demonstrations
Date: Tuesday, Oct. 23, 2007

Pottery Barn, PUMA Women and Ann Taylor play the cachet card, peppering their subject lines and designs with words like "exclusive," "most-valued," "private" and "after-hours" in the hopes that making subscribers feel special will also make them feel like getting into a car. (Did I mention "exclusive"? "Exclusive" is clearly the new "luxury.")

Pottery Barn upped the ante by offering wine, which has been proven to increase spending by 20% per glass. Just kidding. But probably not! SPG—spend per glass. Is that a new KPI?

From: Pottery Barn
Subject Line: You're invited to an exclusive wine and cheese event
Date: Monday, Oct. 29, 2007