Direct Mail-Problems:
The client allocated half of their marketing budget to promotional direct mail print. To assist them, we utilized our expertise in marketing workflows and analytics to review their process, spanning from merchandise event planning to creative production, printing, and distribution.
Direct Mail-Better Solution:
We implemented a new workflow that resulted in reducing the total creative production time from 11 weeks to just 4 weeks. This significant improvement allowed the merchandise team to have more time for planning and pricing, bringing them closer to the in-home date of the direct mail piece. By leveraging our event planning application, RICON, and utilizing offer performance analytics tracking, we collaborated with the merchandising team to reduce the number of offers by an impressive 75%.
Direct Mail-Result:
As a result, we were able to reduce the direct mailer’s size from a 32-page tall tab to a more compact 8-page digest size. This change led to substantial cost savings, with print, paper, and mailing expenses reduced by $1,350,000 annually. Additionally, the margin dollars improved for all items, as they were now sold at regular prices, resulting in a gain of $75,000 per mailer in margin dollar improvement.
