Strategy : The Best Mailing Practice for Web-Only Buyers

Don’t assume they’ll toss out print catalogs; the opposite may be true

Some of these sales have been driven through e-mail campaigns (catalog mailings being the source of most of these e-mail addresses). But it would be a risk not to mail catalogs to these buyers, because the catalog is the biggest single driver of traffic to the Web.

Separate your Web-only buyers from catalog buyers. Then, segment your Web-only buyers by RFM, just like you segment and mail catalog buyers. Evaluate the results after a matchback, then make your mail vs. no mail decisions on a segment-by-segment basis — both catalog and Web-only buyers. You might find Web-only buyers don’t need to be mailed as often or as “deep.”

Pay particular attention to the one-time Web-only buyers. Note the results of the two one-time Web-only buyer segments in the chart. Often, these buyer segments shop the Web to find particular items or gifts.

Circ planning is much more complicated today, and it’s much more difficult to trace results to a particular source code. It’s not like the old days when catalogs could trace 80 percent of their orders to a specific key code.

Much can be learned about the differences between Web-only and catalog buyers. The secret is to know the differences in buying patterns between the two groups. Then establish a contact strategy to maximize your results cost effectively.

Stephen R. Lett is president of Lett Direct, a catalog consultancy specializing in circ planning, forecasting and analysis. Reach him at (302) 539-7257 or steve@lettdirect.com.