Postcard Retargeting Helps Convert Browsers Into Buyers for STORE 5a

Every business has a website, and every website has the challenge of converting its visitors. On average, 97 percent of website traffic remains unknown and unconverted. In addition, while digital retargeting is important for keeping brands in front of visitors, the cold hard facts are that 30 percent of devices have ad-blocker software (and that rate is growing), and response rates on digital ads are typically only 0.07 percent.

This affects all businesses, even click-and-mortar companies, where website conversion can still be the lifeblood of the businesses. This means that even the best online marketers need additional ideas and tactics to help convert online browsers into real buyers.

Amanda Poll, digital marketing manager at STORE 5a, was looking for new ways to convert its website traffic. STORE 5a has physical locations in the Columbus, Ohio region as well as a brilliant website to sell authentic, pre-owned luxury jewelry, handbags, watches, and accessories from brands such as Rolex, Louis Vuitton, and Tiffany.

STORE 5a's direct mail partner, Modern Postcard, recently developed a new marketing channel: postcard retargeting. Called Modern iO, this channel enables any business to tag its website visitors, scrub out existing customers and converted buyers, and mail postcards each day to those unknown and unconverted daily website visitors.

The STORE 5a team wanted to test out the channel with a mailing of only 55 postcards a day, an easy and affordable start. The first postcards began launching in late November, and the campaign has continued straight on for over 240 days. Throughout the campaign, STORE 5a has changed creative content to match seasonal cues (such as Valentine’s Day and Mother's Day).

The mailing campaign demonstrates that STORE 5a is a hybrid of online and offline channels, with the largest portion of the mailings going outside of Ohio, across the country to mostly metro areas.

The results have been tremendous: 41 percent of the audience receiving the retargeting postcards return back to STORE 5a's website. Even better, about 65 percent of the unknown website visitors are being matched to mailable addresses. The Modern iO Dashboard shows the number of website visitors and addressable cards for each of the top 20 trafficked URLs. Therefore, STORE 5a can see how many visitors to product categories such handbags, fine jewelry, and even the Rolex pages, which they can then target with mailings.

“Modern iO developed a dashboard that shows us the number of daily visitors and the mailings,” notes Poll. “Along with a dynamic map that ‘pins’ where the mailings are going, we have incredible visibility — and transparency — into our campaign.”

The Modern iO program has no daily minimums or maximums, so STORE 5a has complete flexibility with the budget and volume of its campaigns.

“What Modern iO has done for our team is reduce risk and maximize return," Poll says. "This channel is a new and powerful way for us to engage an audience that has already shown an interest in our products. It’s a game-changer for our marketing.”

The Modern iO Postcard Retargeting program is a direct marketing channel for any business with a website, as well as an affiliate program for agencies and B-to-B platforms. For more information, visit modernpostcard.com/modern-io-postcard-retargeting, or contact Chris Foster, vice president, new business development at cfoster@modernpostcard.com or call 800-959-8365 x1167.

Chris Foster is vice president of new business development at Modern Postcard, a direct marketing company serving SMB, mid-market, and enterprise businesses in retail and other sectors.