A Moving Trigger E-mail Campaign
I ordered a pair of Sandals from Onlineshoes.com last Wednesday night. So when I received an e-mail from the shoes Website, I figured it was part of some trigger campaign.
It was, sort of, but it had nothing to do with my transaction with the company. The e-mails’ subject line said “Warehouse Special: Improved Shipping 25% OFF.” Now that’s an attention getter.
The e-mail body copy explained: “We couldn’t be more excited about the better service you’ll receive from our new centralized warehouse. Experience our faster delivery times for yourself when we zip your next order out with this limited-time offer!”
(By the way, I received my sandals from Onlineshoes.com on Tuesday, about four business days after ordering them. Not bad, but I wonder how long it would have taken to get them from the old distribution center.)
The e-mail was clever and well executed–except for the actual offer. When I see “warehouse special,” I think overstocks and rock bottom prices. Not the case here: The 25% discount could only be applied on regularly priced products and was not valid on sale or outlet items.
It also did not apply to more than 30 brands—including all of my favorites. So for me it was a little like one of those e-mails from an airline announcing a major fare sale, and then you go on the Website and find your routes or dates are not available or you have to take the redeye and/or transfer three times. In other words, nothing I can use.
But I still like the idea of a warehouse move as a trigger and a way to play up how it will benefit the customer with faster delivery from a more-central location. I might have launched it before I moved the warehouse and used the opportunity to clear out some overstocks at fire-sale prices. But that’s just me.
