About
The retailer is a leader in fashion footwear and accessories, with over 1,600 stores in the United States, Canada and around the globe. It is dedicated to providing customers with quality and cutting-edge trends at affordable prices in stores and on their website.
The company communicates with customers via email and it wanted to increase the size of its email subscriber database during the busy holiday season. A program was launched to achieve this goal. Today, when a customer checks out at its store, the store representative asks the shopper if they’d like to receive email communications and offers. The company then sends follow-up emails to customers, thanking them for their purchase and inviting them to finalize their profile on its website.
A completed profile allows a shopper to indicate their preferences about the types of communication they prefer to receive. With more information about their customers, the retailer can send relevant and timely communications tailored to their specific preferences. A double-opt in strategy for email communications is used. So, when customers receive a welcome email, they again confirm that they would like to receive promotional emails about the latest footwear trends.
Objective
The company sought a solution that would ensure the accuracy of the email addresses captured by store associates without interrupting or slowing the checkout process for shoppers.
Solution
Experian Data Quality email services were used to correct syntax and domain errors, and check the deliverability of email addresses of customers interested in receiving promotional offers. Batch cleansing and processing of email addresses was implemented to clean emails on a consistent basis prior to the first email communication, while also improving email deliverability.
Results
Concerned about the quality of emails collected in stores, the retailer wanted to make sure that customers who provided their email address actually received the welcome email. Validating emails helped to encourage accurate data entry in stores.
A shoe-in solution
While the retailer wanted to increase the size of the database, it had concerns about the accuracy of the email address data. The company wanted to provide an additional incentive for store associates to be diligent when collecting email addresses. This is where Experian Data Quality stepped in. The company looked to Experian Data Quality to help with email accuracy due to their existing relationship, since it was already using another solution to verify all mailing addresses during the checkout process on its website.
Experian Data Quality email services were recommended to verify email address deliverability and identify and correct syntax and domain errors. The Experian Data Quality service was selected due to accurate results and fast transaction speeds. According to the Director of IT, the company was very happy with the success of the email collection project. The retailer has seen an incremental increase in the number of accurate and deliverable emails in the database, and email bounce rates have declined. The Director remarked, “Overall, the technical process, ease and speed of implementation, and results have left us very happy with this project.”
The company measured the email rejection rate to evaluate employee contest results. With successful email correction, they saw an incremental increase in the number of correct and deliverable emails collected by store associates. Verifying data before it enters the database has improved operational efficiencies.
Now, customers receive their emails right away, eliminating the need for data cleanup. And perhaps more importantly, this means that the retailer is delivering on its promise to customers, enhancing shoppers’ perception of the brand. The Director of IT noted, “We couldn’t imagine our website without address verification software. Overall, we’ve been very happy with the email project. It’s becoming an essential tool for us.
