"It’s an excellent opportunity to hit customers with a special offer, to lift up that sales curve before the next catalog hits."
                            – Carl Erikson, Divisional
                               Vice President of Catalogs
                               Jos. A. Bank

For more than 90 years, Jos. A. Bank has built a reputation for classic tailoring and quality workmanship. They operate 108 retail stores as well as a successful monthly catalog business. When they launched www.josbank.com, they were able to extend their presence beyond traditional channels, but they knew there was more they could be doing to maximize the power of the Web.

Objectives
By using ClickAction’s email marketing services, Jos. A. Bank hoped to develop deeper relationships with their online customers. The company also wanted to boost sales during the period between its monthly catalog drops.

Program
Jos. A. Bank wanted to get a close-up look at their customers and better understand their interests and preferences. They didn’t want customers to just browse their Fall menswear line at www.josbank.com and leave the site unnoticed. So they placed a ClickAction survey page on their Web site, allowing customers to sign up for periodic emails from the company. Customers selected areas of interest, such as special online promotions, clearance items, new clothing lines, or other customer-focused messages. In doing this, the company started building a rich list of prospects and put its online marketing efforts in motion. The survey data collected on the site was maintained by ClickAction, making the process hassle-free for Jos. A. Bank.

"With ClickAction’s permission-based email program, visitors can tell us what they’re
interested in, it gives us a glimpse into their needs," said Carl Erikson, the company’s DVP of Catalogs. Personalized email communications, with tailored content, also gave him a great tool for converting browsers to customers.

Results
Jos. A. Bank was able to ramp-up quickly, executing their first two ClickAction campaigns in just two days. Both campaigns achieved a click-through rate in excess of 25%. The sudden flood of new customers at www.josbank.com turned into a steady flow of sales. "In catalog marketing, you have peaks and valleys in your order curves," Erikson explained. "A permission-based email program gives you the opportunity to go out with promotions on the Internet and smooth out that curve."

As an added benefit, Erikson noted, the low cost of ClickAction met Jos. A. Bank’s budget constraints. "You’re talking about mailing a postcard to somebody for 36 cents versus an email for 3 to 5 cents. I don’t think there’s any question about the cost-effectiveness."