Success Story - Kathie's Quilt Shoppe

This quilt shop has successfully integrated email marketing into the fabric of its business

by The Marketing Team, Constant Contact Customer Success Stories

Kathie's Quilt Shoppe
Customer Since: 2006
List Size: 1,044
Open Rate: 50.1%
Website: http://www.kathiesquiltshoppe.com

At Kathie's Quilt Shoppe in Sanford, Maine, the goal of email marketing is not all about selling more fabric, wool, and patterns. For owner Kathie Chenard, the mission is to inspire and educate customers by providing a place where like-minded people can get together and have a good time. To bring these people together, the shop holds weekly classes that are attended by customers ranging in age from 20 to 80.

"When I host an event, the participation is much greater since I started with Constant Contact," Kathie says. "When an email goes out, within an hour I have customers calling to sign up for the new class."

Kathie started using the Email Marketing tool in July 2006 with the goal of building up her database and keeping her customers informed. She previously used Microsoft Outlook for her email marketing efforts, but ran into a limit set by her Internet service provider on how many messages she could send at one time. Today, she has 1,044 customers on her list and emails them at least twice a month with updates on new products and class listings.

As the holidays near, Kathie changes her message a bit in order to thank her loyal customers. "I feel it's important at the end of the year to send out holiday wishes to customers and thank them for their business," Kathie says. "Sometimes I'll even add a special coupon as a way of saying thank you."

Kathie's overall approach resonates with her customers, as evidenced by her 50% open rate, as well as positive customer feedback. "I have one customer that says she sees my email come through and grabs a cup of coffee before reading it," Kathie says. "She tells me she sits with her coffee and takes it all in."

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