Nine West finds the vast majority of e-mail-driven sales come in the store

Multi-channel retailers who think that e-mail offers apply primarily to online sales are missing a key measure of an e-mail campaign’s success, Dianne Binford, head of the direct-to-consumer group at shoe manufacturer and retailer Nine West Group Inc., tells InternetRetailer.com.

Binford says that 50% to 70% of response to e-mail offers comes in Nine West’s 700 retail stores. Nine West has been using personalized e-mails in a program managed by YesMail Inc. to target customers who shop online and at its retail stores.

Nine West sends monthly e-mails to a database of 200,000 customers based on their shoe size, preferences and locations, as well as other factors. Binford says Nine West has been so pleased with the results of e-mail marketing that it plans to collect more e-mail addresses from store customers by encouraging clerks to ask customers for their e-mail addresses and by explaining the benefits of receiving the e-mails. Customer now provide their e-mail addresses when they sign up at the point of sale to be on mailing lists.