How to Track In-Store Visits and Sales Generated by Your Direct Mail Campaign
If your direct mail campaign is designed to drive customers to a physical location, tracking in-store visits and sales is key to understanding its success. By using simple yet effective techniques, you can measure foot traffic and determine your campaign’s return on investment (ROI). Here’s a comprehensive guide on how to track in-store visits and sales driven by direct mail.
Why Tracking In-Store Visits Matters
Direct mail campaigns for physical locations have unique advantages, such as personal engagement and immediate conversion opportunities. Tracking in-store visits and sales enables you to:
- Measure campaign effectiveness.
- Understand customer behavior.
- Optimize future campaigns with data-driven insights.
1. Offer Exclusive, In-Store-Only Discounts or Freebies
Creating an irresistible in-store offer is one of the best ways to attract customers and measure the impact of your campaign.
How to Structure the Offer
- Simple Discounts: Use a clear and appealing offer like “Bring this postcard for 10% off your first visit.”
- Freebies or Add-Ons: Entice customers with a small free item or bonus. For example, “Receive a free dessert with your meal when you present this mailer.”
- Limited-Time Promotions: Encourage urgency by setting a deadline, such as “Offer valid through [date].”
Benefits of Exclusive Offers
- Helps track who is responding to the campaign.
- Drives urgency and increases foot traffic.
- Provides a tangible reason for customers to visit your store.
2. Ask Customers to Present the Mailer
This straightforward method ensures that you can directly attribute visits to the campaign.
How It Works
- Redemption Requirement: State on your mailer that customers must present it to redeem the offer.
- In-Store Tracking: Train your team to collect the mailers or mark them as redeemed. This allows you to count responses easily.
Pro Tips for Redemption
- Incentivize Retention: Use the back of the mailer to include additional offers or future discounts to keep customers engaged.
- Combine with CRM Tools: Log customer information when they present the mailer to build your contact list for future marketing efforts.
3. Use Unique Promo Codes for In-Store Purchases
If you’re tracking sales as well as visits, unique promo codes are an excellent solution. Assign a code exclusively for the mailer that customers must use at checkout.
How to Use Promo Codes
- Custom Code Examples: Use codes like “POSTCARD10” or “MAIL2024.”
- POS Integration: Ensure your point-of-sale system can log and track the codes. Most modern POS systems, such as Square or Shopify POS, support promo code tracking.
Advantages of Promo Codes
- Tracks the number of sales directly attributable to the mailer.
- Provides insights into customer spending habits.
- Helps calculate revenue generated from the campaign.
4. Implement Foot Traffic Tracking Techniques
For businesses with high walk-in rates, tracking overall foot traffic can provide additional insights.
Options for Tracking Foot Traffic
- Manual Counts: Train staff to tally customer visits during the campaign period.
- Smart Technology: Use sensors or Wi-Fi tracking to measure foot traffic automatically.
- Comparison with Historical Data: Compare foot traffic during the campaign with previous periods to identify trends.
5. Conduct Post-Purchase Surveys
Customer feedback is a valuable way to understand the effectiveness of your mailer.
How to Gather Feedback
- In-Store Surveys: Use a quick questionnaire at checkout. For example, “How did you hear about us?”
- Follow-Up Email: If customers provide their email during checkout, send a follow-up survey asking if the mailer influenced their visit.
- Incentivized Surveys: Offer a small reward for completing the survey, like a discount on their next visit.
6. Leverage Receipt Data
Analyzing receipt data is a powerful way to track purchases tied to your campaign.
Steps to Use Receipt Data
- Tag Transactions: Include a note or tag for purchases linked to the mailer.
- Evaluate Average Spend: Compare the average spend of customers who used the mailer versus regular customers.
- Identify Repeat Customers: Use receipt tracking to see if customers return after redeeming their mailer offer.
7. Use Matchback Analysis
Matchback analysis involves comparing your mailing list to customer transactions or visits to identify who responded.
How to Perform Matchback Analysis
- Collect customer data during checkout, such as names or phone numbers.
- Match this data with your mailing list to identify responders.
- Calculate the response rate and ROI based on the matchback results.
8. Calculate ROI for Your Campaign
At the end of your campaign, calculate your ROI to measure its success. Use the following formula:
ROI = (Total Revenue from Campaign – Campaign Costs) / Campaign Costs x 100%
For example, if your campaign costs $1,000 and generates $5,000 in sales, your ROI would be:
ROI = ($5,000 – $1,000) / $1,000 x 100% = 400%
Conclusion
Tracking in-store visits and sales from direct mail campaigns is not just possible; it’s essential for optimizing your marketing efforts. By using exclusive offers, requiring mailer presentation, and employing tracking techniques like promo codes and matchback analysis, you can gain valuable insights into your campaign’s performance. With these strategies, you’ll be well-equipped to make data-driven decisions and maximize the success of your direct mail campaigns.
