Not So Clever Use of My Email Address - INRS

So...these guys work together as partners...

What a shame they didn't work together with their Email Service Provider or Database?

Perhaps some very simple hierarchy logic.

Have I ever bought anything from either of these Brands?

HQhair - No
Mankind - Yes

Who should get first crack at me? Mankind of course.

(In all fairness, I did get theirs first by 1 whole minute)

INRS - It's Not Rocket Science

To Tailor the Offer, Or Not To Tailor the Offer? INRS

Discount Codes - Exclusive Offers - Limited Time Only

Wow, as a subscriber and customer to Mankind (www.mankind.co.uk) , a men's grooming and styling retailer I naturally assumed that these discounts and offers from their partners would be tailored to me, a male.

I score them as 3 from 7 in terms of relevancy so I'm not sure how exclusive that is?

It's Not Rocket Science , just to split male versus female

Free Shipping or Not Free Shipping. That is the question. INRS

I love Kiehl's as a brand and of course the products they sell. But surely it's just lazy marketing on their part in not converting Free Shipping, which is very much a US term, to something I'm more accustomed to, ie Free Delivery or Free Postage and Packaging.

Or am I being naive and they've tested Free Shipping against Free Delivery and we are more American than we think?

And then you confuse me by adding a Free Shipping with orders over £40 !

So which is it ? Free Shipping or Not Free Shipping. That is the question

Or is the question until when is the offer valid to? Wednesday 6th June or 31.05.12? Check out the landing page.

Talk about not making easy for me the customer!

If anyone knows anyone at Kiehl's..let them know...

Double Points at Participating Stores!. Great!! - INRS4

Costa Coffee Club eCRM Programme invites me to Double Points

As a regular coffee drinker, my Costa Coffee Club Card quite often gets let out of my back pocket. So I was very happy to get my Double Points offer in the latest email from Costa


I of course duly clicked on the link to be taken to the activation page, which can be seen below

On the plus side, I didn't have to do anything further to activate my card, it recognised me from the email. Lovely
.
Question is...how do I recognise a 'participating store' ?  I'm assuming its a store that takes the card..or do some stores that take the card not participate in the programme?

There isn't a list on the website ( yes I can go to the Store Search and look for Coffee Club stores..but really?)

The FAQ's tell me I cant use the card everywhere

No, in participating stores only in England, Scotland and Wales. You will not be able to use the card in some of our corporate stores, for example ESSO and Odeon. We are working on this, so please look out for updated communications in these stores.


I still don't get if all non corporate stores accept the card. So I have to look out for posters or cards in store

Participating stores will display various posters inside and/or outside the store, such as on the external door, menu board and at the till points. If you're unsure, please ask a member of the in store team.


And... my bonus points don't show up on my receipt. So I have no idea either before or after the visit if I have any extra points for my extra visits to Costa (assuming that's what Costa want me to do, visit them more often than another coffee shop I more readily frequent).

I'd best visit Costa a couple of times and see what happens.

Oh and while we're here 2 more things Costa

1. You recognise me via the email link as having a card, so why is the right hand pod asking me to register my card?
2. I sometimes forget my card at home so I can't collect points. Why can't I add them later with my receipt?

But surely they could have made it easier..so maybe I'll stick with the sophisticated Cafe Nero card

After all, It's Not Rocket Science

It's Not Rocket Science - 4

Making it easy for me to do what I want to is good eCRM. Turning Product Registration into a Market Research Exercise is not.

As an avid gardener (not), I decided on a new hedge trimmer ( watch out for my next post from A&E).

Having seen the opportunity to win £10,000 by registering the product..I thought why not?

Now having seen the generic landing page I kind of thought Bosch could have made my life easier with a link to the actual registration page, or at least when I got to www.boschgarden.co.uk , it would be easy to find the registration page

Think again...

But in for a penny, in for £10,000 I carry on.

So I'm thinking next stage you will ask a little about me, and I'm right. But do you really need my date of birth?

And check out the clause to get me entered into the prize draw..it involves me opting into 3rd party marketing!

But from here on in it gets worse!!

Followed by

and just when you thought it couldn't get any worse!!!

I wanted to register a hedge trimmer not give you my life history!

As a consumer I have no idea why you want all this stuff ( as a marketer I do). Please think of me first and your segmentation/profiling/targeting second

It's Not Rocket Science!

It's Not Rocket Science - 3

You have my limited attention with an email so cut to the chase.

Don't Say one thing...

And do another...

The 3 brands you've enticed me in  with are the 3 I want to see straight away. I don't want to scroll down and see if I can find them elsewhere in the email.

We all know supermarkets put the Pharmacy and Bakers at the back of the store so you have to get to them via the rest of the merchandise in the hope that you will buy on the way.

You have my limited attention with an email so cut to the chase.

It's Not Rocket Science!

It's Not Rocket Science - 2

My second post on getting things right..or wrong..in the world of eCRM

Ok, perhaps not the most hi-tech welcome I'll ever get but never the less, its always nice to be made welcome - although I'm not sure who 'I' is with no name being visible, and maybe a 'Mr' would have been nice :-)

It's Not Rocket Science - 1

This will be a new series of posts highlighting elements of eCRM where brands kind of get it right..but then waste an opportunity to..well, sell me something. And as my first degree is in Astrophysics, the Rocket Science label works for me

I'm a frequent traveller on EastCoast Trains, usually between York and London. so, it makes sense for me to join their Loyalty Scheme. There isn't actually a real alternative ( sorry Grand Central but not enough departures) so I'm getting points for something I'm doing anyway although I do now book other rail operators through them as well.

Anyway, I like the idea that as I'm on the site they show me how many points I have...but look at the Ad beneath my points

Surely that was an opportunity to recognise me further and perhaps get me to redeem my points, encourage an upgrade, buy a refreshment voucher?

It's Not Rocket Science .