The Tendo View

During the holiday season, shoppers are inundated with catalogs, email promotions, and other retail marketing materials. I was out of town for several weeks in late November and early December and I came home to at least 10 catalogues in my mailbox, and countless email offers and reminders. Only one stood out from the pack.

The email message was from HeidiSays, a store on Fillmore that actually has three physical locations (Collections, Casual, and Shoe Salon). I’ve shopped there for years, though recently I’ve done more browsing than buying. With the economy on the skids, I’m obviously not alone. This email newsletter was actually a letter from the owner. These were the key points:

1. Appreciation. She thanked shoppers for their loyal patronage.
2. Sympathy. She addressed the fact that everyone is facing tough economic times: “Our business has seen a slowdown in the past couple of months and some of our customers have withdrawn out of necessity. We understand.”
3. A request. She asked clients to keep the store in mind as they do their holiday shopping, and she offered to match or beat department store prices on merchandise.
4. Graciousness. She talked about her stores as part of the Fillmore Street community, and asked shoppers to remember all Fillmore Street merchants this holiday season.
5. Incentive. She offered an incentive to shop at her stores—providing “HeidiSays Dollars” to clients, with a minimum purchase.

The letter from Heidi was well-written, and it hit the mark with its tone and its message. Instead of deleting it, I kept it in my inbox as a reminder to stop by her stores before Christmas this year. Now that’s a successful piece of marketing. —Julie Jares, managing editor