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Resource Center Home Small Business Revolution Email strategy boosts foot traffic for specialty retail shop
Small Business Revolution Small Business Revolution
A movement supporting small businesses

Email strategy boosts foot traffic for specialty retail shop

6 min read
Main Street Season 1
Season 1 Trailer Ep. 1: Meet Wabash Ep. 2: Harry’s Old Kettle Pub & Grill Ep. 3: Ellen’s Bridal & Dress Boutique Ep. 4: Filament Tattoo Ep. 5: Schlemmer Bros Ep. 6: Thriftalicious
Ep. 7: The Eclectic Shoppe
Ep. 8: Wabash finale
Main Street Season 4
Season 4 Trailer Ep. 1: Meet Searcy Ep. 2: Whilma's Filipino Restaurant Ep. 3: ARganic Woodwork Ep. 4: El Mercado Ep. 5: Nooma Yoga Studio Ep. 6: Zion Climbing and Event Center Ep. 7: Savor + Sip Coffeehouse Ep. 8: Searcy Finale
Main Street Season 3
Season 3 Trailer Ep. 1: Welcome to Alton Ep. 2: Morrison's Irish Pub Ep. 3: Today's Beauty Supply Ep. 4: Shampooches Dog Grooming Ep. 5: Lovett’s Soul Food Ep. 6: Bluff City Outdoors Ep. 7: Lighthouse Sounds Ep. 8: Alton Finale Ep. 9: Back to Alton
Main Street Season 2
Season 2 trailer Ep. 1: Meet Bristol Borough Ep. 2: Hems Truck & Auto Ep. 3: Miguel’s Riverside Barber Shop Ep. 4: Annabella’s Italian Restaurant Ep. 5: Polka Dot Parlor Ep. 6: Keystone Boxing & MMA Gym Ep. 7: Discover Learn & Grow Ep. 8: Bristol Borough finale Ep. 9: Back to Bristol
Main Street Season 1
Season 1 Trailer Ep. 1: Meet Wabash Ep. 2: Harry’s Old Kettle Pub & Grill Ep. 3: Ellen’s Bridal & Dress Boutique Ep. 4: Filament Tattoo Ep. 5: Schlemmer Bros Ep. 6: Thriftalicious Ep. 7: The Eclectic Shoppe Ep. 8: Wabash finale
Documentary
Small Business Revolution Documentary

For small independent retailers, store traffic can be everything. That’s why the traditionally slow months following the holiday season can be such a challenge each year.

Mike and Maria Smyth knew about such challenges in 2015 when they opened their fun and charming store in historic downtown Wabash, Indiana. The Eclectic Shoppe showcases the work of local artists ranging from pottery and paintings to hand-painted tees and jewelry.

“We are giving artisans a place where they can survive,” says Maria.

Problems with profitability

While initial sales were strong, the Smyths saw early on that they needed to double revenues to achieve profitability. The problem was, they were so busy with day-to-day operations they had little time to create a proactive and comprehensive marketing plan that could encompass an email campaign, an updated website and marketing materials maximized to support such growth.

In a favorable twist of fate, however, the Eclectic Shoppe was selected for a $500,000 Small Business Revolution Main Street makeover from the city of Wabash. The couple jumped at the chance to work with Deluxe to fulfill their marketing wish list.

Increasing brand identity

The Deluxe team immediately noted the Eclectic Shoppe was in need of a cohesive and memorable brand identity, ideally one showcasing the Smyths’ compelling startup story involving their love of travel. As such, a Deluxe design specialist first focused on creating one unified logo that captured the personality of the store and artists, as well as the owners’ philosophy; thus the sunrise design came to be, representing the idea that each day is a new opportunity.

Old logo(s)

New logo

Deluxe, to ensure brand synergy, then gave the Smyths’ website a major upgrade. Their previous content was thin and lacked a clear call-to-action, but Deluxe was able to maximize imagery and storytelling to highlight Eclectic Shoppe’s unique product mix while providing space for local artists’ stories. With the design work accomplished, Deluxe turned their attention toward customer growth.

Excelling through email

Email is the cornerstone of a successful marketing plan —  it provides business owners with a direct line to consumers, and is a great tool to boost sales. If the Smyths wanted to drive foot traffic to their store, they were going to need an effective email marketing strategy aimed at encouraging return visits.

The Eclectic Shoppe’s first email campaign kicked off with 100 addresses gathered via a notebook placed near the store’s cash register. Since then, that customer database has grown, and the store has launched a program through which it messages customers weekly or bi-weekly to share upcoming events, promote sales and highlight new artist collections. The Smyths have also started integrating email into other aspects of their marketing strategy. Their website, for instance, encourages customer connections via email newsletter updates.

The development of the Smyths’ email marketing strategy was perhaps the most impressive change made during this time. Email has become an important focal point for the business, and early campaign results show strong click-through rates to the business’ website and social properties, a trend expected to continue to drive sales as customer awareness ramps up.

Rewarding results

The end result? The Smyths now have the marketing tools in place to attract both new and existing customers to their shop, counteracting the slower months by doing what Maria calls, “stepping it up a notch.” Their emails have open rates of roughly 25 percent, which exceeds industry standards. Shortly after launching their first email campaign, they doubled sales from their grand opening month. Now that’s an exhibit of success their artists are proud to get behind.

We’re starting a revolution

Watch these small towns’ revivals in the original online series: Small Business Revolution — Main Street.

WATCH NOW >>

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