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My advice to you is, first test the response to an email campaign and then get into direct mail.
As far as direct mail is concerned, the critical starting point is building a list. What are you doing now to capture details and build a list? It is not a good idea to buy a list since it will not be as responsive or qualified as a list you prepare by capturing details yourself.
For a direct mail campaign to be truly successful, you also need to segment your list. Do you know which of your customers buy at the beginning of the season as opposed to those that are more price-conscious and are motivated by discounts, etc? You need to send out appropriate messages to these lists. There might be opportunity in reserving a VIP day when you invite your list to special previews of the new collection and perhaps, offer a discount or other such offer.
But before jumping the bandwagon, it is also important to look at certain aspects to determine profitability. The first step in determining if you should go ahead with a direct mail campaign is working out the costs. Know how much it will cost you and this includes printing, envelopes, and of course, the postage.
Then, keep in mind your margins. How much net profit do you make from anyone who buys your clothing? Once you know how much you make from each sale, you will be able to compute the percentage of response you need in order to make this campaign successful and profitable.
Also, take into consideration the lifetime value of each customer. Don’t just expect one sale as that will usually cost you. On an average, you need to sell to a client two times before you begin to make a profit from it.
While direct mail is a great marketing tool for a retail shop like yours, there might be other great options you can use as well. So keep your options open.
