This story appears in the
February 2004 issue of
Entrepreneur.
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Customers of Mary-Ellen's Flowers and Gifts (www.mary-ellens.com) get more than just a transaction
record when they make a purchase. Instead, the Mooresville, North
Carolina, florist and gift shop uses its register receipts to relay
information about special discounts and promotions, cut flower
specials and Web site information.
Done right, receipts can be an effective way to capture your
customer's attention, says Jon Schallert, president of The Schallert Group
Inc., a retail management and marketing firm in Sorrento,
Florida. Schallert shares some dos and don'ts:
- Don't use
coupons.
- Automatically printing a discount
offer usually isn't effective. "Discounts attract the
least loyal customer, and you need to discount so drastically to
make an impression, it's often not worth it," Schallert
advises. Instead, list your Web site URL, in-store offers and
special events.
- Do train
employees.
- "[The receipts] didn't bring
much business until we started pointing out the information to
customers at checkout, training [employees] to [promote] the
receipts and the Web site," says Tracy Hurt Dial, 37-year-old
owner of Mary-Ellen's.
- Don't invest in
unnecessary graphics.
- Schallert believes it's more
important to include clear contact information, including the name
of the person who handled the transaction, and encourage the
customer to get back in touch with that person if there's a
problem. Says Schallert, "That way, you've taken a step in
the relationship process."