MArkEtIng FOrWArdis using customer preferences

to drive targeted marketing

Experian Marketing Services and Bass Pro Shops increase customer response through data-driven marketing

IntroductionBass Pro Shops is a leading multichannel retailer of outdoor recreation goods and hunting and fishing equipment. to build targeted marketing programs across its online and brick-and-mortar customer touch-points, Bass Pro taps into Experian Marketing Services’ CheetahMail email marketing, QAS address verification and Hitwise competitive intelligence capabilities.

CheetahMail provides strategic guidance throughout all stages of Bass Pro’s robust email program, which includes sending highly individualized and relevant messaging. through CheetahMail’s preference center functionality, Bass Pro gives consumers the option to tell them what information they are most interested in receiving. given that 75 percent of new subscribers use the preference form to select from interests such as hunting, archery, clothing and electronics, Bass Pro is able to deliver highly targeted and response-driven emails from the start. All while QAS verifies the entries and automatically fills in missing address fields, a tactic that can save up to 75 percent of the time needed to enter a full, valid address.

In addition to utilizing CheetahMail’s rich reporting tools to track campaign performance and response, Bass Pro also has the ability to compare these results against key competitors through Hitwise reports, a tool that provides insight on how 10 million U.S. Internet users interact with over 1 million Websites.

Bass Pro Shops’ goals

Increase email open rates, return on investment (rOI) and transaction rates • Verify customer information at the point of entry• gain a better understanding of the online competitive landscape•

“Having accurate contact information is important to the efficiency of our business. By leveraging Experian Marketing Services’ QAS address verification, we have direct access to comprehensive address verification and data quality software and services to make sure we can engage our customers reliably, for maximum impact and increased ROI.” – Todd Jones, Manager of eCommerce Marketing, Bass Pro Shops

Experian® CheetahMail® email marketing: targeted messaging based on consumer preference to increase email open rates, return on investment (rOI) and transaction rates, Bass Pro leverages Experian Marketing Services’ CheetahMail email marketing.

Customers are more willing to interact with and respond to companies that contact them the way they want to be contacted, with information that caters to their individual needs and interests. to capture customers’ interests for increased relevancy and engagement, Bass Pro’s CheetahMail account team created an online preference center form for Bass Pro’s Website, www.basspro.com.

When signing up for Bass Pro’s email program, on average, 75 percent of new subscribers use the form to select from interests such as archery, fishing and hunting so later they can receive emails targeted to these areas.

the preference center also is cross media focused, and subscribers have the option of selecting their preferred channel and store location.

In addition to building Bass Pro’s robust preference center, the CheetahMail account team also provides detailed analysis on reporting data, allowing Bass Pro to determine what campaigns are performing best as well as specific elements that contribute to conversion and transactions. Leveraging this type of data and working closely with their account team, Bass Pro developed and implemented a welcome series email campaign that rendered impressive results and stronger rOI.

Experian® QAS® address verification: data hygiene for precise customer contact Bass Pro utilizes QAS Pro Web to verify customers’ addresses entered on its ecommerce Website.

In real time, QAS Pro Web validates and standardizes the addresses against official postal authority records. Customers enter an address using the software, which then quickly supplies the deliverable, complete and standardized address into Bass Pro’s existing database application.

Moving marketing forward

Based on testing, Bass pro determined that the optimal offer for inclusion in the welcome series was $10, garnering a 37 percent open rate and a 6 percent transaction rate.

By automatically filling in address fields, QAS Pro can save up to 75 percent of the time needed to enter a full, valid address.

Experian® Hitwise® competitive intelligence: Industry insight for competitive advantage to gain a deep understanding of the competitive landscape for improved marketing strategy, Bass Pro leverages Experian Marketing Services’ Hitwise competitive intelligence.

Using My Hitwise, an intuitive tool for creating custom categories and aggregations for competitive analysis, Bass Pro can identify Websites they have designated as online competition. Bass Pro also leverages Hitwise rankings, Charting, demographics and Clickstream tools to run a thorough analysis on these segments and determine where www.basspro.com ranks among specific competitors; market share the site gained or lost compared with the competition daily, weekly and monthly; and whether marketing, search and advertising campaigns have a direct impact on the site’s market share.

the tools also provide Bass Pro with an understanding of the differences between the customers who make purchases on the site and those who visit without converting to identify additional market segments based on competitive analysis.

Bass Pro receives a monthly custom report from Hitwise that delivers the metrics that are most critical to its business. the reports provide a gateway to determining company focus on and strategy from a competitive and industry wide perspective. In relation to its work with CheetahMail, Bass Pro can use the report to better understand how email, as part of its overall connection strategy, has performed against the company’s competitors.

“Utilizing Hitwise competitive intelligence from Experian Marketing Services, we are able to gain an insightful analysis of the online landscape and understand what’s happening in our industry on a daily basis. We see trends developing among our competitors and gain a holistic view of our competitive landscape in a way that keeps us ahead of other vendors in our category and at the very top of our customers’ minds.” – Todd Jones, Manager of eCommerce Marketing, Bass Pro Shops

through Hitwise, Bass Pro has insight on how 10 million U.S. Internet users interact with over 1 million Websites.

Experian Hitwise

Insights on how 10 million U.S. Internet users interact with more than 1 million Websites

Experian CheetahMail

Welcome email • 37 percent open rate • 6 percent transaction rate

Preference data acquisition: • 75 percent of new customers

Experian QAS

Average address entry time saved:

• 75 percent

Campaign results

The Experian advantage

Working with Experian Marketing Services’ email, competitive intelligence and address verification capabilities, Bass Pro has seamless and limitless access to a vast number of online and offline data resources, giving the company a 360-degree view into its customers’ behaviors and industry trends. Coupling this insight with the expertise of Experian analysts and robust digital-marketing platforms, Bass Pro is poised to grow its business well into the future.

For more information, please visit www.experian.com/marketingservices.

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June 2010