PostCards Drive Business

From the USPS Impact Magazine…

When Jeffrey Cohen was a kid, he spent lots of time hanging around his grandfather’s clothing store. Today he runs it. Cohen uses NetPost Premium Postcards to let his customers know when new fashions arrive, and they drive traffic that boosts sales.

Jeffrey Cohen grew up in his grandfather’s clothing store, so he knows a thing or two about retail. And one thing he knows is that timing is key: When the store gets new items in, he needs to let his customers know right away.

So Cohen uses NetPost Premium Postcards from the U.S. Postal Service® to get the word out to his customers. It’s fast, convenient and effective.

“Dollar for dollar, NetPost is probably more cost-effective than any other advertising we use,� says Cohen.
Typically, he says, a new item of clothing will arrive at the store on Monday. “We get a digital image, compose the card on Photoshop and upload the image and message to the NetPost Web site that day.�

Using NetPost, which is provided by a trusted third-party vendor, ensures the cards mail the next business day. Customers receive the cards on Thursday or Friday of that week — and Cohen can look forward to a busy weekend at the store he and his cousin Maurice run, Sam’s Fine Men’s Clothing in Livingston, N.J.

The Cohens encourage customers to bring the cards into the store so they can tell what the response rate to the mailing was. “We get anywhere between 1 percent and 5 percent back,� says Cohen.

In addition, NetPost allows them to carefully select from their database who will receive the postcards, so they can target the appropriate customers. They can also personalize the cards for their sales staff by adding a photo of the salesperson and his or her handwriting on the card.

More than that, however, the cards are very high quality and pre-sent the store and its clothing in a way that makes an impression on customers, says Cohen.

“For us, everything is quality and image,� he says. “The ability to give your customers an understanding of exactly how the garment looks is essential. The NetPost postcard is the right way of presenting our business to our customers.�

As children, Cohen and his cousin spent much of their time at the store, which their grandfather, Sam, founded in 1902. Maurice’s mom cooked lunch and dinner for the whole crew in the back of the store, and on Sunday — a half day — the boys would stop by the nearby bakery for a slice of cake.

Today, the store employs about 25 people and is still well known in the community for its quality merchandise. People don’t come in just to purchase a shirt or a tie.

“Once we get them in the store, we sell them an entire wardrobe,� says Cohen.