Apex Auctions - Preference Centre Benefits
When you have a wide customer base, how do you keep them informed and up to date with your latest offers, whilst not presenting them with irrelevant information? How is it possible to reduce opt-outs and list attrition? These were the problems facing Apex Auctions - Marketing Manager, Adam Taylor, told us about his experience of overcoming them.
The Company
Apex Auctions is an online auction company, providing a platform for investors, liquidators and companies to buy and sell a variety of engineering equipment. They operate in multiple markets, selling to over 50 different countries throughout the world.
Previously the company had outsourced their email marketing, but now this is taken care of in-house. Adam commented: "When we decided to move email marketing in-house, we looked at what other email marketing suppliers could offer, but decided to choose Pure360 again for their reporting capabilities, competitive cost and ease of use."
In conjunction with exhibiting, search engine optimization and varied marketing activities, email is considered a crucial element of Apex Auctions marketing strategy. “Email marketing is by far what delivers the highest return on investment” says Adam. ”So making sure we keep getting the most out of it at all times is crucial.”
The problem: The opt-out rate
With an existing email contacts database of over 50,000 generated through their website using PureResponse’s List Builder Interface, trade shows and purchased lists, Apex runs up to 30 campaigns a month.
But all was not well as Apex began to experience worsening opt-out rates. Thanks to a strong relationship with their customers Apex received feedback that both the frequency and relevancy of their messages were not meeting customer expectations. This pushed Apex to look for new ways to better serve their customer base.
The solution: taking opt-in a step further
Looking to Pure360 to know what could be done, Apex’s dedicated account manager, Andy Thorpe advised that setting up a preference centre would best tackle this problem. With this feature Apex subscribers would be able to choose the type of information they’d like to receive and how often.
In order to implement the preference centre coupled with the need for comprehensive reporting capabilities, Apex decided to upgrade to the Expert Level version of PureResponse.
How does the Apex preference centre work?
A section was created at the footer of Apex e-mails, entitled ‘Control what you receive from Apex Auctions’. It contains a ‘personalise your preferences’ link which redirects the user to an online dynamically populated form. The form itself contains 27 different opt-in boxes for each of the 27 product ranges and sectors that Apex Auctions cover.
Once the form has been submitted, the new preferences are stored within Apex’s master list in PureResponse, in one of the demographic fields. 27 filtered lists were created that now enable Apex to target their audience with messages only relevant to them.
Adam Taylor comments “The preference centre has given us great flexibility in segmenting our audience. This has proved vital in building up customer focus on the run up to our auctions.”
The preference form is Apex branded, which makes it consistent and seamless from a user experience perspective. The ‘preferences link’ is included in each mailing so the recipient is able to go in and update their preferences at any time.
Results
The preference tool results have exceeded Adam’s expectations: "Not only have we reduced our opt-rate by half, but we find the preference centre a great way to engage with our customers and build trust.”
In addition to introducing the preference centre, Apex uses the Intelligent Time Sending function which enables Adam and his team to vitally send messages when people are most likely read them. A great tool to increase open rates.
“To monitor campaigns conversion, we find the capability of PureResponse to allow campaigns tracking in Google Analytics irreplaceable, “says Adam. In a time when marketing is more and more accountable, the ability to track campaigns results is clearly a strong asset for Apex marketing department.
