The Benefits of Direct Marketing

Direct marketing benefits customers in many ways. First, home shopping is convenient and hassle-free. It saves time and introduces consumers to a larger selection of merchandise. They can do comparative shopping by browsing through mail catalogues and online shopping services, then order products for themselves or others. Industrial customers ean learn about available products and services without waiting for and tying up time with salespeople.

Direct marketers also benefit. They can buy mailing lists containing names of almost any group, from millionaires and new parents, to left-handed people <jr recent university graduates. They can then personalise and customize their messages. With today's technology, a direct marketer can select small groups or even individual consumers, customize offers to their special needs and wants, and promote these offers through individualized communications.

The direct marketer can build a continuous relationship with each customer. For example, Nestles baby food division maintains a database of new parents and mails them six personalized packages of gifts and advice at key stages in the baby's life. Direct marketing can also be timed to reach prospects at just the right moment. And because they reach more interested consumers at the best times, direct marketing materials receive higher readership and response. Direct marketing also permits easy testing of alternative media and messages. Finally, direct marketing provides privacy - the direct marketer's offer and strategy are less visible to competitors.

Continue reading here: Customer Databases arid Direct Marketing

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