How a Retailer Doubled Business Reach Using Shared Direct Mail

Client: Bi-Mart

Bi-Mart, a Pacific Northwest retailer with locations throughout Oregon, Washington, and Idaho, is an employee-owned company who sells a range of everyday essentials, groceries and other home goods. They routinely used its monthly savings book as a key marketing tool. The book, sent via solo direct mail, offered exclusive deals to members and was a key driver of in-store traffic. While this tactic worked for current customers, they didn’t have a cost-effective marketing solution to attract new members.

Challenge: Expanding Brand Awareness on a Limited Budget

Bi-Mart wanted to grow its membership, but the caveat is that they didn’t want to increase their current marketing budget. Since their solo direct mail approach limited their outreach to current members, they needed a more cost-effective solution that would also reach new consumers.

To expand their target market while matching their current budget, Bi-Mart turned to Mailbox Merchants for a more cost-effective solution with a broader reach.

Solution: Shared Mail for Current Members and New Customers

With an understanding that the current solo direct mail reached only current customers, Mailbox Merchants suggested a shared mail strategy to acquire new customers in key markets. Since shared mail combines multiple advertisers’ materials into one mailing, we could lower overall mailing costs while increasing overall reach. 

Setup

To figure out the best shared mail locations, we created mail efficiency models for key markets to determine where Bi-Mart would gain the most benefit.

Execution

Once we determined which locations were ideal, we integrated Bi-Mart’s savings book into the Mailbox Merchants shared mail package to reach 100% of households in close proximity to their stores. This strategy offered several benefits:

• Cost Efficiency – Sharing mailing costs with other advertisers reduced expenses.
• Broader Reach – The shared mail format doubled Bi-Mart's audience by targeting new households beyond their current membership.
• Brand Visibility – Bi-Mart's Savings Book remained a prominent feature in the shared mail packet, ensuring clear communication of their offers.

Results: Same Budget with Double the Reach

Sending out the new shared mail package with the same savings book allowed us to deliver the message to both current members and new customers alike.

The shared mail strategy yielded significant results for Bi-Mart:

• Doubled Reach: The shared mail strategy doubled Bi-Mart's mailing reach without increasing its budget.
• Cost Savings: The cost-sharing nature of shared mail resulted in substantial savings on mailing expenses.
• Increased Membership: The broader reach and targeted offers led to a notable increase in new member sign-ups.

By incorporating a shared mail strategy, Bi-Mart attracted new members while staying on budget. This strategy maintained the effectiveness of their monthly savings book and doubled their reach. This case study demonstrates how innovative direct mail solutions can achieve marketing goals without additional financial expenditures .

Are you curious how making the switch to direct mail can enhance your marketing efforts? Contact us today if you have any questions, otherwise, click below to see how our team at Mailbox Merchants can enhance your marketing.