Oslo's A Men's Store of Seattle has just been honored as one of the ten best clothing stores for men by Forbes Magazine. Not bad for the new kid on the block (or do we say puppy - Oslo is a Golden Retriever) as the store has only been around for a few years. John McDowell, Oslo's Master and the store's owner, and I became acquainted when I wrote about him and his dog Oslo for Exclusively4You, The Exclusive Trade Show newsletter. I'm a dog person, myself, (my Springer Spaniel Buddy has been featured in few emails I've built for clients) and dog people tend to trust each other. So it was easy for me to get to know John and learn about his store. He does a great job of email marketing his brick and mortar store with us and utilizes our service to rub shoulders with his customers on a regular basis. He keeps them informed with store and product information and occasionally throws in an offer. Here's the email he did letting his customers know about his honor. His openings are high and he does a great job building his list.
The importance of retaining customers for menswear specialty stores like Oslo's has never been greater as men tend to disappear from stores during a recession. Much of the email marketing by web merchants is aimed at the "quick hit" of "buy now". Email marketing for brick and mortar retailers relies on relationships and loyalty, Email can be a great "soft sell" and relationship re-enforcer. Congratulations Oslo - You deserve a bone!
