The Retailer Archetype: B&N

I ran across an excellent email this morning that I believe every retailer should emulate. Too often, retailers fall into the trap of trying to bombard the customer with a "look at all the cool stuff we have on sale" approach to the campaign creative. However, they fail to realize that many of the items presented have no relevance to me.

Therefore, if a retailer isn't going to go the extra mile to produce true one-to-one campaigns based on preference or purchase history data, the email example from Barnes & Noble below is the next best thing and its simplistic elegance is something to behold:



As interesting as "This week's featured novel by [insert author name here]" would be, a discount is always more profound in my opinion. This message makes it crystal clear what the offer is and folds in flexibility as the incentive may be used in-store or online. The graphics are not too busy and the terms and conditions are clearly noted. Though not shown via a screenshot, the use of alt text with the images is also very well done should they not load by default. The benefits of the offer still resonate based on the descriptions used.

It is rare for any retailer campaign to move me to action (except Nordstrom's around the Holidays when I'm in a bind), however this one prompted me to print the in-store coupon not too long after opening and I plan on buying something cool at my neighborhood location this weekend. Well done B&N!