CUSTOMER Q&A
“Of all the DSAs, Whistl are by far the most responsive and attentive”
SECRETS BEHIND SCOTTS’ SUCCESS Since starting out in Stow-on-the-Wold in 1991, Scotts & Co has become the UK’s premier independent direct retailer. Here Nigel Swabey, Chairman, gives us a fascinating insight into the secrets behind that success.
Q. What do you look for in a supplier? A. We are looking for partners we can trust – suppliers who listen to our concerns and who are sensitive to those concerns, whether it be about the quality of the products they are supplying or the timing of their deliveries. In logistics, it’s not all about price. It’s about your supplier’s sensitivity to your timing imperatives, your needs in terms of mailing supplies and themanagement of order flows. • Accepts MicroSD cards up to 64GB, not included • Nano coated body with IP54 splash resistance • Earphones and charging cradle Q. How doesWhistl support your organisation? A. That’s an easy one. Of all the DSAs (DownstreamAccess Suppliers) Whistl are by far themost responsive and attentive to their clients’ needs. Much as we all love Royal Mail, their retail team is simply not able tomove as fast and are not able to be as responsive or creative in coming up with ideas to resolve tactical challenges. No surnames, but if any Whistl clients have had experience of working with Sharon, Andy or Nick, they’ll know what I mean when I say that it is a pleasure to work with them. I know postal affairs as well as most, but I’m still learning from these guys. And now for something completely different… NEW The Smartest Clamshell Phone on the Market? If you want an easy-to-use mobile phone but like the convenience of a touchscreen, the Touch SMART is the perfect choice for you. This ‘hybrid’ phone combines a physical keypad with a touchscreen for easy access to your phone book, texting, built-in camera etc, so it’s simplicity itself to use. It also as the popular WhatsApp pre-installed, with a special WhatsApp shortcut button above the keypad, so you can instantly message or video-call friends and family. An additional external screen alerts you to incoming phone calls, so you can see who’s calling even w en the phone is shut, and there’s a high-quality 5MP camera. Supplied unlocked for use on any network; simply insert your own SIM card. 11.4x5.7x2.1cm. 320 9601 Touch SMART Clamshell Mobile £139.95 HalfPrice Offers Price O fers Last Minute Gift Ideas NEW ‘Hard-to-Find’ Classic Fragrances for Men Memories and smell are closely linked, and these classic ‘blasts from the past’ are guaranteed to remind your man of magical moments. Refreshing, revitalising ‘Brut Original’ from Fabergé, 2 x 100ml. Masculine, earthy ‘Quorum’ aftershave by Antonio Puig. 100ml. Woody, musky ‘Aramis’, eau de toilette, 110ml. And, fresh, sharp Davidoff Cool Water, the original marine fragrance with refreshing aquatic aromas and a sensual finish, eau de toilette, 125ml. 322 7515 Brut Aprés Rasage, 2 x 100ml £19.95 322 7528 Quorum, 100ml £24.95 322 7541 Aramis, 110ml £39.95 322 7554 Cool Water, 125ml £39.95 • 3.35" main colour touchscreen with 8 colour icons • Additional external 1.5” display • Phone book with space for 1000+ contacts • Optional emergency call function • Pre-installed WhatsApp with shortcut button • Hearing aid compatible • 5MP camera, Bluetooth 4.0, GPS, FM radio, torch and calendar
Q. Please tell us about your business. A. Scotts&Co is adirect catalogue and online retailer.Wehavewhat webelieve is the largest customer databaseof catalogue andonline customers in the country.Wemail about 30million catalogues each year under 5 separate titles,many of which, likeScotts of Stow, arenationally recognisedbrands.We’re just shy of £50million in sales andhave over 4million active customers this year, having grownby over 40%since 2019. Q. What’s thesecretbehindyoursuccess? What setsyourbusinessapart? A. We are passionate about innovation. We search for products that are new, unusual or in some way different to what you’d expect to find in the shops. Products that are problem solvers, time-savers, energy savers. Products which offer great value. We shop the world for new ideas like these that we can introduce to the UKmarket. Q. How has the pandemic affected your business? A. Our business was already growing fast before the pandemic, but in April of 2019, we realised that more than ever, consumers were appreciating the sheer convenience of home delivery. At that
Q. What advice would you give to other business owners? A. If direct mail is part of your media mix, then ‘do themaths!’ Count the source-coded orders you’ve received and then attributeback the ‘match-backs’ to your ad. spend onmailings. That’s all those ‘source unknown’ orders that you’ve received through all other channels and whichmatch back to your mailing file. You domatch back all respondents to your mailing file, right… Right? If a new customer places an order online 30 days after you’vemailed them with a catalogue, themailing was the dominant trigger, not theGoogle ad, the re-marketing ad or the affiliate hit! Sadly, toomany CEO’s aremarching to the drumbeat of the internet and are allowing their onlinemarketing teams to claim credit for orders that were actually generated by mailings, just because the customer chose the company’s website as themost convenient channel for the transaction. At Scotts, some of us have been doing this for over 45 years. We know how to identify the origin of orders and we know that paper is by far themost cost-effectivemedium for generating footfall to retail stores and traffic to websites.
point, we decided to double the print runs on our most famous titles and increased our mailing volumes. This resulted in many weeks last Autumn/Christmas when orders were 80%-90%up on the previous year. In the first quarter of 2021, we are increasingmailings of our catalogues further, with a fourfold increase inmailing volumes to 12.2million.
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Scatter Cushions (2 Packs of 2) £54.90 SAVE £5 Scatter Cushions (3 Packs of 2) £79.85 SAVE £10 Scatter Cushions (4 Packs of 2) £99.80 SAVE £20 Enjoy the garden with friends and family all summer long If you love spending time outdoors but want a little protection from the sun and showers, this brilliant six-sided gazebo is your answer. It’s easy to set up and has two zip-up flaps and mesh sides so you can be insect-free as you relax. It’s easily big enough for a small garden set and comes with all guy ropes and pegs. Full width 360cm. Each side 180 × 245cm. Pre-order now for delivery early May. 324 8120 Hexagonal Gazebo £129.95 Ȳ Quick and easy to set up Ȳ Instant protection from the elements Ȳ Includes all guy ropes and pegs Ȳ Great for parties and alfresco dining and Easy-assemble Hexagonal Gazebo for Only £129.95 NEW and Exclusive The Affordable
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Q. What plans do you have for the future? A. Smart mailers made themost of the ‘Back-to-Business’ postal discounts of 35% that weremade available in
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2020 during the pandemic. They used the opportunity to test reactivation of some of their dormant (up to 12 year dormant) customers and experimented with new prospect mailings. In our case, those test mailings revealed that we can successfully mail millions of additional customers who are clearly keen to hear fromus. We don’t always expect to break-even on our prospect mailings, but smart mailers are guided entirely by ‘mail order maths’. A lower postal cost means a much lower break-even point and thereforemuch bigger mailing volumes. We went for broke and it paid off with even 12-year dormant Scotts customers coming in above break even!
www. scottsofstow .co.uk
0844 482 5555
or by phone 0844 482 5555 7 pence per minute plus your telephone company's access charge.
7 days 8am - 10pm.
Order online at www.giftdiscoveries.co.uk
Or call 0844 482 1717
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NEW SEASON COLLECTION Summer 2021
NEW SEASON COLLECTION Summer 2021
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NEW FEJKA HANGING BASKET L67cm, hanging string L53cm. Pot H15cm, Dia.16cm. 324 4792 Fejka hanging basket £34 NEW MEDICI JAR See page 29 for full details. H30cm, Dia.19cm. 325 1929 Elegant Medici jar £15 NEW NATURAL, NEUTRAL AND STATUESQUE Standing almost a metre high, this exotic arrangement is more complex than it first appears. It’s a careful selection of eye-catching textures, shapes and structure. A dramatic, paddle-shaped fan palm leaf anchors the design, with carefully selected exotic stems and seed heads chosen to create calming drama. Display in a favourite vase, or let it sing in our hand-made and recycled Medici apothecary vase (see below.) H97cm, W45cm. 323 7122 Fan palm stem bouquet £79
other prescribed medications, this mini nebuliser colds, coughs, asthma and respiratory diseases. hnology it’s virtually silent, and it’s small enough
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If you have finished with this catalogue, please recycle or pass it on to a friend or neighbour
Order at www.exper tverdi ct .com or 0844 482 1122
If you have finished with this catalogue, please recycle or pass it on to a friend or neighbour
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Whistl Magazine • Spring 2021
Whistl Magazine • Spring 2021
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