I
was at Jo-Ann this past weekend. As I was checking out with my three and a half
yards of purple and grey upholstery fabric, Lexi the clerk asked if I had any
coupons with me.
How
could I forget? Like any good red-blooded American that comes from a family of
sewers (as in people who sew), I'm on the Jo-Ann mailing list at both my office
and home and usually have coupons coming out my ears! In case you're not
familiar, Jo-Ann is the undisputed coupon potentate of modern American retail.
They send out weekly flyers covered in coupons, many for 50% off or more, and
they send a daily coupon-heavy email to their massive email list.
But
alas, I didn't have any coupons with me. I had left them at home, along with my
wits that would have told me to call up that morning's Jo-Ann e-blast and
corresponding coupon. So without hesitation Lexi said, "Just open up a
browser on your phone and google Jo-Ann coupons." So I did and it brought
me to the Jo-Ann home page, featured on which a big, bold 50% off coupon beamed
like a beacon of savings. She scanned the barcode on my screen and I saved
$12.50 … just like that.
Though
truly grateful for the discount, I thought to myself as I walked back to my car
why Jo-Ann would encourage their staff to be so liberal with their coupons,
especially as a sale is being finalized with a customer who clearly was happy
and ready to pay full price. (Well, to be fair, mine was a red tag fabric so it
was already on sale. But still…) And then I thought about what Lexi did--so
brilliantly sly, masking her true bottom-line boosting intentions in a façade
of savings and sweetness: She boosted joann.com's SEO (search engine
optimization) by having me specifically google them from my unique device and
then click through to their website (which, if you visit you'll notice the
pop-up that must be addressed before entering that solicits the visitor for
their email address to join Jo-Ann's amazing email list); she got me to
realize--or remember--the wealth of information about her business available
literally at my fingertips; she ensured a happy transaction by giving me an
unexpected discount, therefore creating a loyal customer for life because I left
with a very, very good feeling about the transaction. I left as their advocate.
I
don't know any business that rocks the coupon game like Jo-Ann. The way they
turn the simple, traditional marketing technique of couponing into a customer
experience-focused SEO stimulus scheme is fascinating. It's so brilliant,
it must be diabolical!
Think
about it…
#SEO
#Coupons #Marketing #JoAnn #AskUncleMarty #SoBrilliantItMustBeDiabolical
...
Also published on the AMBC blog on January 24, 2017.
