Shopatron: Integrating Email Marketing with E-Commerce
Launched in August 2001, Shopatron is the leader in retailer-integrated e-commerce, allowing manufacturers to accept orders online and fulfill them through the closest retailer or dealer channel. Shopatron manages a network of more than 300 consumer product manufacturers and 6,000 retailers. Consumers benefit by purchasing goods online from their favorite brands and still receiving the service and convenience of interacting with a retailer, whether the product is shipped or picked up in a nearby store. Shopatron has five years of experience in order fulfillment and customer service technology and after more than 1.4 million transactions in 20 industries the company boasts a 97% client retention rate.
Challenges:
After originally using an in-house email marketing solution, it became increasingly essential that Shopatron implement a more comprehensive email marketing solution for several key reasons:
- Recent shifts in the marketplace have driven the need for a universal email marketing solution that provides superior deliverability rates and extensive spam compliance
- Shopatron needed to provide a solution for clients which also promoted industry best practices
Solution:
With increasingly sophisticated client demands, it was important for Shopatron to incorporate a scalable email marketing solution into its e-commerce offering. The Bronto API provides several advantages for Shopatron:
- Increased ownership of client relations by integrating email and e-commerce solutions for one fully-integrated system
- Standard SOAP protocol creates a flexible, open platform to create a customized email marketing application
Shopatron integrated the Bronto email marketing system into its e-commerce platform, allowing their customers to execute coordinated online marketing strategies around their online stores. Using Bronto, Shopatron:
- Helps clients implement email newsletters as the first step in delivering periodic communications to their loyal brand consumers
- RepoAssists in the creation of follow-up email product promotions as an additional layer of consumer communicationrting
- Reports on the effectiveness of a product campaign, primarily through conversion tracking
“We now have the ability to promote the use of Bronto to clients as an effective ‘best practice’ execution for staying top of mind with consumers and driving transactional volume,” said Brian Clausen, executive vice president, Shopatron.
Results:
With the implementation of Shopatron’s email marketing capabilities, driven by Bronto, many branded manufacturers have turned their website from a purely marketing-communication vehicle to one that drives transactional volume for their revenue partners.
- As Shopatron signs new clients, the importance of executing email marketing through newsletters and branded templates is emphasized; many manufactures request a trial account
- Some Shopatron clients have experienced an ROI of over 700% using Bronto’s solution
- Leveraging Bronto’s email marketing capabilities, Shopatron achieves the same objectives as traditional marketing and advertising, driving retail transactions while maintaining excellent ROI
“We’ve been very happy with Bronto’s client support. From the simplest questions to the most complex we are always satisfied with a quick answer!”
Blann Hancock
Owner,
Hancocks of Paducah
