Targeting, personalization contribute to increased revenues for the Christian retail marketing association

Parable Group’s print promotions paid off significantly in 2013, with its average customer response rate for print partner stores yielding nearly four times the national average of 4.25% as recorded in the Response Rate Report by The Direct Marketing Association. 

Parable mailed more than 2.3 million print promotions with an average response rate of 16.3%. The 2013 Christmas Catalog response rate was 20.1%.

“Responders generated an average of 1.5 receipts per promotion period and spent more per transaction than nonresponders—averaging $45.98 per promotion period in 2013,” said Jenni Smith, mailing and consumer specialist for Parable.

Furthermore, data revealed that top customers who received regular catalog mailings in 2013 spent $430 in their local store. 

Along with print promotion results, the San Luis Obispo, Calif.-based marketing group also reported success related to customer purchases and digital marketing strategies.

Customers of Parable Group stores purchased more than 250,000 items with unique SKUs in 2013. Top categories were books and Bibles, and the best-selling products were: Book—Jesus Calling (Thomas Nelson); Bible—The Story (Zondervan); Music—Burning Lights by Chris Tomlin (sixstepsrecords/Capitol Christian Distribution); Movie—Merry Larry and the True Light of Christmas (Big Idea/Word Distribution); and Kid’s Book—The Beginner’s Bible (Zondervan).

In its digital marketing efforts, Parable sent 25.2 million emails to Christian consumers on behalf of franchise stores and various other Christian partners—a 10% increase in emails sent for partners compared to 2012. Targeting technologies contributed to email open rates as high as 28%.

“Targeting and personalization are becoming more and more of a must-have in the world of email marketing and yield higher open rates, greater click-through rates and generate more revenue,” said Randy Ross, marketing specialist for The Parable Group.

Parable served 51.1 million online display ad impressions to the Christian market in 2013 across thousands of web and mobile sites. Of these, 16.5 million were geo-targeted and served in local markets.

“We are constantly staying in tune with today’s emerging technology for online and mobile display advertising,” said Kyla Falkenhagen, Parable’s lead business analyst. “We’ve been helping advertisers of all sizes leverage online display advertising easily and effectively to reach, engage and convert customers in order to grow their business.”

Parable President Steve Potratz was pleased with the end-of-year results.

“We know the Christian customer, and we are honored to have leveraged our experience, unique customer data and technology to help retailers and clients market to them over 92 million times in 2013,” Potratz said.

Parable served 188 storefronts in various capacities in 2013.

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