New Software for Restaurants – Direct Mail Tracking

Direct Mail has long been considered an effective way for restaurants to attract customers through promotions. One important element has always been missing, identifying the recipients. Identification of the responding recipients is now available through a software development offered by SSI Technologies, a 44 year old Edmond, Ok. company.

Customer retention for restaurants can be significantly increased by identification of the direct mail recipient via the Acclaim Tracking System. SSI’s tracking system will not only provide the restaurant with the name and address of the consumer’s but also the demographic and geographic information that can be invaluable for future promotions.

The Acclaim Tracking System uses the same technology as Gift Cards, etc. by assigning a bar code (VDP) assigned to each individual. Unique bar codes on direct mail promotional pieces tie it to the individual and a geographic location.

When the promotional piece is used at the retailer site the bar codes is read by an optical scanner and entered into the Acclaim Tracking System located in the Microsoft cloud. By simply scanning the barcode the retailer is rewarded with reports of not only names and addresses but also geographic location. The results of the previous mailings can then be targeted to identical regions giving the mailing party both an historical advantage but also a greater ROI. Reports can include time line information, comparability of response time between offerings as well as comparability of previous offerings giving the retailer a well defined use of dollars.

A sampling mailer tracked through the software gave the following information.

27% to the East Side of the retailer within .5 miles
13% to the North Side from average of .2 miles.
60% to the South Side from average of 2.3 miles.

An average of over 55% responded within 5 days and 45% within 11 days.

The information age has escaped most retailers when it comes to spending their advertising dollars with little hope to confirm the cost of each promotion. Customer information is invaluable to most companies but until now the opportunity to actually know who responded to direct mail promotions didn’t exist. Mailings can now be targeted to a far more likely target with a much better return of investment (ROI).

The Personalization Imperative: Building the Next Generation of Personalized Customer Experiences in the April report of Info Trends shows significant increases in the use of personalization in all facets of marketing. Variable Data Processing (VDP) is the printing of names addresses, QR codes, PURLs, GURLs, augmented reality, and SMS to create a bridge between platforms so consumers can decide how to respond.

The logical next step is the tracking of personalized data. SSI’s solution is the Acclaim Tracking System, a low cost alternative to non intelligent direct mail.