Williams-Sonoma is a premier retailer of home furnishings in the United States, with over 600 stores nationwide. More than 40% of sales are direct to customer and the company distributes many millions of catalogues each year, which also help attract visitors to its stores. With such a vast catalogue distribution, the ability to reach only the right households is crucial.

Working with Experian, Williams-Sonoma has developed highly sophisticated selection criteria, using as many as 650 data elements, to determine who best to mail and which catalogue. It has enabled the company to reduce its catalogue circulation by over 30% with a minimal loss in sales. Experian’s unique personal identification number (PIN) also provides the ability to link customer records across multiple mailing lists and data sources, without risk of duplication, and to keep the central database continually updated and de-duplicated.

Pat Connolly, Chief Marketing Officer at Williams-Sonoma: “Experian has allowed us to advance the science of prediction in terms of whom to mail and not to mail. Our new mailing platform is giving us the flexibility and efficiency we need to compete in a very challenging retail environment.”

< Back