More and more companies are involving customers in marketing decisions. Some catalogers invite their buyers to vote on a choice of catalog covers. Others use customer suggestions to name new products.
At the recent Mailorder Gardening Association conference, industry consultant Ian Baldwin reported that one garden center regularly sends emails to the top 20% of their customers, inviting their feedback on new products the nursery is considering carrying. About 4% respond to any given email. Not only does the process provide helpful guidance on new product selection, but it also forges a much stronger bond between business and customer.
