Requesting feedback from consumers is always a good idea, but is there an ideal time to seek out client input? A recent econsultancy editorial piqued our interest as they told a tale of post-sale emails waiting for months before being dispatched.
In one particular case, Ray Ban send out a request for purchase-feedback a whopping 10 months after he made a purchase. Insane, you say? I know that I responded in the same manner. Especially when you consider that most brands reach out to consumers within a few days or weeks of purchase.
Timing is everything
The fine print is like this: Granted, Ray Ban waited a long time to solicit feedback but there was a method to their madness. By the time consumers heard from Ray Ban, the seasons were on the brink of change. Summer was around the corner. The mindset was hopefully lending itself to things you do in the sun like barbecue, go to the park, hit the pool and wear your Ray Bans! Boom!
So it’s true that “Timing is Everything!” Remember, email is still an important means of talking to your customers, but you’ve got to make your communications stand out and actually get read. Which leads me to my next point.
On the other hand
econsultancy points out that there is a calculated risk in this type of approach. Namely, you might be irked that the brand waited so darn long to contact. Perhaps your interest has waned by then. But the hope is on the contrary: You’ve had a chance to use the product. The request for feedback might spur you on to purchase something else the brand offers.
An even more valid example, explains David Moth at econsultancy, is fashion. “For example, fast fashion brands rely on the fact that customers are constantly replenishing their wardrobes. A 10-month gap would mean the item is likely discontinued and the customer would have forgotten about it and moved on.”
A double-edged sword
So there is much to gain but just as much to lose with such a strategy. That said, Moth points out that “It’s definitely worth testing this type of email marketing, particularly if the timing (e.g. the start of summer) is relevant to the brand.”
OK, I’ll bite. But I still don’t think I’ll wait quite so long to solicit feedback. Unless the feedback I’m looking for is more closely tied to the time or season in which I were to send out the request.
#TheRayBanDelay
