 |
 # 210 |
Case Study |
| Antiquarius
Ltd.
Situation Cumberland
Ltd, an upscale general merchandise gift catalog and fulfillment
company
based in Dallas, Texas opened five gift shops to rotate and liquidate
remnants
left in the warehouse
after
they no longer were being offered in the catalog. These stores were
also
used to test the potential of new items for the catalog. Problem
Where do you put two 42 foot high cube containers you never ordered? How do you open them and sell off the contents when you have no warehouse, no store, no business plan, and no customers? In the next four days the agency managed to lease a 10,000 sq ft warehouse and write a marketing plan, which it presented to the client on the way back from the airport. |
Solution
The
Source
of a Different Color Campaign: The agency pulled
research
and did a quick assessment of the antique business in California,
including
collectibles, auctions, home furnishings, architectural antiques, and
the
home decorator trade. Everybody who imported antiques or owned retail
outlets
was a target. Those who wholesaled, cherry picked the best from their
own
containers before selling what was left to other retailers, were the
competition.
However, they could also be a potential target. Results Antiquarius’ sold out in its first day of business. Everyone contacted, responded. What was not anticipated, over 70% more than initially contacted also responded. Good news travels fast. Antiquarius set up a “Have” and “Want” List. It used its database to keep its accounts appraised of buys in advance of their landings. In some instances buys were concluded in Europe based on contingent sales set in advance. By year's end Antiquarius was landing four containers a week. |