A COMMITMENT to customer loyalty and monitoring the business’ advertising results does pay off.
A COMMITMENT to customer loyalty and monitoring the business’ advertising results does pay off.
Daneechi Swimwear has grown from two staff to 23 in 13 years, thanks largely to its ability to talk to its customers and understand their needs.
Managing director Denise Price started the business in 1987 with a vision to produce swimsuits that did “magic for every type of figure”.
Ms Price said her business approach came about because no other swimwear retailers or manufacturers were doing it.
“I tapped into what the customers needed. I make what other manufacturers don’t make,” she said.
“We make sure customers have a wide choice – be it from us or other manufacturers.
“For a woman there is nothing more frustrating than going into a swimwear shop and not being able to buy anything. Buying bathers is one of the most stressful purchases for a woman.”
Besides giving customers what they want, Ms Price has set up a system that allows her to build up a database of her customers.
The system uses a “hotkey” that forces staff to enter a keyword and a customer name in order to process a transaction.
The keyword identifies how the customer heard of the company and they are given the option of providing their contact details for the database.
“My husband suggested the hotkey system. He’s a marketing consultant and said it was important to monitor how effective my advertising monies were being spent,” Ms Price said.
“We had to have the software custom made so the staff would be forced to put the information in and it’s valuable information.”
Ms Price said the system had proved its worth over time but the first time the data came back, the results were surprising.
“When 69 per cent of your customers are repeat or referred, that’s a good statistic,” she said.
The company has an 18,000-strong customer database – some of them from overseas thanks to the company’s mail-order catalogue.
Daneechi Swimwear has grown from two staff to 23 in 13 years, thanks largely to its ability to talk to its customers and understand their needs.
Managing director Denise Price started the business in 1987 with a vision to produce swimsuits that did “magic for every type of figure”.
Ms Price said her business approach came about because no other swimwear retailers or manufacturers were doing it.
“I tapped into what the customers needed. I make what other manufacturers don’t make,” she said.
“We make sure customers have a wide choice – be it from us or other manufacturers.
“For a woman there is nothing more frustrating than going into a swimwear shop and not being able to buy anything. Buying bathers is one of the most stressful purchases for a woman.”
Besides giving customers what they want, Ms Price has set up a system that allows her to build up a database of her customers.
The system uses a “hotkey” that forces staff to enter a keyword and a customer name in order to process a transaction.
The keyword identifies how the customer heard of the company and they are given the option of providing their contact details for the database.
“My husband suggested the hotkey system. He’s a marketing consultant and said it was important to monitor how effective my advertising monies were being spent,” Ms Price said.
“We had to have the software custom made so the staff would be forced to put the information in and it’s valuable information.”
Ms Price said the system had proved its worth over time but the first time the data came back, the results were surprising.
“When 69 per cent of your customers are repeat or referred, that’s a good statistic,” she said.
The company has an 18,000-strong customer database – some of them from overseas thanks to the company’s mail-order catalogue.
