Book retailer Borders has revamped its Web site to make the experience feel more like its retail stores: warm, fuzzy and friendly for fireside reading. And, along with new author videos and personalized shopping pages, it also upgraded its send-to-a-friend functionality, making it easier for customers to do the marketing for them.
Every product page on the new site allows customers to e-mail recommendations to their friends — getting the word out about the products and including a link back to Borders’ online store.
“We are trying to turn our best customers into our best marketers,” said Kevin Ertell, SVP of e-business for Borders Group at a luncheon for the Association for Integrated Marketing’s Digital Marketing Summit on Monday. “People are very passionate about books, music and movies.”
In addition to the send-to-a friend feature, the brand has 28 million loyalty members. Many of them receive the bookseller’s weekly e-mails, which includes coupons as well as content on the top five books of the week. One might say that Borders leaves no page unturned when it comes to e-mail marketing — whether viral or incentive-based.
