“Part of our omnichannel strategy is to make sure our customers enjoy the complete johnnie-O experience, including personalized styling advice, a cold beverage, and a relaxing vibe in our stores. Our customers often buy items in-store that they may be more reluctant to purchase online.”

—Grace Staley, Director of Retail Marketing

johnnie-O, founded in 2005 when John O’Donnell started selling four-button pocket polos out of the back of his car, is a full-scale lifestyle brand. Blending the laidback style of the West Coast with East Coast tradition, johnnie-O makes timeless apparel commonly seen on a golf course. 

With products primarily designed for men, johnnie-O now has a boy’s line and launched it’s first-ever women’s collection in Spring 2024. The brand competes across various customer segments, going head-to-head with the likes of Peter Millar, Vuori Performance Apparel, Faherty, Travis Matthew, and Rhoback.

In 2009, the brand introduced e-commerce. Since then, direct mail (DM) has been a core component of johnnie-O’s marketing efforts. And when the brand started opening physical stores in 2021, the marketing team added targeted postcards for driving foot traffic to the marketing mix.

johnnie-O Brand Profile

Year Founded:          2005

Marketing Channels:  Catalogs
                                        Postcards
                                        Email
                                        SMS
                                        Paid Search
                                        Paid Social

Number of Stores     9 (more planned for 2025)

Digital and Direct Mail—A One-Two (Omnichannel) Punch

To create a true omnichannel marketing engine, the marketing team at johnnie-O employs a sophisticated, three-tiered approach to attracting and retaining customers.

The strategy begins with digital channels. “We start our seasonal campaigns, such as those around Father’s Day and the U.S. Open, with digital outreach like email and text,” explains Claudia Lugmair, johnnie-O’s Director of Digital Marketing. “The cost per acquisition is relatively low, making it an effective way to reach most of our customers and prospects quickly and efficiently.”

Once the results of the digital efforts are in, johnnie-O leans into direct mail to close any missed sales. “After our initial digital campaigns, we analyze the results and identify customers who didn’t engage,” says Grace Staley, Director of Retail Marketing. “We then send targeted direct mail to these non-responders, who might have missed or overlooked our digital messages.”

johnnie-O also utilizes DM in response to specific e-commerce behaviors. “Direct mail comes in handy after particular online triggers,” Lugmair asserts. “For example, when customers browse our website or leave items in their shopping cart, we can send a targeted mailer to encourage them to complete their purchase.”

This layered, cross-channel strategy allows johnnie-O to engage customers at various touch points along their shopping journey. Meeting customers where they are with a consistent and engaging brand experience is important to johnnie-O’s marketing team, whether those customers are scrolling through email, checking their mailbox, or walking past a company store.

Driving Foot Traffic: The Power of Direct Mail for Brick-and-Mortar Success

“Part of our omnichannel strategy is to make sure all our customers enjoy the johnnie-O in-store experience,” says Staley, who’s responsible for brick-and-mortar marketing. “We want our e-comm customers to come into our stores, where they can take in the full breadth of the brand in a special way.” 

The in-store experience is carefully crafted to embody the active “johnnie-O lifestyle,” defined by just the right combination of style and comfort. Salespeople offer cold beverages to shoppers, creating a relaxed, social atmosphere while providing one-on-one service.

The emphasis on in-store visits isn’t just about ambiance, however. Brick-and-mortar shoppers drive sales in key categories. “People often buy items in-store that they may be more reluctant to purchase online, such as pants,” Staley explains. “When someone comes in, they can try them on and we can alter them if they need adjusting.” 

This kind of personalized service in the stores not only enhances customer satisfaction but also showcases the brand’s commitment to quality and attention to detail.

johnnie-O is rapidly expanding its brick-and-mortar presence, with plans to open new locations in 2025. As physical stores become a more important part of the company’s business strategy, direct mail has emerged as a valuable driver of foot traffic.

Geo-Targeted Growth: johnnie-O Finds a Winning Strategy with Postie Storefronts

When Postie introduced its Storefronts feature in 2023, the johnnie-O team immediately recognized its potential to bring the right buyers into their stores.

Storefronts allow johnnie-O to target its direct mail campaigns with unprecedented precision. “Instead of just blanketing an area with postcards, we can tailor our mailings to specific customer segments around each store, using data related to age, income, property value, and different affinities, such as an interest in golf,” Staley notes. “This means we’re only reaching our known customers and prospects who are most likely to relate to our brand.”

johnnie-O started running Storefronts campaigns for its three Dallas-area stores, which are all within 30 miles of each other. This proximity allows the brand to efficiently reach potential customers for all three locations with a single campaign, maximizing impact while optimizing costs. To maintain sales goals at every store, the company runs four seasonal Storefronts campaigns each year.

More recently, johnnie-O has expanded its use of Storefronts campaigns beyond established markets. The brand now leverages this tool to announce new store openings, helping new locations establish a solid customer base from the start. 

“The Postie team is super responsive, and the platform is incredibly user-friendly. We collaborate effectively and launch campaigns quickly.”
—Claudia Lugmair, Director, Digital Marketing

Beyond Basic Metrics: johnnie-O’s Evolving Approach to Performance Tracking and Attribution

So far, the results of implementing Storefronts have been impressive–in the stores and through their e-commerce site.

“Our most successful Storefronts campaign to date led to a surprising amount of online purchases as well,” Lugmair reveals. “We saw an 8.91% conversion rate, with a $6.46 cost per acquisition and a return on ad spend of 4335.31%.”

However, johnnie-O isn’t stopping there. “We’re constantly looking to layer more data into our analysis,” Staley notes. “Our goal is to match back every sale to its originating direct mail campaign, giving us a more complete picture of our return on investment.”

johnnie-O’s data-driven approach extends to its use of Postie’s platform. “The analytics provided by Postie have been invaluable,” Lugmair says. “We can see detailed breakdowns of response rates by demographic and location.”

With Postie’s Storefronts feature and a comprehensive, data-centric direct mail strategy, johnnie-O has found a powerful tool for driving foot traffic, meeting sales targets, and optimizing marketing spend across an expanding network of brick-and-mortar locations. As they continue to gather and analyze more data, they expect to see even greater returns on their direct mail investments.

To learn how Postie Storefronts can improve your foot traffic and in-store sales, schedule your Postie demo now.