Eddie Bauer, a specialty retailer that sells sportswear, outerwear, gear and accessories for the active outdoor lifestyle, has selected Merkle to manage CRM activities including marketing database, email marketing, campaign management and analytics.
Merkle is a leading customer relationship marketing (CRM) firm and the nation's largest privately-held agency.
Officials with Merkle said that as part of the agreement, the company will also manage catalog service bureau and campaign processing services for Eddie Bauer, providing a full suite of advanced integration technology services through its IntelliDRESS, IntelliMERGE and IntelliBASE solutions.
"As our multi-channel marketing efforts progress, we were looking for a partner who could help Eddie Bauer integrate data from catalog, email and other offline and digital interactions; and then use advanced analytics to create insights that give us a 360-degree view of our customers' needs, preferences and value," said Adam Diamond, senior vice president of marketing, ecommerce and creative at Eddie Bauer.
Diamond said that the company selected Merkle because of the team's deep expertise in the specialty retail sector, and their ability to support Eddie Bauer's move from a campaign-oriented model to one that is customer-centric in its approach.
“We are also impressed by Merkle's ability to work as an integral part of our multi-faceted CRM team, which consists of an in-house marketing group, as well as other external partners," he said.
Rod Ford, general manager for Merkle's specialty retail practice, said that the company is proud to be one of Eddie Bauer's key service providers.
Ford said that it is anchor brands like Eddie Bauer -- with market prominence in every channel, from brick and mortar to catalog to web and other digital media -- who benefit most from a truly integrated, customer-centric strategy.
“It is our privilege to partner with them to deploy our specialty retail connected CRM platform that will help them maximize relationships with their most valuable customers," he said.