Case Study: Sierra Trading Post grows its email list by 14% with Return Path

Sierra Trading Post Grows Email List By 14% Using A Free Trial Strategy To Light A Fire Under Their Existing Subscribers

Sierra Trading Post, a major Internet and catalog retailer of apparel, outdoor gear, and home goods, struggled to grow interest in its BarnBurners daily email alerts after launching the program with promotional blasts and regular mentions. Despite these efforts, the list saw little growth and no meaningful revenue lift. Sierra Trading Post turned to Return Path for help, using Return Path’s email strategy and professional services.

Return Path recommended a “free trial” email approach for a test group of 50,000 existing subscribers, offering BarnBurners emails for two weeks with clear opt-in, opt-out, and feedback options. The campaign was closely monitored for deliverability and subscriber response, and it delivered strong results: Sierra Trading Post grew its BarnBurners list by 14 percent, gained new subscribers at 10 times the rate of the initial blast, and saw average order value rise 53 percent, with no spike in complaints or unsubscribes.

Sierra Trading Post