Emarsys, the independent marketing platform, has announced that Toolstation has expanded its partnership with Emarsys to include personalised direct mail and link a highly-effective physical channel to its digital marketing strategy. The new deal will see Toolstation use the Emarsys Artificial Intelligence (AI) enabled platform to support its direct mail, email, and SMS marketing strategy – unifying its online and offline customer databases onto one platform to deliver a seamless and personalised cross-channel customer experience.

The news comes just weeks after it was reported that over 52% of UK shoppers believe that retailers need to offer a more seamless experience between online and offline commerce to retain their custom. This was one of the key findings from a survey of 1,000 shoppers, conducted by e-commerce agency, PushON, which stated that retailers should invest in technology that enables a better omnichannel experience.

Toolstation customers can buy online, through a dedicated UK call center, via a mobile website or at over 300 branches across the UK. The multi-channel nature of the business means that customer information is captured both in-store and online, and the company has said it "needed to consolidate this data to get a clear, holistic view of its target audience.".

“With all our customer data now in one place, we have a deeper understanding of the level of engagement we’re achieving across various channels, and the different types of campaigns our customers like to see,” said Greg Richardson, head of marketing at Toolstation.

“Consolidating our data into one platform was always going to be a huge priority for us in a post-GDPR world, and Emarsys – a trusted Toolstation partner for many years – will enable us to be responsible custodians of all the information we hold.”

Toolstation is already using the Emarsys Marketing Platform to deliver personalised customer experiences across multiple channels. This includes Emarsys Automation Center for email and the Emarsys Web Extend to engage with customers on Toolstation.com, as well as the Emarsys Predict product recommendation engine, Smart Insight analytics tool and mobile-responsive Discovery online browsing solution.

“Direct mail is one of the most powerful tools in a multichannel marketing strategy, due to its unique ability to drive and strengthen relationships with customers,” explained Grant Coleman, VP & market director, UK at Emarsys.

“We’re delighted to expand our partnership to help Toolstation get a 360-degree view of their customers and run more efficient and tailored marketing campaigns across email, SMS and direct mail.”