The 400,000 water lovers who will soon receive Patagonia's first surf-gear catalog are being carefully chosen. Because the 40-page mailing will cost the outdoor-apparel maker $1 per recipient, Morlee Griswold, its direct-mail director, wants to zero in on surfers who are most likely to make a purchase. To find them Griswold turned to Abacus, a company that helps catalogers identify the most receptive and lucrative customers by combining and analyzing offline and online data mined from other companies. Patagonia paid Abacus $70 per 1,000 names. Its mailing is primarily aimed at single males who recently bought wet suits or short boards from other outdoor-gear makers.
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