I am a big fan of all things online – usually – and even use good online services in my home life (Qu’elle Surprise!). We’ve been using Buy4Now for years, and they really do get a lot of things right, so I’m happy to recommend them. One of the things I’m not so mad about is that they do send the odd email promoting a partner’s product or service, but I put up with it because sometimes it is something interesting.
This morning in comes this quite tantalising offer – sign up for an online women’s magazine and you have the chance to win a luxury spa weekend worth 1,000 Euros. Now, I’m not so good on the women’s magazine bit – no kids, can’t abide the hairdresser, hate fashion, eat like my ancestors rather than all that “tasteful”, low fat but “tasty”, grainey stuff that most recipes seem to be promoting. But I thought I could really really really do with a break just at the moment… I know Christmas is coming, but I gotta say that the idea of taking off to a luxury retreat for a couple of days sounds fantastic. (I should just head off to the Osprey or Carton House …)
So, they caught me at just the right time, Sunday morning, checking email, stressed at the amount that has to be done today before I can take the time off to go buy a Christmas tree. I was intending to sign up and then unsubscribe when I didn’t win, but there you are… Off I headed to sign up.
Then I got a reality check. I’m definitely not one of their intended. In the registration form there was a drop down list for “Title” and you could choose Mr, Mrs or Miss. Hmmm…. Have I ever told Buy4Now what my gender is? thinks I. Off I hop to my stored profile – I gave them permission to store certain details and they obviously use them. Yes, I had told them I was female, and my age range and that I had kids, but the number was zero. So I probably did look like a good candidate for a women’s magazine. Although I haven’t ticked any of the interest boxes like health & beauty or food & wine – but maybe they thought that was an oversight 
I think this is a really good example of knowing your audience. They had some clues, so they went fishing with good bait. I bit, they went to reel me in but on the first handshake, we realised we were not for one another so they threw me back. Are you confused on how we realised we were not for each other? Well, any woman who refuses to have herself addressed as Mrs or Miss is probably not interested in health & beauty, lifestyle, food & wine, fashion and family – obvious!
So well done Buy4Now and LivingOnline, (genuinely!) you know your audience and you’re walking the talk!
