April 4, 2004 - Major Retailer Embraces eReach For Loyalty Marketing Strategy Printable Version CHICAGO - Menards, known throughout the Upper Midwest as the "Official Home Super Center of the 21st Century," has signed an agreement with Plexus M/2 to execute its 2003 loyalty marketing strategy. The popular 170-store company will employ eReach, a leading-edge permission-based e-mail marketing software developed by Plexus M/2, to promote its home products and services to its sizable base of customers residing in a nine state area. Menards initial challenge lies in extracting e-mail addresses from over 1.25 million data records collected from recent in-store promotions. The company estimates approximately 20% of these records have e-mail addresses, which will serve as the foundation on which to build the core database. Ongoing data capture will occur through continual in-store registration for monthly contests and promotional prize offerings. "Menards will be collecting in-store registrant data plus customer information from the online registration form Plexus is hosting. Our programmers are automating synchronization of the client's database with the eReach database," explained Hugh Moore, senior vice president of technology at Plexus M/2. "We are also building an additional feature to enable Menards to schedule deployment of their e-mail marketing messages," Mr. Moore concluded. eReach will enable Menards to cost-effectively increase its sales through targeted marketing, and by establishing and maintaining one-to-one relationships with its customers. Menards will have the ability to profile individual customer demographics, lifestyle characteristics, and customer buying preferences. Using these valuable data, the company can better serve its clientele through smart merchandising and pricing policies that are tailored to fit the customer's needs. About Menards A privately held company headquartered in Eau Claire, Wisconsin, Menards has 170 home improvement centers located throughout Wisconsin, Minnesota, Iowa, Illinois, Nebraska, North Dakota, South Dakota, Indiana, and Michigan. More stores are currently underway. The company distinguishes itself from its competition by offering personalized, friendly service. Visit the Menards Web site at www.menards.com. About Plexus M/2: An established marketing and technology services firm, Plexus M/2 assists organizations in building e-business models, brands, systems, and processes. Plexus leverages its experience in marketing and business strategy, database marketing, creative design, and Web-based technology development to address the business objectives, challenges, and opportunities of each of its clients. Plexus helps its clients realize new opportunities to create revenue, reduce the cost of sales, build customer relationships, and optimize revenue generation. A privately held company founded in 1998, Plexus M/2 is headquartered in Miami, Florida. For more information, please go to www.plexusm2.com or call (305) 377-2880. Return to News Releases