How HexClad Used Eye-Catching Postcards to Make $800K in Sales from New Customers

Good cookware is an investment, so people tend to put a lot of thought into pots and pans. They read reviews, research materials and compare brands. 

That’s why fast-growing cookware company HexClad has invested in ensuring its brand is visible across multiple broad channels. 

In the past couple of years, HexClad has run TV spots during national baseball championships, linked up with Gordon Ramsay on a long-term strategic partnership, and ramped up its digital ad spending. 

Recently, it added another tool to its kit:  postcard campaigns. 

Homestead Studio, HexClad’s digital growth agency, used PostPilot’s direct mail capability to help double the company’s sales. 

In this case study, we’ll explore how HexClad used direct mail to persuade prospective customers to make their first purchase and bring lapsed VIPs back into the fold. 

The Problem: Ads Drive Awareness, Not Always Sales

TV commercials, big-name endorsements, and a steady flow of paid social ads meant HexClad’s email list was growing fast. 

The brand’s flagship acquisition product — a 13-piece set of pots and pans that sells for around $700 — is far from an impulse buy, though. 

“With cookware, you're evaluating HexClad, All-Clad, all these different cookware companies,” Sappington said. “You’re not just looking for fashion; you're looking for function as well.”

He recognized that many new subscribers would need an extra nudge to take the plunge and hit “purchase.”

BFCM presented an ideal opportunity: the set was marked down to $600. Plus, HexClad had a range of newer standalone products to promote, including a five-quart Dutch oven and a Japanese Damascus steel knife set. The brand had good reason to get the word out.

The Promise: A Persuasive Offer Delivered to the Customer’s Door

With tens of thousands of potential customers signed up for its email list, HexClad was a great candidate for PostPilot’s MailMatch product. MailMatch lets brands send direct mail campaigns to prospects based on email addresses alone. 

Sappington also wanted to reengage existing customers who hadn’t purchased in a while. Even if they already had a set of pots and pans, they might not have heard of the brand’s professional-grade pepper grinder. 

A physical mailing reinforced HexClad’s bona fides and ensured that both devotees and newcomers kept the products in mind as they did their holiday shopping.

“It was a nice brand play during a time when HexClad had tons of eyeballs on it,” Sappington said.

The Postcard: A Powerful Way to Cut Through the Noise

These days, customers’ email inboxes are filled with marketing blasts from every brand they’ve ever engaged with. With PostPilot, HexClad could put a glossy postcard with elegant imagery and an enticing offer right in their hands. 

“I think giving people something that they can hold and put on their fridge or have in their mail stack lets us stay top of mind,” Sappington said. In a digital world where everyone has a million tabs open at any given time, “having a physical presence is a nice reminder.”

The MailMatch campaign went out to more than 21,000 people who had signed up for the brand’s email list, but never converted. That segment helped drive $800,000 in sales during the campaign window — an especially huge win for an audience that was brand new to HexClad.

Alongside the deal, the front of the card featured a close-up shot of HexClad’s signature non-stick hybrid pan, showcasing the innovative technology that has made the brand so popular with home chefs and pros alike. The back presented an invitation to “upgrade your holiday experience” and “shop the sale” with a QR code leading directly to HexClad’s homepage.

The company had recently refreshed its branding, so its design team handled the postcard creative in-house. But Sappington said he’s leveraged PostPilot’s expertise for other clients and has found the process super-streamlined.

The Payoff: Seven-Figure Results from a BFCM Campaign

HexClad’s postcard campaigns were a resounding success, helping drive nearly $1.4 million in sales during a crucial sales period.

Another highlight was the VIP winback, which was sent to 3,329 customers who had purchased from the brand at least three times but hadn’t placed an order in at least 70 days. This group of diehard fans spent $143,900 on new products during the campaign, suggesting that HexClad’s investments into category extensions are giving shoppers a reason to keep coming back for more.

Sappington is thrilled to deliver such impressive results for his client, and his team’s work helped double HexClad’s business in 2022.

"Jason Panzer, HexClad’s president recently told me, 'We look for our partners to not just be executioners, but also be advisors,’” Sappington said. “Bringing things like PostPilot to the table that they didn't have the capacity themselves, they were really appreciative of that.”

The Postscript: Optimizing for Even Bigger Results

Now that the team has seen the potential of postcards, it plans to refine its strategy to grab customers’ attention at the mailbox and maximize sales. 

PostPilot’s user-friendly interface makes it easy to run test campaigns and discover what resonates with a given audience in real time. 

As the brand continues to leverage mass channels to turn HexClad into a household name and get people familiar with the brand and interested in its products, it views PostPilot as a multiplier to close the deal.

“With a high AOV product that takes multiple touch points to get someone to purchase, this is a really good opportunity,” he said. “We’ve had a lot of success.”