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CASE STUDY · HARDWARE · BUTTE, MT
Butte’s Ace Hardware
49 lost customers back in the door in 17 days
Butte’s Ace noticed some of their best customers had quietly stopped coming in. One “We miss you” postcard with a $20 gift brought 15% of them back, and they spent almost four times what the mailing cost.
320
POSTCARDS MAILED
49
CUSTOMERS BACK
15.3%
RESPONSE
287%
ROI
Butte, Montana · Hardware store · Lost customer postcard · Summer 2025
Winning back the customers who drifted away
Every store has them: customers who used to come in all the time and then just stopped. At Butte’s Ace, these shoppers had spent over $500 the year before, but less than $100 this year.
We mailed each of them a personal “We miss you” postcard with a photo of the store and the team, and a $20 gift certificate. 49 of them came back in the first 17 days we tracked. Butte’s Ace is one of Haley Chapel’s Timberline Ace Hardware stores. See how Timberline welcomes new movers.
The Problem
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A group of once-loyal, high-value customers was slipping away.
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Winning a lost customer back costs a lot less than finding a brand new one, but only if you reach them before the habit is gone for good.
How We Helped
The right list: We pulled only customers who spent over $500 last year and under $100 this year. That’s 320 households, not a mass mailing.
A personal card: “We miss you at Butte’s Ace Hardware!” with the store, the team and the manager, Trevor, right on the card.
A gift worth the trip: $20 on us, with no strings attached.
The Results
49 customers came back, a 15.3% response.
They spent $1,748 beyond the $20 gifts. That’s an average of $35.68 per customer, and five customers spent $145 to $340 beyond the gift.
A $451 mailing returned 287%. These are customers who used to spend $500 a year, and getting them back in the habit is worth far more than one visit.
$1,748
in sales beyond the $20 gifts
$451
total cost of the mailing
And They Lived Happily Ever After
For a $451 mailing, Butte’s Ace brought 49 of its best lapsed customers back through the door in 17 days, and they spent almost four times what the mailing cost.
Questions Owners Ask
How do you find customers who stopped coming in?
We start with your own customer list. For Butte’s Ace, that meant shoppers who spent over $500 last year but under $100 this year.
Will the card look like it came from my store?
Yes. It has your store, your team and your manager on it, so it feels like a note from people they already know.
How do you know who came back?
Each $20 gift certificate has its own code. Your team scans them in the back office with TruTrak®, so you see who came back and what they spent beyond the gift.
Want results like Butte’s?
Let’s look at which of your customers have drifted away.
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