When digital channels aren't enough to keep footfall consistent, brands look for new ways to connect with local customers. For SeoulSpice, a Korean fast-casual restaurant chain based in Washington, D.C., seasonal slowdowns at two key locations created an opportunity to try something new...and that's where we come along!
With no prior experience in direct mail, SeoulSpice turned to Stannp to test whether a physical mail piece could bring more people through the doors. The results? Strong engagement, new customer acquisition, and another campaign they're already planning to send out!
SeoulSpice serves up Korean comfort food with a fast-casual twist. Known for bold flavours and build-your-own bowl options, the brand has expanded across the D.C. metro area with locations near universities, business hubs, and sports stadiums.
Like many hospitality businesses, SeoulSpice experiences seasonal fluctuations. Their College Park, MD location sees slower months when university students are off campus, while their Navy Yard restaurant thrives during baseball season but quiets down outside of that. With a mission to deliver crave-worthy Korean food to as many people as possible, the SeoulSpice team wanted to find a way to attract new customers during these off-peak periods.
SeoulSpice had never run a direct mail campaign before. But with digital advertising becoming more saturated, and more expensive, they were ready to test a more tangible, local approach.
They needed:
After reviewing several providers, SeoulSpice chose Stannp for three main reasons:
Working closely with Stannp, SeoulSpice created a direct mail campaign featuring vibrant 6x9 postcards offering a free bowl to new customers. Each postcard included a unique QR code to track redemption and engagement.
Targeting was handled through Stannp's advanced address filtering tools, ensuring that only qualified households in the College Park and Navy Yard areas received the offer.
Campaign highlights:
The campaign delivered beyond expectations:
🎓College Park: 9.8% engagement rate
âš¾Navy Yard: 8.1% engagement rate
The campaign not only brought new customers into the restaurants, but also generated positive customer feedback, with several recipients reaching out to express appreciation for the promotion. The high engagement rates highlighted the success of the strategy and proved that direct mail could be a powerful marketing tool for SeoulSpice.
Encouraged by the success of their first direct mail campaign, SeoulSpice is already planning their next direct mail drop - this time timed perfectly ahead of baseball season to capture new customers at their Navy Yard location. With a new marketing team member on board, they're also exploring integrated campaigns, combining email and direct mail to increase retention and improve customer lifetime value.
"Stannp made the process of a large direct mail campaign easy to manage. For SeoulSpice, we had never done this large of a campaign before, and it was so nice to have Stannp guide us through the details, ensuring everything would be deployed correctly, and they were eager to step in and assist at any time. The ease and simplicity of the platform made it even better!"
Lauren Floyd, Customer Service Operations Manager