Holsted Jewelers

Holsted Jewelers is not simply a jewelry retailer, but is also a business that has had remarkable success with a unique marketing strategy.

Individuals receive a promotional offer from Holsted Jewelers by mail. Customers are offered a piece of jewelry worth $50 for free when they agree to accept additional items in the collections for the minimal fee of shipping and handling. After accepting this introductory offer, customers begin to receive regular shipments every 4 to 6 weeks. Customers are free to return the items, but Holsted Jewelers prides itself on only selling jewelry that people are happy to own once they see it. In fact, the company has its own team of designers that have created thousands of unique pieces of jewelry.

Holsted Jewelers takes several precautions to ensure customer satisfaction. When customers call to sign up for the free piece of jewelry, trained operators make sure that the customer clearly understands the terms of the offer, including a customer's right to return any item or cancel future shipments. The operators also state the cost of the first item to be shipped, as well as the costs of all future shipments, and must receive a verbal "yes" from the customers indicating that they understand. Finally, the operators explain how customers can go about canceling the agreement, either by calling a toll-free number or by mailing in a card.