DermStore + Cordero

Acquisition Campaign Drives +15% Active List Growth

Challenge:
Target and DermStore aimed to increase share of wallet in the beauty category by introducing Target Guests to DermStore’s broader premium product assortment. The initiative required activating a 12M-person audience with high beauty affinity while protecting deliverability, maintaining brand credibility, and converting unfamiliar shoppers into new DermStore subscribers and customers.

Solution:
Cordero Consulting Co. partnered with Target and ExactTarget to design and execute a co-branded acquisition and onboarding program built for scale and deliverability.

Key actions included:

• Establishing a dedicated IP address to protect sender reputation and ensure inbox placement.

• Aligning with ExactTarget on benchmarks, pacing, and best practices.

• Designing a 3-email welcome series to onboard new subscribers and introduce DermStore’s value proposition.

• Launching a co-branded landing page to reinforce trust and continuity from email to site.

• Testing multiple email variations to optimize engagement and conversion performance.

Results:

• 72,000 net-new subscribers added in one month, driving 15% active list growth.

• ~3M emails delivered from the 12M-guest audience.

• Achieved 8% open rate and 13% click-to-open rate, indicating strong engagement from a cold, co-branded audience.

• Generated $64K in incremental revenue during the campaign window.

• Conversion rate held at 0.33%, informing future optimization opportunities for cross-brand acquisition and onboarding strategy.