For Harden Massdrop’s daily deal email marketing strategy was highly effective. “Having one or two of these items (not overwhelming) elegantly presented to me in an email each week. This was the hook, for me,” she recalls.

Quilter and web developer Sarah Bailey feels the same way. “I like that they introduce me to new fun things I might not have known about otherwise. I always look at the daily new products email,” she says.

Shopping on Massdrop involves a longer wait time then shopping at regular online or in-person shop. Once a “drop” closes the fulfillment time ranges from 1-4 weeks. Deborah Chang, Vice President for Business Development and Partnerships at Massdrop, says people are willing to wait because “they’re in a community, together, and they want and need things as a group.” She also feels that “people like when a company is paying attention to them, when they feel the company is listening” and the Massdrop experience gives them that feeling.

For Harden Massdrop doesn’t replace shopping locally, it just provides a different kind of retail experience. “I do also shop in my local quilt shops but most of the fabric and tools from Massdrop were brand new to me. Either I didn’t know ‘what’ to look for or I couldn’t find these items, possibly they were unavailable. Some of my purchases were impulse buys. Fabrics that I had never seen before and had an ‘ooooh’ moment.”

Chang says Massdrop is cultivating a young, tech savvy customer and introducing them to quilting. Overtime this customer will likely spend money elsewhere as well.