Retailer Frequently Asked Questions

Independent, locally owned quilt retailers can participate in Mystery Five-O. These retailers may be brick & mortar shops, online stores, or both.

Yes! In fact, Mystery Five-0 is an international program. In the first year, Mystery Five-0 will be operating in many US states and in Canada.

Mystery Five-0 supports equal and open participation of all quilt retailers. We believe that, collectively, increased retailer participation will exponentially increase the level of quilter participation, providing opportunities for all retailers to grow and benefit from the program.

All Mystery Five-0 retailers have three sources of income:

• SELL QUILTER REGISTRATIONS: Quilters wishing to participate in Mystery Five-O mysteries purchase a $50 gift certificate from participating retailers. The gift certificate can be spent on a mystery kit or any other merchandise sold by the participating retailer.

• SELL KITS: Participating retailers prepare and sell (fully revealed) kits for each mystery. These kits can be sold to any quilter wishing to participate even if she did not purchase the Mystery Five-O gift certificate from the retailer selling the kit.

• CONTINUE SALES AFTER THE MYSTERY CONCLUDES: Retailers can continue to sell the complete pattern (printed & electronic download) and remaining kits long after the mystery concludes, providing an ongoing revenue stream. Continue to sell kits and patterns for as long as you like.

Additionally, Charter Members can also generate income through the Member Referral Program.

Wow! That's a loaded question. You get a LOT! You will have full access to a year-round mystery marketing program to include four mysteries and a bonus pattern. You will also receive a complete implementation and marketing guide for each mystery. You will have access to retailer resources to support your implementation. And your participation will be promoted through our program website, Facebook page, and other social channels.

Online-only quilt retailers can benefit equally from Mystery Five-0. We make no distinction between brick & mortar retailers and online retailers. Quilters have equal opportunity to shop online amongst all registered retailers. Additionally, we provide marketing and implementation support that aids online retailers in setting up personalized online communities to promote the mystery quilts.

Mystery Five-0 has several EXCLUSIVE benefits for Charter Members:

• Invitation to participate in Facebook Success Formula training (at no cost)Member referral program, $50 referral fee for each referred member

• Locked in Charter Member pricing, $550 in subsequent years, regardless of the program pricing

• Premier placement on the Mystery Five-0 Participating Retailer page

• Charter Member Status symbol for email, website, and social media

We appreciate the leap of faith that Charter Members are taking, and we also appreciate Charter Member assistance in helping us grow the program in it's infancy. That's why we established the Charter Member Referral Program that is exclusively available to Charter Members. Charter Members are encouraged to spread the word to other quilt retailers and encourage them to join. When the retailers join, we ask them how they learned of Mystery Five-0, and we give a $50 credit to the Charter Retailer who referred them. Refer 11 new retailers, and Charter Members can enjoy FREE participation for one year. There is no limit to the number of referral incentives to be earned. If Charter Members refer more than 11 new retailers, they can roll the referral incentives to the next year's membership.

Charter Members who have already fully paid for their own membership and get more referrals have two options: 1) request a $50 refund for each new referral, or 2) apply the referral incentive to the next year's membership.

Absolutely! the theme for the upcoming mystery season will be released to Mystery Five-0 Retailers in December. Images of the quilts, including fabric suggestions and yardage requirements will be released to Retailers in January & February, providing ample opportunity to plan and shop for fabric, tools and add-on promotional items.

Each mystery quilt will be previewed to participating Retailers, including a quilt image, fabric suggestions and requirements, and possible tool recommendations. Mysteries 1 & 2 will be previewed in January. Mysteries 3 & 4, and the Bonus quilt will be previewed in February.

Mystery Five-0 sets MAP and IMAP pricing for quilter registration and pattern sales. Individual kit prices, sewing experiences, and add-on sales are controlled by the individual retailers who are participating in the program.

No, Retailers do not have to sell Mystery Five-0 kits. Buy why wouldn't you? Selling the kits can be a significant source of income to Mystery Five-0 Retailers. With our implementation and marketing support, you may find that promoting and selling the kits locally and online is quite easy!

Nearly all Mystery Five-0 implementation and marketing training will occur via live Zoom sessions. All training sessions will be recorded and stored in a Retailer Resource Library. Additionally, Retailers are encouraged to join and participate in our Mystery Five-0 Retailer Facebook group, where we encourage retailers to collaborate and encourage each other while navigating the mysteries.

Mystery Five-O provides participating retailers with a full Implementation Guide and supporting Marketing Guide. We even send prompts to remind participating retailers what they should be doing and when they should be doing it.

IMPLEMENTATION GUIDE

1. In-store guide with dates/promotional materials/images/videos

2. Online-store guide with dates/promotional materials/images/videos

3. Pricing structure for participation & follow-up pattern sales

4. Monthly support Zoom sessions with recording library

MARKETING GUIDE

1. Social media, email, website promotion and scheduling

2. "Done-For-You" copy and images (or image suggestions)

3. Monthly support Zoom sessions with recording library

4. Networking opportunities through private Facebook Group & market meets

You will not need to customize images or videos. The written content will indicate when you need to add your information, i.e. "add shop name" or "add pricing".

If you LIKE writing content, we encourage you to modify the suggestions so that your content represents your brand voice. We will provide training on this concept in our implementation and marketing Learning Labs.

If you wish to reproduce the "How To" videos using your staff and materials, we encourage you to do so.

If you hate marketing, Mystery Five-0 is definitely for you. We have the entire marketing program prepared and ready for you to implement/post. Hand it off to a staff member and you're done. Who knows? After experiencing success from our wrap-around marketing campaigns, you might find you like marketing after all.

Absolutely! We want you to be successful, and we will provide every opportunity possible to make that happen. Beginning in November, we will host LIVE Q&A for all Mystery Five-0 retailers twice a month on the 2nd and 4th Mondays of the month at 10:00AM Central time. If you can't make the meeting, don't worry! We'll post the recorded video in the Retailer's Library, and summarize the Q&A in our bi-weekly email sent on the 1st and 3rd Mondays of the month.

We cannot control where consumers choose to spend their dollars. We will help each Mystery Five-0 Retailer implement and promote their mysteries in a manner that promotes and rewards customer loyalty.

No, the dates for pre-promotion and mystery clue release are set by the Mystery Five-0 program, and must be adhered to by all participating Retailers. Retailers can continue to sell kits and patterns after the conclusion of the mystery.

Quilt blocks in the Mystery Five-0 patterns will typically be pieced using a traditional method. In the event that construction is a little more challenging, or requires a tool or ruler, our creative team will provide a video that demonstrate the suggested method. Participating Retailers are welcome to audit these videos and make substitutions that best fits their shop. For example, if we suggest making half-square triangles in a traditional method, and you promote the use of Triangles on a Roll, then by all means, you are welcome to promote the product that you are supporting in your shop.

The mystery part of the program has prescribed dates for the beginning and end of each mystery. After a mystery runs its course, retailers are allowed to continue to sell the pattern. If a retailer does not participate in all of the mysteries in the program year, they are able to use the patterns the following year, but cannot run the mystery in following years.