e-commerce, retail, catalog, b-to-b

By Paul Miller

This strategy spans consumer and B-to-B markets. "We're shifting some of our traditional investment in mailing toward our web and outbound sales efforts; we're trying to maintain contacts with customers and prospects via cheaper methods," says Phil Minnix, president of MCM Electronics, a marketer and distributor of electronic components, 70 percent of whose business is focused on B-to-B. For MCM, he says that means fewer catalog pages, mailing more postcards, sending more emails and focusing on electronic catalog delivery, among other initiatives.