Merchandising: Use the Web as a Price Proving Ground

“In our paper catalogs, we may run a promotional price test, but not a test across our entire mailing segment,” he said. “We use our Web site as a testing ground -- like a lab to look at different Web exclusives to see how customers will buy into new product categories.”

The beauty of online product testing is that the Web provides”a much quicker read than the nine-month cycle of the print catalog,” he said. “We are seeing some very positive results” that way.