Merchandising: Use the Web as a Price Proving Ground

Catalogers should consider using the Web for price testing, said Daniel Dorzback, chief merchandising officer at Petals, a silk flower and decorative accessories catalog, when he spoke at the Hudson Valley Direct Marketing Association’s”Meet the Catalogers” luncheon held in Greenwich, Conn., in early April.

“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.

Paul Miller is a writer and editor specializing in all areas of catalog/direct marketing and e-commerce. He is the former senior news editor/Web site editor at Catalog Age.