The Puzzling, Frustrating 1 Percent Response Rate

How can I use the 1 percent response rule to improve my catalog’s results?

This is the heart of the matter—how to use the 1 percent response rule to improve your cataloging results. The techniques vary depending on how you’re involved in cataloging.

If you’re launching a startup, plug in a 1 percent response rate for your prospect mailings and see what happens to the rest of your projections. Does the resulting bottom line look too awful? Then you need to rethink other parts of your program. Are your projected costs too high? Is your cost of goods excessively high? What changes in pricing, merchandising and catalog presentation can you make that will make your catalog more-than-typically appealing to prospects? This is the hard work of cataloging, and the 1 percent response rule is a good tool for forcing start-up catalogers to face the stern realities of catalog marketing.