Marketing

There’s no question that the upcoming holiday shopping season, and Black Friday in particular, promises to be the strongest on record. With major retailers such as Walmart planning to remain closed on Thanksgiving — the modern start of the holiday shopping season — both brick-and-mortar and online retailers alike are gearing up to maximize their…

Santa Claus won't be visiting any Macy's stores in 2020, ending a 159-year holiday season tradition. The department store's tradition started in 1861, but Santa meet-and-greets won't be happening this year because of concerns about the coronavirus pandemic. Instead, Macy's is creating an interactive virtual experience. "To replicate the magical experience of visiting Macy's Santaland for…

In a matter of months, COVID-19 has changed the way retailers think about and execute their businesses. Retailers are being challenged now to evaluate the experience they’re delivering to shoppers. On top of that, the pandemic has caused a major shift in consumer behavior that stretches beyond the shopping experience alone. Everything from how people…

For commerce practitioners, be it on the manufacturer, platform or agency side, 2020 has been a mixed bag. For many, it’s come with great gains — think food brands scooping up shoppers who could no longer eat out or wellness brands working the frontlines at home through flu and cold medication. That spike was definitely…

The holiday season will make or break revenue goals for almost every retailer this year. Thankfully, most states resumed in-person shopping in some capacity, but a lot of uncertainty remains about how the retail industry will fare. In this period of uncertainty, there's one constant: this upcoming holiday season will be critical for retailers negatively…

As the holidays quickly approach, many early-bird consumers have already begun rounding up items on their holiday lists, eager to beat the holiday rush. But as any retailer knows, there will inevitably be plenty of shoppers who need a little — or perhaps a lot — of help making that final dash to get their holiday shopping wrapped…

While COVID has been an “unprecedented disruption” for business and consumers, it’s clearly been an accelerant for existing trends. For retailers, this includes “Retail Darwinism.” Retailers filing for bankruptcy is nothing new, but regardless of a vaccine or another “unprecedented” event, failure to understand the context that made COVID exacerbate retail’s challenges will only leave…

“The only constant in life is change,” goes the ancient Greek saying. This sentiment has never been more true for retailers than right now. Even under normal market conditions, marketers in the e-commerce industry are constantly course-correcting their plans based on shifting customer needs and trends. It’s part of the job. This adaptability has served…

2020 has seen massive shifts in the way that brands must communicate with consumers, not only to break through the noise, but resonate with them. Amid the COVID-19 pandemic, and with states in various stages of reopening, it has become more important than ever to ensure that advertising is personalized to meet the moment the…

Our purpose for this blog is to share our direct marketing experience, particularly around direct mail, catalogs, paid search, and website optimization. Since Stephen Lett founded Lett Direct in 1995, retailers and e-tailers across the country have valued its transparency and educational approach to improve their profitability by planning, executing and analyzing their marketing programs.…