Merchandising

Onsite merchandising is the top initiative planned by 75 percent of e-commerce executives to improve site performance, according to the Annual Merchant Survey conducted by e-commerce consultancy The e-tailing group. Among other data revealed by the survey of 190 senior e-commerce executives: * 70 percent of e-commerce executives plan to add or improve onsite search to improve Web sales; down from 77 percent last year. * 64 percent plan to redesign or upgrade their sites; level with last year’s survey. * 60 percent plan to devote resources to content development; up from 53 percent last year. * 50 percent plan to overhaul the online

Regardless of organizational structure or size, catalogers who manufacture their own products are made up of multiple groups that must cooperate if the business is to be successful. Productivity is at stake when the two main players, those in management and production, are not working as one unit. Following are a few ways management and production teams can start working together to gain a competitive edge: * Obliterate false divisions. A recent client often used language that emphasized whether a particular employee was “union” or “company.” I worked diligently to get everyone using the same vocabulary: Everyone is now “WE.” Not only did they unlock the

While a great merchandiser has developed predictive instincts to guide her through planning her next great catalog, a smart merchandiser will supplement those instincts with a well-thought-out strategy, writes Katie Muldoon, author of “The Catalog Strategist’s Toolkit” (Racom Communications). Muldoon identifies some elements critical to any merchandiser’s strategy: * Have a game plan. “This means a written strategy based on known sales for the year before,” Muldoon writes. In combination with your circulation plan, this game plan will help you decide which product categories and price ranges should be increased, decreased or re-tested. * Get the right analysis. Many catalogers still don’t conduct enough

Reiman Publications uses both catalogs and magazines to expertly serve its loyal base of rural consumers. When the editors of Farm Wife News started producing T-shirts with slogans such as, “I’m proud to be a Farm Wife,” for their readers back in the early 1970s, they didn’t know that offshoot merchandise would launch a catalog business. A few years later, Country Store catalog was born, filling a niche in the rural marketplace. Ann Kaiser, managing editor of Taste of Home and editor of Country Woman magazine, was with the company 34 years ago when the catalog concept first was developed at Reiman Publications. She

Testing front covers is one of the easiest and most important tests catalogers can do. Front covers are the doorway into your catalog, so your cover must entice customers to open the door and step through into the wonderful world inside. Testing will help you learn what it takes to get your customers to open that door more often. “Copy destroys the graphic integrity of my cover design.” Magazine designers love a lot of copy on the front cover, but catalog designers hate it. “I’ve been designing catalogs for years. Trust me, I know what sells,” said Maurice, the catalog designer. “All those words

With Americans spending as much as $26 billion on holiday gifts online in the past two months, an increase of 18 percent from 2004, according to Jupiter Research, chances are good you’ve just shipped a record number of packages. As you begin to assess how well you weathered the holiday rush, consider how your customers received your products. Did all your packages arrive in one piece? How many returns were due to damaged merchandise? Following are new products and services that can help keep your packages safe and your fulfillment center in top form. Foam Packaging Delivered at Room Temperature Instapak

When determining an inventory forecast, get everyone operating on the same assumptions, said Gina Valentino, vice president and general manager of catalog consultancy J. Schmid and Associates. For example, to ensure your operational systems agree, determine which days begin and end the week for each department. “Your call center may work on a Sunday through Saturday schedule for staff scheduling purposes, while your distribution center may work on a Monday through Sunday schedule,” said Valentino during the session “Forecasting the Future: Tips and Tricks from Marketing and Merchandising,” held during The Direct Marketing Association’s Annual Conference in New Orleans in October. “You want everyone working

Many product and service vendors are available to help you reach new levels of profitability and productivity. Click here for a list of them, brought to you by Catalog Success magazine. Please Note: This Buyers Guide file uses groundbreaking DjVu technology to display the pages exactly as they were printed. If you are using a PC, please click here to download the DjVU plugin. Mac OSX users (Safari browser only), click here. If the plugin does not install, or you want to learn more about DjVu, click on the icons below. Plugin installation assistance is provided by LizardTech or by sending an e-mail to

While you might think bow ties are a fashion statement best made by tuxedoed grooms, maître d’s and waiters, the founders of Beau Ties Ltd. of Vermont would disagree with you. So would Beau Ties’ customers, whose love of the butterfly-shaped neckwear has allowed this catalog to grow from a one-page flier mailed to 3,500 names in 1993 to a 56-page book with annual sales in excess of $2 million. In the 13 years Beau Ties has been in business, founders Bill Kenerson and Deb Venman have learned a thing or two about marketing to a niche audience. For this catalog, the right mix

What you’ll learn from this article: - how to find companies to ally with; and - types of programs you can develop together. Want to reduce your catalog costs while increasing your new customer acquisitions? One way to do it: Develop strategic marketing through reciprocal partnerships and exchange relationships. Creating reciprocal alliances takes a bit of initiative and a willingness to explore communications directly with noncompetitive mail-order companies. First, I’ll explore how to find companies to ally with, and then I’ll outline some programs you can develop together. Identify Other Mailers in Your Niche Many mail-order companies don’t have their customer lists on the