Merchandising

When we consult with catalogers about merchandise, we’re asked questions about products that didn’t sell as well as expected. Some clients often wonder if they should try selling the product again, and if so, how many times and in how many different ways before finally giving up on it. These are legitimate questions, and some time should be spent on determining the answers. However, catalogers often waste too much time trying to revive losing items when they should instead spend time on those things that offer a bigger bang for their efforts. Questions & Answers The question “Should you try selling the

Melissa Payner is a risk-taker. The 43-year-old retail industry veteran has been president and CEO of Spiegel Catalog for only 10 months and already has turned the place on its head with new merchandising, catalog creative, advertising and promotions. It doesn’t matter that the economy remains in a slump and catalog industry sales are down: Payner is excited to be breathing new life into Spiegel Catalog by refocusing on its customers and strengthening its brand image. There’s no arguing that Spiegel needed a change when Payner took the reins. Looking back five or six years, one might describe the catalog’s branding as

If you’ve ever struggled with how to effectively manage relationships with your vendors, following are some tips learned from the trenches of cataloging. Complaints About the Call Center The second hand on my watch swept past 12 ... again. I’d been on hold for 10 long minutes. Another music-on-hold tune began, and I realized I’d heard it already. I’d been on hold so long, the tape loop was repeating! As I listened, I imagined all the customers who had viewed my beautiful catalog, read my great copy, found a product they really loved, called—and now were hanging up in disgust at the

Imagine for a moment that your catalog company’s main competitors are book-selling giants Amazon and Barnes & Noble. The grueling price wars—behemoths battling for market share tend to inflict that on their industries—are driving the smaller players in your space either to bankruptcy court or to the arms of consolidators. But through it all, your niche catalog company continues to enjoy annual sales growth of about 13 percent—for 10 years running. And, in all but one of those years, your company recorded healthy profit margins. Chinaberry, a cataloger specializing in books and other products for children, women and families, combines a carefully selected merchandise

Product benefits and colorful food imagery are key ingredients to selling high-end “outdoor kitchens” Grills have come a long way since the tiny, round burners of old. In fact, today’s large, high-tech grills are known as “outdoor kitchens,” and buyers are spending huge sums to provide their guests with the best cookout experience possible. According to Jeff Ryan, a senior copywriter at Via and a 19-year veteran of L.L. Bean, today’s grill merchants need to point out benefits like stainless-steel construction, burner capacity and easy cleaning. To appeal to the modern grill market, Ryan says copywriters also should mention grill size; how

When you come to a fork in the road, take it. —Yogi Berra This is the extraordinary story of a family-owned corporation that bailed out of its half-century-old signature business and took off in a whole new and highly profitable direction. In 1942, an avid young amateur photographer named Norman W. Edmund tried to locate good camera lenses. But the war had thrown a wrench into the entire stream of consumer and industrial products. After an exhaustive search, he found a source for his lenses. It occurred to him that other camera buffs may be in the same boat, so the

I am quite amazed by the number of unique, niche catalogs that have found their way to my mailbox or in-box lately—everything from catalogs for cigar smokers (i.e., Corona Cigar Co.) to American Historic Society’s catalog targeting coin collectors to a catalog selling Vidalia onions (yes, Bland Farms sells onions). Then at last month’s annual Catalog Conference in Boston, I was introduced to several other niche players I hadn’t been aware of before. Wolferman’s catalog, for instance, sells a signature product—English muffins, which look so mouthwateringly delicious that I have to order some of these yummy treats. At a luncheon one day, I sat

To say Sovietski Collection catalog has a unique niche would be an understatement. Indeed, a quick flip through its pages is like taking a whirlwind trip around the former East Bloc. Its product selection includes militaria, such as Soviet MiG pilot helmets and copper diving helmets, Russian submarine clocks, East German tank commander binoculars and field phones. There’s also hand-crafted Polish sabers and Czech walking sticks, Lomonosov porcelain tableware, Romanian crystal goblets and Russian-made woolen shawls. The catalog even features a genuine Soviet “Strizh” spacesuit complete with communications helmet and umbilical life-support interfaces. Sovietski sells merchandise and artifacts sourced primarily from Europe

Some companies are so effectively branded that to say their names is to speak of quality in the minds of many consumers. Mercedes, Armani, and Rolex are a few. Bose is another. For buyers of audio equipment, the name virtually guarantees top sound quality. According to catalog consultant Tony Cox, Bose’s brand may be one reason so many catalogs are prominently featuring the audio-equipment manufacturer’s Wave CD player. Says Cox, “Catalogers ride on the fact that Bose is a branded product with a great reputation.” Buying audio equipment without hearing it is similar to buying a car without driving it: You’d better have

Few catalogers link their merchandise results to a thorough analysis and review of their sales results by segment. But doing so has many benefits. What Are New Customers Buying? Since growth through new-customer acquisition is the key goal of many catalog companies, concentrating on what contributes to those acquisitions is critical. One key area to focus on is the merchandise offering. After you perform a square-inch analysis and begin selecting items for the next issue, take another look at your item performance. Run a report using both your order-level data and customer database to determine which items new customers purchased most often. Compare