Omnichannel

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In this, our fifth Catalog Success Latest Trends Report, we’ve come full circle. We’re celebrating the first anniversary of our groundbreaking quarterly surveys of your industry. Unlike the previous surveys, which focused on key multichannel issues, management and creative, this go-round returns to the focus of last October’s survey: mailing and marketing practices. And that gives you the opportunity to compare results from last October’s survey to see how your strategies have changed over the past 12 months. Simply look for the percentages in parenthesis that follow each result. As with our previous surveys, this is a joint venture with the La Crosse, Wis.-based

Quarterly Catalog Success Latest Trends Report on Mailing and Marketing Practices (November 2008)

Many retailers are adept at simultaneously handling sales through their catalogs and e-commerce sites. Cross-promoting catalogs and Web sites, however, can be more challenging. In addition to prominently placing Web addresses in their catalogs, retailers can engage in several methods to create a successful multichannel marketing program that continuously attracts and retains customers through their preferred methods of shopping. The following are four tips to help ensure successful promotions between catalogs and e-commerce sites. 1. Plan ahead. Catalogers know well in advance which promotions they’ll place in their print books. By coupling those with an online component, they’ll give customers another reason to visit

Audio: A Chat With September’s Profile, Scott Drayer, director of marketing, Paul Fredrick MenStyle

PATIENT: Doc, I’m a longtime catalog marketing pro running a multichannel business. But between the down economy and the expanding Web, I’m depressed and confused about how to get my business back on track. With all of today’s changes, are there any prescriptions you can give me? CATALOG DOCTOR: You’re suffering from a recent affliction called Lost-Boom Syndrome, or LBS. It’s been sweeping multichannel businesses since this economic malaise set in, creating anxiety and despair. LBS exhibits multiple symptoms, requiring a multiple therapy approach. Let’s look at each symptom and its therapy. Symptom 1: Sloppy Marketing The most recent economic boom allowed

Matchbacks are a way of life for catalogers today. This process of having your order file “matched back” against your recent mail tapes to give credit to the proper source or key code on a list-by-list, segment-by-segment basis has become fairly routine. They’re the only way to tell where customers are coming from and which source key codes should be given credit for the sale. Without matchbacks, it’s not uncommon to trace only 30 percent to 40 percent of your orders to a specific key code. But the matchback process is hardly a perfect science. There are issues with date ranges, the logic

Copywriting is often treated like “copy on the go.” That is, it’s treated more like picking up fast food than relaxing over a well-balanced meal. But when you drag copy to a Web site from the original catalog, or use it almost verbatim in an e-mail, there’s bound to be something missing — including lost sales. Consider writing to “fit” the media. The very aspects that make each different selling channel so vital provide clues for writing more powerful copy. The Similarities Regardless of the media, the name of the game is selling. Keep your voice consistent for all media, and remember the