Shipping

Since the beginning of the calendar year often is the start of a budget year, I’ll discuss some ways to save your company money and improve your bottom line in 2005. Hopefully you’re finishing a great holiday season, and instead of needing these savings to make ends meet, you can use them to increase circulation or catalog page count for next holiday season. In addition, these ideas may help you offset the impending postage increase. (For more, see this month’s column by my colleague, Stephen Lett, page 39.) Here, I’ve listed the ideas in order of potential magnitude, with the last ones

Next year, postage rates are expected to increase from 13 percent to 20 percent. This will be the first increase since mid-2002. It’s important to spend the next 12 months preparing to absorb an increase of this magnitude. Don’t wait until the increase is in effect before deciding what to do. Now is the time to begin making adjustments. Following are 10 cost-savings tactics to try. Action Steps 1. Look at your catalog trim size. If yours is a pound-rate catalog (i.e., weighs 3.3 ounces or more), a slight reduction in your book’s physical trim size will reduce your postage (and paper) costs.

Postage rates are expected to increase from 13 percent to 20 percent in 2006, marking the first increase since mid-2002. It’s important to spend the next 12 months preparing to absorb this increase. Don’t wait until the increase is in effect before deciding what to do. Now is the time to begin making adjustments. Often catalogers make cuts in the wrong places. Their intentions are good, but the actions taken aren’t always the best in the long run. Here are two actions not to take when preparing for the postage increase. 1. Don’t stop mailing to Web-only buyers. When you look at your source code report, it

How long does it actually take to produce a catalog? The answer depends on if you’re trying to do it the textbook way or the other way … March 20th. The phone rings. New cataloger: “Hi, I just printed my first catalog, so now I need some lists. Can you get me some lists so I can mail my catalog by the end of this month?” “You want to be in the mail in 10 days, and you’re starting the list process now?” “You bet. I wanted to leave you plenty of time.” Producing a catalog basically is a two-part process,

Productivity is alive and well and residing in — of all places — the U.S. Postal Service (USPS). In fact, according to Richard Strasser, CFO at USPS, 2004 marks the fifth consecutive year of increased productivity at the agency. Now I know the USPS is not the most popular government agency among those in the direct marketing world. And heaven knows, the USPS certainly did burn bridges in past years by deciding to raise rates in swift succession — hitting catalogers and direct mailers particularly hard. But I’ll give credit (albeit grudgingly) when it’s due. Listen to these statistics, as recently

This article will define RFID technology and offer examples of how it could help improve your distribution center operations. RFID uses radio waves to automatically identify physical items in varying proximity to readers that can uniquely identify them. The identification process entails the following: - the RF antenna broadcasts a signal; - the tag enters the RF field; - the RF signal powers the tag; - the tag transmits data to the reader; and - the reader interacts directly with the supply chain execution system. By now, no doubt, you’ve heard that Wal-Mart is requiring its top 100 suppliers to

Shipping and handling (S&H) complaints usually rank pretty high on the list of gripes customers have against merchants. At the same time, consumers rate parcel delivery companies as some of the best in customer service*. Is there a disconnect in the consumer’s mind, or is there more to this dichotomy than meets the eye? Catalog Success asked Jeff Kline, a veteran of catalog fulfillment, to share his advice on how you can increase the efficiency and reduce the cost of your outbound parcel shipping services — while at the same time maintaining or even improving your customer service objectives. Kline is president of

When I first started out in magazine editing 14 years ago, one of my tasks as a junior editor was to open the mail. It actually was a line item on my job description, because the duty was no small feat back then. Each day a hearty gentleman from our mail room would heave onto my desk a mail crate stuffed with press releases, flyers, letters to the editor and other mail. Back then I opened about 100 pieces of mail a day and rerouted each to the appropriate editor, our files or the trash. Today, however, I get a tiny folder of

Problem: Massage Warehouse was receiving delivery fines from shipping companies and returned packages due to incorrect customer address data. Solution: The company implemented QAS’ software to validate addresses using U.S. Postal Service (USPS) data. Results: Delivery surcharges dropped by 63 percent, staff productivity significantly increased, and customer satisfaction grew due to faster delivery times. When both delivery surcharges imposed by shipping companies and the number of returned packages began to rise due to incorrect address formats, Massage Warehouse realized it needed to adjust its customer address data management. For example, the difference between “Strt.” and “St.” as an abbreviation for “Street” was costing the

Some catalogers prefer mailings that are based on in-home dates, while others use mail dates. There appears to be some confusion about which strategy to employ and why. Compounding this dilemma is the fact that some catalogers tend to use the terms “in-home dates” and “mail dates” interchangeably. But significant differences exist between the two. This month I’ll explore the pros and cons of each. I’ll also try to provide guidance regarding which mailing strategy is right for your catalog-distribution plan. Terms Defined Mail dates are defined as the day the mailing is to begin. The mailing generally takes place during a five-day