Boston Proper
Brands provide a valuable service to their customers when they help fulfill their aspirational dreams. Why not take some time to conduct a โdream analysisโ with your merchants? Take an inventory of what products in your brand repertoire are helping your customers get closer to their goals.
This month, Margaret Moraskie, vice president of e-commerce for womenโs apparel cataloger Boston Proper, discusses her life in the catalog, retail and online trades.
An interview with Margaret Moraskie, vice president of e-commerce at the the women's apparel and accessories catalog/multichannel retailer Boston Proper.
A constant theme heard throughout the recent ACCM conference in Kissimmee, Fla., was how catalogers can no longer survive with the catalog alone. They must cater to todayโs multichannel customer if they hope to thrive, which means effectively selling on the Web. A session led by Margaret Moraskie, vice president of e-commerce of the womenโs apparel catalog Boston Proper, and Brad Wolansky, vice president of global e-commerce of the outdoor sporting goods and apparel catalog Orvis, offered up several tips on how to effectively sell merchandise online. Here are seven of their tips on adapting catalog practices to the Web. 1. Return to
The Boston Proper catalog has come a long way since it was liquidated back in 1991. So, too, has the company that bought its name and list for a song at that time ($100,000) and propelled it to greater heights ever since. That firm โ once known as The Mark Group, so named after its former flagship catalog, Mark, Fore & Strike โ renamed itself Boston Proper three years ago, based on the success of the catalog and divestiture of the country club apparel title, Mark, Fore & Strike, as well as the gifts and home furnishings catalog, Charles Keith. Through it all has been
For this edition, I perused several catalog Web sites to see how good a job catalogers do in explaining who they are. Naturally, many consumers want to get a good idea of who theyโre doing business with. If your company comes off in something of a faceless manner, some might be put off. On the other hand, consumers take heart in knowing where youโre located, what youโre all about, where youโre coming from and in some cases, who founded you. Itโs a fairly easy thing to do, especially on the Web. By in large, I found that most handle their โabout this companyโ
Sur La Table 163,680 56,295 191 $85 cookware Mokrynskidirect 12/06 9/05 Dog.com 139,829 51,031 174 $115 pet supplies List Locators 9/06 5/05 & Managers Knit Picks 73,502 27,347 169 $60 crafts Walter Karl 6/06 6/05 Cutter & Buck 70,938 30,555 132 $147 menโs apparel Mokrynskidirect 1/07 1/06 Kinsman Co. 27,090 12,695 113 $83 gardening supplies D-J Associates 12/06 9/05 Fannie May Confections 72,173 34,794 107 $36 candy, chocolates Millard Group 11/06 10/05 Leichtung Workshops 20,312 9,958 104 $52 woodworking tools Names & 9/06 7/05 Addresses Orion Telescopes 33,445 16,849 99 $175 telescopes Millard Group and Binoculars 7/06 7/05 Time for Me 141,411 71,958 97 $95 womenโs apparel Mokrynskidirect 1/07 10/05 Siegel Display Products 33,569 17,474 92 $300 promotional display products Direct Media 10/06 10/05 Smith & Hawken 140,722 74,971 88 $125 gardening supplies Belardi/Ostroy ALC 11/06 10/05 Redding Medical 13,689 7,642 79 $95 nursing supplies Fasano and 12/06 8/05 Associates Penn Herb Co. Ltd. 26,459 14,837 78 $54 natural remedies Walter Karl 4/06 5/05 MidWest Edwin Watts Golf 328,416 185,448 77 $250 golf equipment Venture Direct 8/06 5/05 Worldwide Staples 3,843,101 2,183,681 76 $250 office products Direct Media 12/06 11/05 Sportyโs Menโs Collection 12,926 7,368 75.4 N/A menโs recreational products Millard Group 1/07 5/05 New England Business 1,114,626 636,766 75 $120 office products MeritDirect Service (NEBS) 12/06 9/05
Below, our annual index of all stories that appeared in Catalog Success throughout 2006, including this issue. (For easy reference, use the print screen.) Cataloger Profiles Cover Stories United Receptacle: โB-to-B Goes โPlug and Playโโ by Alicia Orr Suman, January Reiman Publications: โThe Synergistic Approachโ by Alicia Orr Suman, February Boston Proper: โBillion-Dollar Opportunityโ by Donna Loyle, May Spiegel Brands: โHow Spiegel Recoveredโ by Paul Miller, June Smarthome Direct: โGrowth the Smart Wayโ by Matt Griffin, July J&L Industrial Supply: โShaped Up, Shipped Outโ by Paul Miller, August Northern Safety Co.: โSafely Ahead of the Gameโ by Matt Griffin, September AmeriMark Direct: โSteady
I'm writing this, my first column for Catalog Success, on a train from New York to Philadelphia, a day before formally joining the magazine. Although I'll focus my future Editor's Takes solely on the catalog business, please bear with me this go-round as I reintroduce myself to you all. I started covering the catalog business as a journalist back in 1986. Over the years, I reported on various goings-on in the field, such as the mainstream use of 800 numbers, credit cards, and express delivery; the advent of co-op databases; the rise of Williams-Sonoma, CDW and The Sharper Image; the stunning collapse of