J. Crew Group, Inc.

Subject lines carry a lot of weight. They drive open rates and results. After e-mail recipients look at your “from” line and recognize your company or service, the next thing they do is look at the subject line to see what might interest them. Let’s examine some of the latest techniques for getting customers past the e-mail client and into your site. Free to Use ‘Free’ In the past, marketers were warned not to use the word “free” in a subject line. The concern was that it triggered spam filters and reduced chances of delivery. Since “free” is the most powerful four-letter

As the holiday season winds down, many consumers will move on to the next phase of the shopping process — making returns, a fact of life that can be brutal to many mailers’ bottom lines. According to a recent survey conducted by Harris Interactive for returns management solutions provider Newgistics, 90 percent of direct shoppers cited a convenient returns policy as very important, important or somewhat important in deciding to shop with a new or unknown online or catalog retailer. The survey polled 1,017 American adult shoppers during the Black Friday/Thanksgiving weekend (Nov. 23-25). “Customers are concerned that if it doesn’t fit right or

Dick Goldsmith of The Horah Group says that 81 percent of consumers like getting the mail, according to U.S. Postal Service figures. “They’re not all going to opt out of getting it,” he said. But he cautioned that he once bought his daughter something from J.Crew and continues to get a J.Crew catalog every week, “which is a waste.” He discussed the momentum of the “do-not-mail” movement during last week’s DMA07 Conference in Chicago. And you can hear the podcast interview (http://www.catalogsuccess.com/download?sid=80440) with Goldsmith and Meta Brophy from Consumers Union, as well as other on-the-scenes commentary by findiing our exclusive Best of DMA07 coverage

Fueled by the increased proliferation of broadband, one-third of American households have made an online purchase, according to several recent reports. With that in mind, Lauren Freedman, president of the e-tailing group, discussed essential things catalogers should have on their Web sites during a session at last week’s New England Mail Order Association conference in Saratoga Springs, N.Y. 1. Product comparison: “People want to compare different products, categories and brands side by side,” Freedman pointed out. 2. Customer reviews of products, because “other customers do read them,” she said. 3. Seasonal promotions: Use a calendar that mirrors customers’ behaviors and reflects outside influences, Freedman said. Let