Target

The last 20 months at L.L. Bean have confirmed one over-arching principle: Progress can be painful. Faced with stagnant sales, too much inventory and stale creative, Chris McCormick, CEO of L.L. Bean, had to make some difficult and unpopular decisions if he wanted to whip the company into fighting shape for the 21st century. He instituted numerous reorganizational initiatives that included eliminating 32 catalogs from the mail plan and 2,300 unproductive catalog pages. The staff cut 25 percent of its SKUs. Its vendor list was chopped in half after the company renegotiated nearly all major contracts, including printing, paper, e-mail fulfillment and data

This month I want to introduce two of my colleagues who help bring you Catalog Success each month. The timing couldn't be better since we recently announced a promotion for one of them. Jennifer DiPasquale has been named our publisher, from associate publisher. Many of you have met Jen at trade shows and other events. She has been with the publication since its founding in 1998. She is a smart, friendly — and funny! — professional who has worked tirelessly during the past few years to guide this publication through its various growth stages. I congratulate her on a well-deserved promotion. Be

This month I want to introduce two of my colleagues who help bring you Catalog Success each month. The timing couldn’t be better since we recently announced a promotion for one of them. Jennifer DiPasquale has been named our publisher, from associate publisher. Many of you have met Jen at trade shows and other events. She has been with the publication since its founding in 1998. She is a smart, friendly — and funny! — professional who has worked tirelessly during the past few years to guide this publication through its various growth stages. I congratulate her on a well-deserved promotion. Be assured

Like so many facets of direct marketing, improving Web-site conversions depends as much on applying an appropriate focus, some common sense and thorough planning as it does on adopting the latest technological breakthrough. Indeed, 43 percent of Web executives, marketers, developers and IT managers said conversion rates are the most important Web-site metrics they track, according to a survey from NetIQ. It’s astonishing, then, that 66 percent didn’t know their own conversion rates. What’s needed? The logical first step toward improving conversion rates — and overall Web-site performance — is to apply some of the same knowledge you use in initiatives for

Editor’s Note: The original article from which this was adapted, “Data Cards: Guilty Until Proven Innocent” by Hallie Mummert, was based largely on the views of Brian Kurtz of Boardroom Reports. It appeared in the October 1994 issue of Target Marketing magazine. Updated information has been added here by Linda Huntoon, executive vice president of Direct Media. List research typically begins with the data card. This paper (or electronic) sales vehicle is used by list owners and managers to market the vital statistics (e.g., size, price, profile, selects, minimum order, address options) on the lists they represent. For the cataloger in search of

Critical Components That Draw in Users By Gabrielle Mosquera Here's a ratio: Home page is to Web site as storefront is to retail and cover is to catalog. In short, it's the first impression prospects have of your company, and a critical one at that. In fact, a home page has to work even harder than a retail storefront or print cover because it must facilitate transactions further on in the site, says Bridget Fahrland, executive creative director at e-business consultancy Fry Multimedia. "It can't just be about catching the eye. Something there has to get [customers] to go deeper," she explains.

Here’s an analogy: Home page is to Web site as storefront is to retail and cover is to catalog. In short, it’s the first impression prospects have of your company, and a critical one at that. In fact, a home page has to work even harder than a retail storefront or print cover because it must facilitate transactions further on in the site, says Bridget Fahrland, executive creative director at e-business consultancy Fry Multimedia. “It can’t just be about catching the eye. Something there has to get [customers] to go deeper,” she explains. Though much of home page design depends on each cataloger’s

Space Ads and DRTV Built a Customer File for Sure Fit Slipcovers By Mail Catalog.

By Paul Barbagallo, assistant editor, Target Marketing & Inside Direct Mail The Direct Marketing Association (The DMA) unveiled Monday new guidelines regarding the sending of commercial solicitations by e-mail and the posting of Web site privacy policies, a shift in the organization's policy from several years ago. Initially, The DMA deemed it acceptable to prospect to an e-mail address unless its owner has requested otherwise. But the new guidelines prohibit prospecting with non-permission-based e-mail lists. According to The DMA, the new guidelines are part of a continuing effort to promote higher ethical standards among marketers. "Responsible marketers want to build trust with their customers

Type the word “Gift” into any Internet search engine, and you’ll be faced with more sites than you know what to do with. From Gift.com to SendAGift.com, online gift retailing has become a hot-button business. With such a crowded field, why would the executives of retail giant Target Corp. decide that three of its strongest print catalog brands—Wireless, Signals and Seasons—would do better under one URL, GiftCatalog.com? The answer lies in the shopping experience. Market researchers told Target’s online division, target.direct, that potential for cross-selling among the three catalogs was high, but that navigating three different sites was not as easy it should be.