The Territory Ahead

Looking for fresh ways to get existing customers to buy again sooner or dormant customers to come back? Consider the following tips from Gina Valentino, president of Hemisphere Marketing, a Kansas City, Mo.-based catalog consultancy. Immediately follow up with new customers. Thank customers and keep your company at the top of their minds by sending a short e-mail thanking them for their orders, Valentino says. Or try what The Territory Ahead catalog does: The apparel mailer sends postcards containing coupons to new customers. Valentino cautions that coupons shouldn’t be channel-specific, i.e., they should be usable on all channels (Web, phone or at retail). Focus

Beyond death, taxes and postal rate hikes, most catalogers’ primary worry in life is retaining customers. Aside from continuously offering appealing products and services, there are a number of effective approaches you need to take to keep your customers happy and doing repeat business with you. Naturally, the question is, “What methods can I try that I haven’t already tried 10 times?” For a few possible answers and techniques for you to test in different departments, consider the strategies offered by several catalog experts. Customer Service Good customer service starts with the first interaction you have with customers. And if your call center

By Paul Miller Fueled with fresh capital, CEO Geralynn Madonna & co. have revived, repositioned and run Spiegel into profitability. Just three years ago, the industry, the financiers and the media (including this writer) had all written off the Spiegel catalog as a soon-to-be goner. The mere notion that it would turn a profit again or even mail again seemed a pipe dream. But having emerged a couple of years ago from near liquidation along with its sister title Newport News, Spiegel now is thriving, having nudged its way into the black a little less than a year ago. "The big story was

For years now catalogers have been talking about the rise of niche players: catalogs with unique products serving relatively small customer bases. This year’s list of the top 200 catalogs as measured by customer (housefile) growth rates brings that trend into stark relief. As you’ll see on the fourth-annual Catalog Success Top 200 list (pg. 15), some fast--growing catalogers have hung their hats on unique merchandise offerings. For example, Music Stand (No. 1) sells music-themed apparel, gifts and accessories; M&M’s World (No. 2) markets licensed products with the candy theme; and Nu Nubian (No. 15) offers Africa-themed textiles, books and other goods. No hawkers

For years now catalogers have been talking about the rise of niche players: catalogs with unique products serving relatively small customer bases. This year's list of the top 200 catalogs as measured by customer (housefile) growth rates brings that trend into stark relief. As you'll see on the fourth-annual Catalog Success Top 200 list (pg. 15), some fast--growing catalogers have hung their hats on unique merchandise offerings. For example, Music Stand (No. 1) sells music-themed apparel, gifts and accessories; M&M's World (No. 2) markets licensed products with the candy theme; and Nu Nubian (No. 15) offers Africa-themed textiles, books and other goods. No

For years now catalogers have been talking about the rise of niche players: catalogs with unique products serving relatively small customer bases. This year's list of the top 200 catalogs as measured by customer (housefile) growth rates brings that trend into stark relief. As you'll see on the fourth-annual Catalog Success Top 200 list (pg. 15), some fast--growing catalogers have hung their hats on unique merchandise offerings. For example, Music Stand (No. 1) sells music-themed apparel, gifts and accessories; M&M's World (No. 2) markets licensed products with the candy theme; and Nu Nubian (No. 15) offers Africa-themed textiles, books and other goods. No

The words you’re reading right now are printed in the New Baskerville typeface, at 11 points, with 12-point leading (spacing between lines). This point size and leading are considered just right for readability. Cyrus Highsmith, a type designer at the Font Bureau in Boston, says New Baskerville is popular because its “transitional” look blends the loopy traces of handwriting with the cold geometry of modern type styles. This font is a revival of a typeface originally drawn by English typesetter John Baskerville in the 18th century. Highsmith says Baskerville’s type looked crisper due to the paper he used. Some critics thought the