The Value of Being Flexible in Tough Times

With the markets in turmoil, the economy slumping and our customers spending “nervously,” now is the time to remember the value of being flexible. Here are some ideas to help make your businesses as flexible as possible:

* Continue mailing, no matter how bad the economy gets. Maybe you don’t need to mail a full-line catalog to everyone, but continue mailing. If you have customer segments that have clearly shown they order online and only order one or two product categories, maybe there’s a less expensive way to “mail motivate” those shoppers. I’ve recently seen several creative examples of mail pieces that stimulate online shopping while costing only a fraction of what it costs to mail a larger catalog. Those savings can be reinvested into circulation and/or new creative formats and offerings, or tucked away for potential difficult times ahead.