Cutting Your Catalog's Mailing Costs (267 words)
By Lisa Yorgey
Global catalogers continually search for ways to trim the costs associated with mailing catalogs overseas. However, you can shave only so much off of postage and production before you negatively affect response. But by tightening your in-home delivery window, you can save on call center costs.
When Peruvian Connection first launched its U.K. edition, it was sending its catalogs from the United States to the United Kingdom by boat. By the fall of 1999, the volume of catalogs it was mailing had considerably grown, and the U.K. catalog business was becoming increasingly competitive. Peruvian Connection contracted with Royal Mail to transport its catalogs from its lettershop, Arandell, Menomonee Falls, WA. Arandell handles printing, addressing and mail preparation of the catalog, both domestically and internationally. Catalogs destined for the United Kingdom are picked up by Royal Mail and injected directly into the British postal stream. By doing so, Peruvian Connection reduced its delivery time from 11 days to four.
To help Peruvian Connection further cut costs and speed catalog delivery, Royal Mail worked with the cataloger and Arandell to change the time frame of the catalog's print run, as well as to fine-tune its mail preparation. By sorting its computer-generated manifest by postal order instead of alphabetical order, Arandell loads its mail pallets in geographical sequence, which allows Peruvian Connection to prioritize catalog delivery by region and better handle response. The tighter delivery window allows the cataloger to better staff its call centers and in turn, offer better customer service. The cataloger saves money by reducing the number of days necessary for call center operation.
- People:
- Lisa Yorgey