Strategy What You Need to Know About Promotional Offers

By Stephen R. Lett

Promotional offers such as free shipping, 10 percent off, $5 off and a free gift can be extremely effective in boosting response and sales. But are you using promos correctly, or are you over-using them?

Many catalogers offer promotions to all customers and prospects. There's sometimes no objective behind the offer, other than to increase sales. What's more, offers are used without prior or proper testing — in fact, they're offered without any financial analysis at all. This month I'll focus on when and how to use promos — and whether you should use them at all.