Catalog Circulation

BrylaneHome, a home and lifestyles brand in the portfolio of Redcats’ OneStopPlus.com division, announced today the launch of its first-ever Plus Size Living catalog. The catalog, scheduled to be in-home the week of September 20th, will feature affordably-priced, innovative products exclusively designed to add comfort and convenience to the overall lifestyle of the plus-size customer.

If the USPS hasn't done an economic analysis of what will happen to catalog volume and its own profitability from catalogs, then it's fair to say they're being “uneconomic,” which violates the statute governing raising rates under the “exigent circumstances” exception.

The direct marketing industry needs to focus on getting the USPS to set the smartest postage rates for catalogs, magazines, saturation mail for retailers and direct mail. It’s in the best interest of the USPS to respond to guidance from the mailing community because direct mail is a major source of profitable mail volume. The Post Office should be focused on increasing its profitable volume rather than ratcheting up postage rates again and having volume and profits dwindle as a result.

The U.S. Postal Service is reaching out to e-tailers with a campaign showcasing the power of catalogs with the potential to double online transactions and achieve revenue lift of over 100 percent by creating print extensions of their Internet shopping websites.

Victoria's Secret anticipates its inventory levels will be down in the low- to mid-single digits this quarter, and plans to throttle back on its discounting-based promotional activity, as it won’t need to clear merchandise out. As a result, the direct aspect of the company’s semiannual sale will be shortened by five days. Its retail element will not be affected during the semiannual sale, but its Memorial Day sale will be shorter and smaller. This doesn’t mean the company is pulling back on promotions, period. In fact, it's publishing a new catalog exclusively focusing on the Victoria’s Secret Pink line, which will be published to take advantage of back-to-school shopping.

In an early example of how a major fashion retailer is working with the iPad, Macy's is using the Apple tablet to turn its summer catalogue into a shoppable slideshow. Macy's 60-page print catalogue was converted into a two-page spread into which a 20-page slide show is embedded, with links to shop at Macys.com. The ad is running across the digital editions of 20 titles including Elle Decor and Marie Claire.

Economic crisis accelerates changes in the basic underlying business models of multichannel marketers, who have had to adapt in order to survive as consumers shut their wallets. Here are some of the ways business models have been radically and permanently altered.