Direct Mail

It’s no surprise this year’s holiday season might look different, arriving during a time of historically high inflation mixed with ongoing recession fears. But despite pandemic-related challenges and supply chain disruptions creating concerns during last year’s holiday spending, it was a record-breaking season for consumers. Still, due to so much economic uncertainty, 63 percent of…

For the past several years, the phrase, “print is dead!” has been ringing in every marketer’s ear and often echoes in the background of post-pandemic marketing articles. The apocalyptic, knee-jerk reaction to the explosive growth of digital channels is understandable, with staggering statistics such as continued projected double-digit growth through 2023 for the e-commerce retail…

In episode 359 of Total Retail Talks, Editor-in-Chief Joe Keenan interviews Lisa Erickson, senior director of customer relationship management and loyalty at Sleep Number, the leader in sleep health, science, and smart bed innovation. Erickson discusses her professional background and current role, how Sleep Number is differentiating itself by transitioning to a well-being brand that sells sleep, and how its loyalty program drives long-term customer engagement and education.

My experience with postcard programs is that they're profitable. Their potential scale is set by the size of the profitable universe of website abandons that a company’s website traffic generates each month. Therefore, the good news is that sending a postcard to a website abandon is profitable; the bad news is that these programs are…

The first touchpoint — it’s the gateway to a unique customer experience (CX). It’s also integral to adding another consumer into the sales pipeline. Yet it can be tough to break through all the clutter and encourage potential buyers to engage with a brand. How much noise distracts consumers from taking the first step and…

Analyzing the Role Direct Mail Can Play in an Effective Digital Retargeting Strategy

In this episode of Total Retail Tech Insights, Editor-in-Chief Joe Keenan interviews Jude Hoffner, vice president of product management at NaviStone, a data-driven marketing technology solution turning website visitors into direct mail buyers. Hoffner discusses his career experience in direct marketing, NaviStone's offerings that combine digital retargeting with direct mail, and key takeaways about how direct mail…

What is direct mail? It's unsolicited advertising sent through the mail to existing customers and prospects. Examples include postcards, solo mailers, catalogs, self-mailers, etc. Unlike mass media, direct mail is targeted so that you're reaching your most desired audience. It’s a rifle vs. a shotgun approach to marketing effectively. In this post, I'll discuss the…

In this episode of Retail Right Now, Total Retail's Melissa Campanelli and Kristina Stidham discuss an article recently published on Total Retail titled, “Amazon Misses the Mark With its Holiday Toy Catalog,” authored by Polly Wong, managing partner of strategic, e-commerce and creative services at Belardi Wong. The article dives into Amazon’s rookie mistakes in…

Amazon.com is great at tackling new lines of business. The path from online bookseller to one of the world’s most valuable companies was forged through its entry into music, video, cloud computing, advertising and groceries. And yet for all of Amazon’s rich data, deep pockets and top-tier talent, it's making rookie mistakes in one of…