Merchandising

A Synergistic Approach
February 1, 2006

Reiman Publications uses both catalogs and magazines to expertly serve its loyal base of rural consumers. When the editors of Farm Wife News started producing T-shirts with slogans such as, “I’m proud to be a Farm Wife,” for their readers back in the early 1970s, they didn’t know that offshoot merchandise would launch a catalog business. A few years later, Country Store catalog was born, filling a niche in the rural marketplace. Ann Kaiser, managing editor of Taste of Home and editor of Country Woman magazine, was with the company 34 years ago when the catalog concept first was developed at Reiman Publications. She

Chronicles: Test Your Way to a Winning Catalog Cover
February 1, 2006

Testing front covers is one of the easiest and most important tests catalogers can do. Front covers are the doorway into your catalog, so your cover must entice customers to open the door and step through into the wonderful world inside. Testing will help you learn what it takes to get your customers to open that door more often. “Copy destroys the graphic integrity of my cover design.” Magazine designers love a lot of copy on the front cover, but catalog designers hate it. “I’ve been designing catalogs for years. Trust me, I know what sells,” said Maurice, the catalog designer. “All those words

What’s New in Packaging Solutions
January 1, 2006

With Americans spending as much as $26 billion on holiday gifts online in the past two months, an increase of 18 percent from 2004, according to Jupiter Research, chances are good you’ve just shipped a record number of packages. As you begin to assess how well you weathered the holiday rush, consider how your customers received your products. Did all your packages arrive in one piece? How many returns were due to damaged merchandise? Following are new products and services that can help keep your packages safe and your fulfillment center in top form. Foam Packaging Delivered at Room Temperature Instapak

Inventory Planning: Calendar Woes
December 7, 2005

When determining an inventory forecast, get everyone operating on the same assumptions, said Gina Valentino, vice president and general manager of catalog consultancy J. Schmid and Associates. For example, to ensure your operational systems agree, determine which days begin and end the week for each department. “Your call center may work on a Sunday through Saturday schedule for staff scheduling purposes, while your distribution center may work on a Monday through Sunday schedule,” said Valentino during the session “Forecasting the Future: Tips and Tricks from Marketing and Merchandising,” held during The Direct Marketing Association’s Annual Conference in New Orleans in October. “You want everyone working

2006 Buyers’ Resource Guide
December 1, 2005

Many product and service vendors are available to help you reach new levels of profitability and productivity. Click here for a list of them, brought to you by Catalog Success magazine. Please Note: This Buyers Guide file uses groundbreaking DjVu technology to display the pages exactly as they were printed. If you are using a PC, please click here to download the DjVU plugin. Mac OSX users (Safari browser only), click here. If the plugin does not install, or you want to learn more about DjVu, click on the icons below. Plugin installation assistance is provided by LizardTech or by sending an e-mail to

A Classic Act
November 1, 2005

While you might think bow ties are a fashion statement best made by tuxedoed grooms, maître d’s and waiters, the founders of Beau Ties Ltd. of Vermont would disagree with you. So would Beau Ties’ customers, whose love of the butterfly-shaped neckwear has allowed this catalog to grow from a one-page flier mailed to 3,500 names in 1993 to a 56-page book with annual sales in excess of $2 million. In the 13 years Beau Ties has been in business, founders Bill Kenerson and Deb Venman have learned a thing or two about marketing to a niche audience. For this catalog, the right mix

Develop Strategic Partnerships
October 1, 2005

What you’ll learn from this article: - how to find companies to ally with; and - types of programs you can develop together. Want to reduce your catalog costs while increasing your new customer acquisitions? One way to do it: Develop strategic marketing through reciprocal partnerships and exchange relationships. Creating reciprocal alliances takes a bit of initiative and a willingness to explore communications directly with noncompetitive mail-order companies. First, I’ll explore how to find companies to ally with, and then I’ll outline some programs you can develop together. Identify Other Mailers in Your Niche Many mail-order companies don’t have their customer lists on the

Suppliers to Security Forces
October 1, 2005

Ten days before Sept. 11, Jason Beck, a former hand-to-hand combat instructor for the Marine Corps, invested $100,000 and launched Diamondback Tactical, a direct marketing company selling special operations and tactical law enforcement equipment. In just four years the company has grown into a $34 million a year business selling tactical gear and supplies to the U.S. military and homeland security forces at the state and federal level. But even before Sept. 11, Beck was noticing a shift in military procurement. World events were leading many officers to specify more gear and accessories for Special Operations stationed in the United States and abroad.

By the Stats: Families Increase Spending on Back-to-School Merchandise
September 13, 2005

Students heading to college this fall plan to spend more than $34 billion on back-to-school merchandise, according to a recent survey by the National Retail Federation (NRF). Representing a 33 percent increase in spending since last year, what are they spending all that money on? ¥ $11.9 billion on textbooks; ¥ $8.2 billion on electronics; ¥ $5.7 billion on clothing; ¥ $3.6 billion on dorm and apartment furnishings; ¥ $3 billion on school supplies; and ¥ $2 billion on shoes. Source: NRF 2005 Back-to-College Consumer Intentions and Actions Survey Visit: http://www.nrf.com.

Power-Packed Product Line: Focus on B-to-B Merchandising
September 1, 2005

Ron Mis sees Galeton as the Dell Computer of the work gear industry: manufacturing and marketing its own product line to a loyal fan base. Mis, owner and president, likens Galeton’s business model to that of a true direct marketer, with cost advantages that a manufacturer enjoys when it sells its own goods direct to end-users. By selling direct in this way, Mis explains, it “makes our business truer to the original concept of a direct marketer than many who call themselves that today. Many who say they’re direct marketers actually are distributors of other manufacturers’ products,” he explains. Thus Massachusetts-based Galeton both