Omnichannel

Many online businesses have become successful without using catalogs. But they also find that they’re only reaching a certain audience and demographic — those people that are Web savvy and already shop online. They’re missing potential customers who might still worry about shopping online or those who are unaware of their products and Web offers. To build your online business, consider these ways to make the most of your print catalog to drive online sales. * Offer multiple ways to place orders. The obvious goal of the catalog is to drive traffic and ultimately increase your conversion rate. So it’s paramount that customers immediately go

Throughout my years covering this business, I’ve often had to elaborate to friends or family members on just what market I cover — or for that matter, what I do for a living. I’d try to explain and it would take them a little while to understand both what the catalog market is and what I do. “Catalog what? What’s yer catalog?” “No, no. I’m with a magazine that follows the catalog business. Y’know, L.L. Bean or Lands’ End. Or, surely you’ve heard of the old Sears Wish Book?” “Ohhhh! You work for Sears. Nice! Are you in the appliance department?” “Ughhh …” In the past, it wasn’t always

Every now and then, one of those wild cards comes along in this catalog/multichannel retail business we all cherish. Sometimes, it provides the more traditional players in the catalog business with a good kick in the pants; other times, it only provides opportunities for the bigger players who can afford the initial outlay. More often than not, such off-the-beaten-path concepts as selling catalogs alongside magazines in bookstores or newsstands, selling space ads in catalogs, licensing catalog names on cars, and offering private alternative postal delivery, among others, have worked for so few mailers that they’ve failed to catch on industry-wide. Here’s a new

During a session I led at the ACCM conference last week in Boston on how smaller catalogers can compete with the “big guys,” Terry Powers and Mark Mackaman of ComputerGear, a 15-year-old cataloger of computer-related t-shirts, gifts and accessories, said their key to success is “unique product, unique product, unique product.” They emphasized the importance of protecting those products via copyrights, trademarks and patents. The ComputerGear executives also stressed developing efficient operations. They cross-train CSRs to pull, pack and ship, and they make many of their own products, subcontracting manufacturing that they can’t handle efficiently in-house. They also recommended testing at least one thing —

The critiques at the ACCM’s roundtables and medical center in Boston last week that I took part in had some clear themes. The biggest creative challenges that surfaced this year seem to center around common areas. 1. Brand Identity. This, I concluded from giving these critiques, is a growing concern, as more catalogers realize that strengthening brand translates into sales. Goals include communicating a distinct personality and look as it relates to a “unique” positioning. Multichannel interpretation of brand is also top of mind. 2. Organization. This continues to be an ongoing challenge, especially with smaller catalogers that often have less experienced talent that just doesn’t

This is my 21st go-round attending ACCM, the Annual Conference for Catalog and Multichannel Merchants (did I get that whole thing right?), being held May 21-23 in Boston. For my first 18, I was part of the assorted parent companies that co-sponsored the event with the DMA. But for the past two, as a press attendee and not a part-host, I’ve picked up a different perspective on this event as well as on some other conferences. Actually, I take that back: This year, I’m sort of a part-host again on the other side of the partnership since I was recently named chairman/editor of the

Consumers plan to spend considerably more on Mother’s Day gifts this year compared to last. The National Retail Federation’s 2007 Mother’s Day Consumer Actions and Intentions survey, conducted by BIGresearch, shows that the 84.5 percent of respondents who said they intend to celebrate Mother’s Day will spend an average of $139.14 on mom, compared with last year’s average of $122.16. Below are some other findings from the survey, which drew nearly 7,900 responses. * 37 percent of respondents said plan to buy apparel; combined, they’ll spend nearly $1.6 billion on clothes and accessories * 32.8 percent who said they would buy jewelry will spend $2.1 billion

Although far from new, polls are a greater part of the American fabric than ever before. Consumers have become more comfortable with polls conducted via e-mail, on Web sites and via text messages (as much as I loathe the show, two quick words come to mind here: “American Idol”). In fact, it’s pretty rare these days when we’re not subjected to some sort of poll at least once a week, sometimes even once a day. But that’s not necessarily a bad thing. Polls aren’t like those delightful 6:30 p.m. telemarketing calls we often have to answer with a mouthful of pasta. They’re there; you

With the much dreaded postal rate increase taking effect this month, hopefully by now most catalogers have made at least some of the adjustments needed to continue to grow — or at least survive. As we’re in the heart of the industry’s conference season, many have been feasting on scores of postal cost-cutting tips coming from presentations, special emergency sessions and the media. For our part, after breaking the news on our Web site (www.CatalogSuccess.com) about the Postal Regulatory Commission’s punishing catalog rate increase that was more or less hidden in its rate recommendation to the U.S. Postal Service’s Board of Governors,

Scratching your head over the interaction between your online and offline marketing efforts? Not sure how much to advertise online? Unclear of the true impact of your catalog mailings? You’re not alone. This column won’t completely solve these puzzles, but it’ll offer some relevant ideas. How Much to Advertise First, assume you’ve already established your high-level financial goals, either for your online program or for the business as a whole. Such goals should be specific, numeric and time-based. Be sure the whole team understands and buys into these goals, and works toward meeting them each week. Typical goals are profit-and-loss-based, and include a revenue