Omnichannel

In light of the forthcoming postal rate increase, some catalogers, such as children’s apparel merchant Children’s Wear Digest, are cutting catalog circulation and adding Web-exclusive promotions. This enables them to better serve an increasingly multichannel customer base. Tracy Schneider, vice president of marketing and operations for the Richmond, Va.-based cataloger, explains the rationale behind this decision, as well as a new promotion that shows promise for the company. Catalog Success: What’s your take on the catalog marketing economic climate? Tracy Schneider: We’re seeing in our business that the catalog is beginning to take a back seat to the Web site. If we’re just looking at print

Nearly 40 percent of consumers this holiday shopping season reported changing their shopping venue based on which merchant best met their needs, according to a recent survey released by the accounting firm KPMG. According to the survey, 81 percent of consumers said they shopped wherever their desired items were in stock, while 75 percent said a simple return policy influenced their purchasing decisions. Other data revealed by the survey: * 5 percent of shoppers said they moved a larger portion of their holiday budget to Internet shopping in 2006, compared with 6 percent in 2005; * 19 percent of respondents cited price as influential

I’m in the process of digesting an insider’s report by Universal McCann that projects growth for direct mail and the Internet in 2007 to be 7.5 percent and 15 percent respectively.

This means that direct marketing growth is once again estimated to outpace other areas of advertising.

This forecast further reinforces my opinion that there’s never been a greater time to be in our industry. So if you’re a pure-play Internet marketer, there’s never been a better time to increase your business by starting a catalog. If you’re already a cataloger, according to a recent Web poll on CatalogSuccess.com, 76 percent of you saw

Continuing the discussion started here a few weeks ago, I’m firing off some more tips to offset any postal increase, anytime. Use them in good health.

9. Get closer with your letter carrier: If you’re not using a printer who does destination entry programs, then find one quickly. With destination entry your printer trucks your catalog closer to the bulk mail centers and sectional center facilities. The end result is that your mail has travels a shorter distanceon its way to the end reader (your customer). The cost for trucking will be less than the discount from the post office. The end result: you save

Multichannel marketing, the catch-all phrase that typically groups consumer marketers’ catalog, Web and retail channels, often represents a different scenario for B-to-B catalogers, with diverse marketing channels, business practices and goals. Coordinating the assorted multichannel B-to-B mix of outbound telemarketing, field sales, tradeshows and others with catalog and Web channels is a challenge that often requires extensive cooperation between sales and marketing departments, regardless of the channels involved. “In an ideal B-to-B multichannel marketing environment,” says George Hague, senior marketing strategist at Mission, Kan.-based catalog consultancy J. Schmid and Associates, “sales and marketing vice presidents should discuss how they’re going to contact

Continuing the discussion started here in December, here are some more tips to offset any postal increase, anytime.

6. Drive ’em on in. Can you get away with not mailing a catalog? How about testing a miniature catalog, or even a postcard designed to drive customers to your Web site. But don’t just implement it without knowing its impact; test it meticulously. (For more on miniature catalogs, watch for a special feature coming the February print edition of Catalog Success.)

7. Prospect with your best foot forward. Consider creating a smaller catalog just for prospecting purposes. Place your best selling products in it (from our squinch

The past decade hasn’t been good to small booksellers — catalog or retail. Soundly beaten in price, selection and convenience by volume-driven big box retailers like Barnes & Noble and Borders, as well as online retailers such as Amazon.com, many of today’s smaller booksellers are barely hanging on. But at least one small cataloger has found a way to reinvent itself and thrive. Chinaberry, a two-title cataloger of children’s books, educational toys, and spiritual and inspirational gifts, has found its own path to modest growth over the past couple of years. The company mails a namesake catalog that offers children’s books and toys, and

For the third consecutive year, American teenagers plan to spend less on holiday gifts for others, according to a recent survey of more than 1,500 teenagers conducted by JA Worldwide (Junior Achievement), a youth education and volunteer network. Fifty-seven percent of teens plan to spend more than $75 on gifts this year, down 3 percent from last year and down 5 percent from 2004. Other teen shopping data revealed by the survey: * 66 percent of teens plan to spend less or about the same as last year on holiday gifts; * 38.3 percent of boys say they will spend more than last year;

If you’re looking for potential savings across your company in light of the upcoming postal rate increase, here are some areas where you always can cut costs: Outbound freight: Don’t be afraid to request a discount from your current carrier. You should at least be able to get a lower cap on the current fuel surcharges. Track your carrier’s performance and request a refund for all late deliveries. Credit card processing: Call your current credit card processor and request a discount. It will most likely match anything you find in the marketplace. Circulation: Identify your Web-only customers and don’t mail them a catalog.

Direct mail spending rose 7.5 percent to $60.6 billion in 2006, according to an estimate in a recent whitepaper released by marketing consultancy Winterberry Group. This follows 7.4 percent growth from 2004 to 2005. Winterberry Group further estimates that total direct mail spending will reach $73.6 billion by 2009, reflecting a compound annual growth rate of 6.8 percent per year between 2005 and 2009. Overall catalog spending for the same period is expected to be slightly lower, at 5.7 percent. In addition to these stats, Winterberry Group identifies several trends it anticipates over the next 12 months: * Complex, high-volume multichannel campaigns will