Omnichannel

If sales are dipping and your internal expenses are based on a plan you aren’t meeting, you need to get back on track. The questions to ask yourself: How do you react to less-than-desirable sales results? And how soon should you take action? While there may not be quick fixes, I’ve identified some strategies that can help you avoid a disastrous year. This month I’ll discuss generating additional demand revenue — not cutting expenses. It’s difficult to slash your way into profitability, and the long-term effect of that type of quick-fix can be devastating to business. Following are 12 ideas to take for

In many ways, direct response television (DRTV) and cataloging are at opposite ends of the direct marketing spectrum. DRTV promotions — be they infomercials, spot commercials or home shopping — focus on selling to an unknown prospect or customer. Meanwhile, with only a few exceptions, catalogers target their promotions to specific prospects, customer lists or audiences. Yet both have to deal with all the challenges of today’s direct response marketing. For example, they must present products in compelling ways that make the sale, despite ever-increasing competition from other direct marketers, retailers and e-merchants. Also, they must address customers’ privacy and data security concerns,

The Cataloger’s Story Can an established retail and Internet merchant profitably start a catalog in this era of rising postal and production costs? Some catalog industry experts say the risks are too great and the ideal time to launch a new print catalog has passed. But is that really true? John Hambleton aims to find out. Hambleton sells surf-related apparel and accessories via two beach shops in Florida — Islanders in Fort Walton Beach and Pensacola Beach — and the Web at IslandSurf.com. His Internet sales have convinced him that selling remotely is a viable option for his merchandise offering. And so,

The Internet penetrated consumers’ inner sanctum faster than any medium since the black-and-white television; both reached 50 percent of U.S. households within eight years of being readily accessible, says DoubleClick, citing the 2001 U.S. Census in its paper, “The Decade in Online Advertising, 1994-2004,” released last Wednesday. And just how does that compare to other media used to reach consumers? Other data revealed by the U.S. Census: ¥ Nine years for 50 percent of homes to gain radios ¥ 17 years for personal computers ¥ 39 years for cable television ¥ 70 years for the telephone

* Nearly 80 percent: How many consumers say they use merchants’ Web sites, catalogs and retail stores interchangeably. * 57 percent: How many consumers said they used the channels interchangeably last year. Source:”Retail Demand 2005: Emerging Consumer Desires in the Retail Sector,” a survey of about 5,000 consumers performed by Adjoined Research, a division of Adjoined Consulting, www.adjoinedconsulting.com

Facilitated largely by the Internet, consumers have been ordering gifts later in the holiday season. Indeed, 20 percent of consumers reported they started their online shopping later in 2004 than in 2003, according to the 2004 Shop.org/BizRate.com Online Holiday Mood Study. Shop.org also reported that 46 percent of online retailers offered express shipping promotions the week of Dec. 19, no doubt adding more pressure to their already full holiday workloads. These trends can cause some rather drastic spikes and accompanying problems in any catalog business. During the past several years, we’ve heard horror stories of poorly planned operations resulting in excessive order

Two years ago, J.C. Penney Co. unveiled its latest branding slogan, “It’s all inside,” to illustrate to consumers that no matter which channel they shop — retail, catalog or online — they’ll find the same from Penney in terms of merchandise, service and the overall brand. No other companies have copied Penney’s slogan, of course, but many have followed the same path, recognizing that with more orders coming online, customers need to know that regardless of which channel they choose, they can expect a similar experience. Easy Does It Some catalogers have been making subtle alterations in their approaches to the print book

We’re all guilty of occasionally hearing only what we want to hear. Sometimes we don’t want to face facts. Rather, we want to think what we want to think. We tend to do what’s comfortable and put off dealing with the issues at hand. In this article, I’ve identified 10 things you, a catalog company president, probably don’t want to hear. (Or if you report to a president, tear out this article and put it on his or her desk.) Listen to these cold, hard facts. 1. Your company won’t grow if you don’t prospect more. Invest in new buyers. You’re not always

More than one-third of online shoppers reported they frequently shop around online before making a purchase in a retail store, according to a study of multichannel shoppers conducted by Fry Inc., the e-tailing group and comScore Networks. Other findings include: ¥ 97% of shoppers expect a seamlessly integrated shopping experience between online and offline channels. ¥ 46% of consumers start their shopping at a search engine. ¥ 39% of shoppers go directly to the retail Web sites in which they are interested. ¥ 36% of online shoppers have purchased a product online and picked it up at a retail location. Source: comScore Networks, www.comscore.com

Multichannel marketing and customer relations were the primary business issues cited by three catalog executives speaking at the Hudson Valley Direct Marketing Association’s luncheon Feb. 23 in Rye, N.Y. Despite their diverse markets, Lillian Vernon President Jonathan Shapiro, CM Almy President Stephen Fendler, and Petals CEO Chris Topping agreed on the need for continuity among sales channels in order to grow their businesses. With 45 percent of its orders coming online during the holiday 2004 season, Lillian Vernon is particularly attentive to the rapid channel shift to online buying. “I call it ‘shift happens’,” Shapiro said. “It’s important for us, and everybody, to understand the