Omnichannel

We are seeing an increase in the growth and financial performance of many specialty catalogs. None of these companies are old-fashioned general catalogers, and all share the following distinct characteristic: most of the new-to-file customers are coming in via the Internet, while most of the sales are being generated by a catalog (even if the order was placed on the Web site). The economics of finding Web-generated customers searching to meet specific interests are often more favorable than those obtained by direct mail prospecting. Shoppers have become more adept at locating products using various Internet capabilities, such as search engines and product syndicators of catalog

Expert integration among your various sales channels can elevate your brand above its competitors, noted Carol Worthington-Levy, director of creative services for LENSER, a San Rafael, Calif.-based catalog consultancy and list brokerage and management firm. Your creative team plays a crucial role in that effort. To generate a unified voice and appearance among your channels, follow these three creative strategies offered by Worthington-Levy during the session “Integrating Your Catalog Channels Into Your Overall Marketing Strategy” held at The Direct Marketing Association’s annual conference in New Orleans last month. 1. Provide templates to your creative personnel. Your Web, retail and catalog creative teams should have brand standards

When looking at your income statement, it’s tempting to cut prospecting to save money. But is that really the right thing to do? You have to invest in converting prospects to buyers. How much to pay for a new buyer depends on what you can afford and how fast you want to grow. Overspending to acquire a new buyer and trying to grow too fast can lead to financial ruin. On the other hand, not investing in housefile growth can have a negative effect on your business. This month I’ll examine how much to spend to acquire a new buyer. Invest to

Only 43 percent of sales attributed to catalog mailings were recorded at catalog call centers, according to the “2004 Abacus Annual Catalog Industry Trend Report.” Of the remaining catalog-driven sales to existing customers, 33 percent were recorded on Web sites and 24 percent in retail stores. These customers are more familiar with the brand and therefore more likely to trust and take advantage of additional sales channels, said Abacus analysts. The study also showed the shift from call centers to Web sites is increasing. Thirty-two percent of direct sales from multichannel merchants were conducted online in 2003, up from 28 percent in 2002.

“Today, consumers are zig-zagging across multiple channels (Web, catalog, phone, store) in order to make a purchase,” says Katie Kean, vice president of WebSphere Commerce and SWG Industry Solutions for IBM Software Group.”And what is important to note is that they may actually access all of these channels in a single purchase stream.” She adds that it’s critical to realize that customers don’t think about their research and purchases as having anything to do with multichannel marketing efforts, but rather as simply having many ways to shop the same brand. And shop they will. A recent study by cataloger REI has shown that dual-channel shoppers

In years past, automobiles were distinctive. Each model made a statement about itself and its owner. Today, many cars tend to look similar. The handful of exceptions include the Mini Cooper, PT Cruiser, VW Beetle, Bentley, Porsche and, of course, the Corvette. Since first introduced in 1953 by legendary designer Harley J. Earl (1893-1969), about 1.25 million Corvettes have been built, and more than 1 million are still on the road. Every year in late August more than 5,000 of these sleek muscle cars converge on the Carlisle, Pa., fairgrounds to be bought, sold, swapped and ogled by 60,000 enthusiasts, while more than

Aaron Montgomery Ward mailed the first catalog in 1872, and catalogers have been working to perfect the art of selling from the printed page ever since. By now, savvy catalogers understand the factors needed for effective print design, including cover imagery, page count, product density, copy, typography, color, paper, trim, etc. The Web, in contrast, is in its infancy. The graphical Internet dates back only to 1991. Leading online firms (e.g., Yahoo!, Amazon, eBay, Google) are no more than 10 years old. It isn’t surprising, then, that many catalogers have more experience creating strong print pages than Web pages. This article offers four suggestions

Multichannel shoppers have become the most sought-after customer demographic for nearly every merchant. And for good reason. During the last holiday shopping season, tri-channel shoppers (retail, catalog and Internet) spent on average $1,028, according to a study from DoubleClick. And those who shopped in only two of those channels spent $1,100. Moreover, it’s projected that by 2007, Web sites will account for 42 percent of catalogers’ total sales vs. 29 percent in 2003, according to a study from The Direct Marketing Association. Clearly, a multichannel focus is the new norm for catalogers. In that vein, we here at Catalog Success

From the moment you pull into the 40-acre Golfsmith campus in Austin, Texas, you know you’re in a golfers’ mecca. But as it turns out, the company’s on-site driving range and golf academy are just the beginning. Inside the 92,000 square-foot corporate headquarters, there’s a putting green for employees, and a large retail store complete with indoor waterfall and Clubhouse Café. The clubmaking workshop not only crafts custom-made clubs, it also holds weeklong classes for those who want to learn the art. A research and development team is developing clubs and testing vendor-sourced products. Enlarged pictures capturing golf imagery hang over the

Benchmarking often is described as a set of performance standards for a specific task. And best practices entail tried and true procedures that can help improve your catalog business. Although many industry benchmarks and best practices are viewed as standards, in reality most need to be adjusted to meet the requirements, limitations and needs of a particular catalog business. There’s no one model or standard of performance that works for all. For example, the return rate for an apparel mailer may be 25 percent (i.e., the standard), while a food cataloger might see a return rate of 3 percent (the standard for