Frontgate

The10 Biggest Mistakes in Merchandise Presentation
September 1, 2006

By Glenda Shasho Jones &000;&000; A cataloger's job of presenting merchandise is second in importance only to selecting the right merchandise. Readers decide in seconds whether they're going to continue to read about a product or move on. The amount of information readers comprehend "at a glance" isn't limited by their brains; it's only limited by what we put in front of them. Even those interested in a product will skip over it if they don't understand it or they're not "sold" on it. What and how you show product in your catalog makes all the difference in the world. The following

The 10 Biggest Mistakes in Merchandise Presentation
September 1, 2006

A cataloger’s job of presenting merchandise is second in importance only to selecting the right merchandise. Readers decide in seconds whether they’re going to continue to read about a product or move on. The amount of information readers comprehend “at a glance” isn’t limited by their brains; it’s only limited by what we put in front of them. Even those interested in a product will skip over it if they don’t understand it or they’re not “sold” on it. What and how you show product in your catalog makes all the difference in the world. The following list contains the most frequent

E-commerce: Emerging Trends to Act On
August 15, 2006

As more consumers migrate to the Internet as more of them gain broadband access, merchants will have the ability to communicate more deeply with their customers, predicted Jay Heratti, senior vice president of strategic planning for multichannel retail and media giant IAC/InterActiveCorp (IAC) in his keynote address at the eTail conference held last week in Philadelphia. Following are several trends that he identified as being the keys to sales success on the Web in the near future. * Video that sells: “Although the Web is feature rich, it lacks the touch and feel of a retail store, or the demonstrable aspects of a television program,”

Rolling in Dough
August 1, 2003

How he got started in cataloging: “I spent my career at Fortune 500 companies and met Cheryl in 2002,” he says. “I have a friend who knew someone at Cheryl&Co. and had heard that Cheryl wanted to enhance the growth potential of her company and was looking for outside skills to help.” Kelly asked another friend if he knew anything about Cheryl&Co. It turned out his friend had just returned from a two-week vacation with Cheryl and her family. “He faxed my resume to Cheryl that afternoon. When you come across situations where there are so many coincidences, you realize some things were

Merchandise Spotlight: Power Grills
September 1, 2001

Product benefits and colorful food imagery are key ingredients to selling high-end “outdoor kitchens” Grills have come a long way since the tiny, round burners of old. In fact, today’s large, high-tech grills are known as “outdoor kitchens,” and buyers are spending huge sums to provide their guests with the best cookout experience possible. According to Jeff Ryan, a senior copywriter at Via and a 19-year veteran of L.L. Bean, today’s grill merchants need to point out benefits like stainless-steel construction, burner capacity and easy cleaning. To appeal to the modern grill market, Ryan says copywriters also should mention grill size; how

Bind-In Order Forms-What's the Best Strategy? (2,000 words)
May 5, 2001

By Stephen Lett Alsto's. The Company Store. Garnet Hill. Martha By Mail. Williamsburg. Pottery Barn. Frontgate. Good Catalog. The Land of Nod. Linen & Lace. Restoration Hardware. Ross-Simons. Sundance. What do these catalogs have in common? They have all eliminated the use of a separate bind-in order form with envelope typically found in the center of a catalog. These catalog companies employ a lot of smart people, so why would they make the decision to discontinue using a bind-in order form with envelope? What was their thought process? What should you do? This month, we will review the order form in detail

Merchandise Spotlight: Cordless Phones
June 1, 2000

The 2.4 gHz Cordless Phone Means No more racing to the phone from the backyard—and It puts caller id right in the Palm of your hand Home and office telecommunications systems have come a long way in the past couple of years. With upgrades in office phone networks, voice mail and cordless phones, the evolution continues. The new 2.4 Gigahertz (GHz) cordless digital phone gets rid of many of the flaws consumers have suffered with their phone gadgetry. The phone enables people to have clear, static-free conversations without the confines of a stationary phone. With a range that allows the user to walk