Paul Fredrick

Paul Fredrick announced the launch of a smartphone-optimized website that creates a rich and unique mobile shopping experience for consumers whether at home or on the go.

Paul Fredrick, a cross-channel retailer of men's tailored clothing and accessories, is returning to its roots as an old-school direct marketer to acquire new customers — albeit in a slightly different medium.

As we ring in a new year, many retailers are wondering what's in store for 2011. With an economy that's still bouncing back from the Great Recession, it's hard to predict the future (yet we're going to try anyway). For many retailers, 2010 proved to be a year of recovery. They're hoping to continue down that path again this year. To help you get a feel for what lies ahead, Retail Online Integration surveyed leaders in the cross-channel and e-commerce retail space in the fall of last year to get their predictions for 2011. Here's what we learned.

Magazine Space Ads Grab New Names for Paul Fredrick; GreatSkin's Unique Affiliate Program Delivers Prospects; Zappos Turns to Magalogs for Leads.

Coming on the heels of the downcast ACCM conference in New Orleans, the American Catalog Mailers Association's (ACMA) National Catalog Advocacy & Strategy Forum offered the 50 or so attendees on hand some potential relief and plenty of optimism.

In our April 21 edition, we caught up with Allen Abbott, EVP/COO at Paul Fredrick MenStyle, a Fleetwood, Pa.-based marketer of men’s apparel, who shared his views on where the U.S. Postal Service is headed and how catalog mailers fit into the picture. Here's part 2 of that interview. (For part 1, click here.) —Paul Miller

Historically, catalogers have relied heavily on printers and consultants to keep them abreast of postal matters. There have been, and will continue to be, plenty of exceptions, of course. One such exception is Allen Abbott, EVP/COO at Paul Fredrick MenStyle, a Fleetwood, Pa.-based marketer of men’s apparel. An active backer and member of the upstart American Catalog Mailers Association, Allen gives one mailer’s view of where the U.S. Postal Service is headed and how catalog mailers fit into the picture. Here's part 1 of that interview; part 2 will appear in our May 5 edition.

Multichannel merchants are born multitaskers. They juggle the planning of multiple seasons and offers, industry macro and micro trends, numerous categories, SKUs, forecasts, vendors, inventory levels, management expectations, channels, customer feedback, product reviews, creative input, trips for sourcing, and product development processes. Their time — your time — is precious and must be used strategically.

Catalog Success: Where’s the company headquartered? Scott Drayer: Fleetwood, Pennsylvania, which is about midway between Allentown and Reading. And about an hour-and-a-half north of Philadelphia. CS: What’s your customer demographics? SD: It’s male professionals. It’s going to be a little bit older; we look at probably about 35 to 60 [years of age], focusing on dress shirts and ties. Like I said, it’s more of a professional male, higher income and family-oriented, although there’s a good possibility that he’s an empty nester at this point. CS: What’s the primary merchandise offered in the catalog? SD: Men’s business dress. Our roots have

What Got Him Here: Direct marketing education in college. Noting that it’s an uncommon trait in the direct marketing business, Scott Drayer prepped for his future career as a student at Penn State University. “I took some direct marketing classes in college,” he says, “which I guess is kind of a rarity.” Upon his graduation, Drayer saw his first opportunity at Paul Fredrick. “I applied for, and was hired as, a circulation assistant,” he says. In his eight-plus years at Paul Fredrick, Drayer has been promoted several times, including to his current position as director of marketing in February 2006. What’s Made Him