Smart multichannel merchants are using all their core competencies across all selling channels — including stores, Websites, and catalogs — and they’re finding that the more they do, the greater their results. Key research findings in the past few years have shown: Given these findings, one doesn’t have to be a genius to recognize where […]
Multichannel success is all about breaking down barriers between channels and building cooperation. Every company that strives for multichannel success is trying to change from being company-centric or channel-centric to being customer-centric. In a channel-centric company, one channel typically dominates the others. In this business model, the company is more important than the customer; everything […]
Multichannel success depends in large part on having a solid strategy for keeping in contact with your house list. Most marketers know this, but knowing how to develop and execute a plan for contacting the customer file is another story. The good news is that you can simplify the process by breaking it down into […]
This month we look at another analytical technique or process that direct sellers need to know, understand, and apply to their daily operations: tracking response curves. Successful and profitable catalogers will likely recognize the applications we are about to discuss; newer and smaller catalogers and Internet marketers may find that the information can provide them […]
In June we looked at the profit and loss statement, discussing how a catalog P&L or income statement is different from that of a manufacturer and reviewing what is meant by cancellations, returns, exchanges, cost of goods, and gross margin. Now we’ll look at what goes into the fulfillment, advertising, and general and administrative aspects […]
If you’re familiar with the profit and loss (P & L) statement traditionally used by bankers and accountants, you may be surprised to see the level of detail in P & L used by direct marketers and catalogers. But it’s prudent to get a complete picture of all the costs that go into a marketing […]
Creating and producing a catalog is similar to designing and constructing a building. In construction, the architect plays the key role in preparing a set of blueprints from which the contractor constructs the building. He creates physical elevations or sketches of the building and prepares detailed electrical, mechanical, plumbing, and materials plans from which each […]
Last month we discussed the cost of getting a customer, a key measurement for the “front end,” or the prospecting side of the business. Now, we look at a corresponding analytical marketing variable: lifetime value, a “back end” marketing metric, which is applied to the house list to determine the value of a customer or […]
