5. Maximize data quality — hygiene and channel information. Move updates are now required 95 days prior to mailing. In addition, data managers have developed tools linking consumer records and providing better matching capabilities in your merge process. Review your merge logic as well. What worked a few years ago will need adjusting.
Revisit allocation of demand and determine who “needs” catalogs to drive incremental sales. Depending on how or if you're capturing this information, you may not be allocating to the right customer and could be misleading yourself regarding what's incremental demand.
Your best customers who can afford the mailing may not need it, and your allocation of Web demand may be misallocated toward catalog buyers. The right offer and marketing vehicle can influence a lesser-valued customer or an Internet customer to generate more incremental demand from a catalog mailing than your best catalog customer.
Neil O'Keefe is vice president of the catalog and multichannel merchant segment of the DMA. He can be reached at nokeefe@the-dma.org.
