Found 23 item(s). Displaying 1-15
Retailers Bring Weekly Circulars to Facebook
August 5, 2010
From ClickZ
Walgreen's, Canadian Tire, J.C. Penney, Save-A-Lot, Sports Authority, Staples and True Value are among the brands incorporating the web version of their weekly newspaper circulars into their Facebook pages....
Bilski v. Kappos: The Blockbuster That Was a Bust
July 27, 2010
From Home Page
For patent lawyers, Bilski v. Kappos was the most eagerly anticipated Supreme Court decision in years — a decision on the patentability of business methods, the primary type of patent asserted against direct marketers that operate e–commerce websites. Unfortunately, when the Supreme Court finally issued its decision at the end of June, Bilski turned out to be this year’s Waterworld.
Office Depot Pushes Sustainability With Plans to Open its First LEED CI Store
July 19, 2010
From South Florida Business Journal
Office Depot will open its first Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) for Commercial Interiors (CI) registered store. The global provider of office products and services expects the Austin, Texas, store to be certified a few months after opening....
Retailers Get Creative in Efforts to Stimulate Sales
July 6, 2010
From The New York Times
Tired of waiting for spending to rebound on its own, retailers are taking matters into their own hands. Stores like Sam’s Club, Target, Toys “R” Us, Staples and Office Depot are offering unconventional promotions meant not only to attract visitors to stores, but also to get them feeling profligate....
Capturing Attention
June 2010
From Retail Online Integration
After your from line, the most compelling thing motivating recipients to open your email is its subject line. You know the drill: To stand out in a cluttered inbox, you have to work hard to capture attention. Subject lines must be carefully crafted to develop innovative ways to present your latest promotions and products.
The BIG SALE!
April 2010
From Retail Online Integration
Promotions are an important part of every marketer's email strategy - sales, discounts, discounts with purchases, gifts with purchases, free shipping, etc. These workhorse communications shouldn't be overlooked. They work well to motivate buyers to take actions, but they're not showstoppers. They won't make you stand out from the pack.
MeritDirect Event Panel Heading Back to the Future, Part 3
July 23, 2009
From News
Hopefully, you’ve been keeping up with our coverage of a no-holds-barred, all-telling session during MeritDirect’s recent Business Mailers Co-op in White Plains, N.Y., in which four B-to-B mailers discussed how they’re surviving the current economic malaise and their plans for emerging from it once the economy turns around. In part 1 of this recap last week, we detailed how they’re holding up. In part 2, they discussed how they’re preparing for better times ahead.
Retail's Struggles Are B-to-B Catalogers’ Gain
March 2, 2009
From Terry Jukes
B-to-B catalogers always have had several advantages over retailers. They can maintain and offer wider and deeper product offerings as they're not limited to retail space. They can provide expert telephone sales and support, warranty and repair services, installation advice, and other “knowledge-based” services much better than a retailer can. Furthermore, new Web site shopping functionalities make it easy for customers to find, shop, learn, compare prices, order return and access a host of other related services much better than they could if they were standing in a store.
Catalogers' Updates and People on the Move
February 2009
From Retail Online Integration
Pan American Develop-ment Foundation (PADF): This nonprofit organization that creates public-private partnerships to assist disadvantaged people in Latin America and the Caribbean has launched a print catalog of corporate social responsibility and cause-related marketing opportunities in those regions. The 28-page book provides an overview of PADF projects that are well-suited for private-sector participation.
Catalogers Sound Off On the Environment, E-Mail, Rising Gas Prices and More
August 2008
From Retail Online Integration
In addition to the insights provided in print, here are a few more observations, tips and thoughts from a sampling of catalogers on everything from how environmental concerns have affected mailing practices to e-mail marketing strategies to what effect rising gas prices will have on the direct marketing industry and more. * On B-to-B and the environment, “I don’t think you’re going to find that in the B-to-B market,” says Peg Goelz, marketing communications manager for Shiffler, in response to whether environmental backlash has had any effect on Shiffler’s catalog prospecting. “I don’t think it’s as sensitive there as it is in the
Riding the Paper Tiger
August 2008
From Retail Online Integration
While deterrents to mailing catalogs continue to mount (rising postage and paper costs, threats of do-not-mail legislation, environmental backlash, the Web’s rising popularity, etc.), the benefits of this marketing medium seem to have gotten lost in the shuffle. So it’s fair to ask the question: Are catalogs worth it anymore? We randomly surveyed a cross-section of multichannel merchants and found the following facts illustrating the catalog medium’s continued importance in most marketing budgets. • Shiffler, a B-to-B cataloger of school and facility furniture, supplies and equipment, this year launched its second catalog title, Facility Hardware. More than 90 percent of its revenue comes
B-to-B Sites Follow B-to-C in User Functionality and Benefits
June 3, 2008
From Terry Jukes
Lately you’ve probably noticed that more and more B-to-B direct marketers are adding various Web 2.0 social networking functions to their online marketing efforts. Office Depot, for example, allows you to share one of its products with your network via Facebook, DiggThis and del.icio.us. It also allows you to review a product and read the product reviews of others, both good and bad.
I’ve also noticed many more product videos cropping up on YouTube. Try searching for industrial tools or forklifts, for example. YouTube isn’t just for funny or entertaining videos anymore. Very useful videos on how to find, buy and use various
IndustryEye
June 2008
From Retail Online Integration
Catalogers’ Updates • Gander Mountain: Twelve years since it last mailed a catalog, this hunting, fishing, outdoor apparel, and lifestyle products and services marketer has returned to the catalog industry. In late April, Gander mailed a 324-page catalog from its Overton’s subsidiary containing products from Overton’s, Gander Mountain and others to more than 2 million customers. Plans call for catalogs carrying exclusively Gander Mountain products to be mailed later this year. The company also expects to convert its informational Web site into a transactional one later this year. • Dell: The personal computer marketer continued its recent cost-cutting initiative by laying off 250 workers
Are Your Mailings Irrelevant or Just Plain Stale?
October 30, 2007
From Terry Jukes
Lately I’ve noticed I’ve been getting repeat mailings from large B-to-B office suppliers — and they all look the same. It probably doesn’t help that Office Depot, Staples and OfficeMax have similar corporate colors. They all seem stuck in their “10 percent or $10 off” offer, or some version of it. To make matters even more boring, the mailings always seem to be in one of two or three standard formats. You know the ones: large postcards, #10 solo or folded flyer.
You look at them and say, “Oh, that again,” and toss it. It got me thinking about the opportunity we