March 1, 2010
Cover Story
A Green Thumb
Who knew dirt-free indoor garden kits could be such a hot commodity? They're also a great direct marketing product, which is why AeroGrow International...
Editor's Note
Steamed at slow shipping
I Finally Caved in and ordered a product from a DRTV commercial, Mister Steamy. He sounds a lot more exciting than he is: Mister Steamy works with your...
News
DMA Taps Bob Allen as Interim CEO
Maybe the Direct Marketing Association Really does Aim to cater more to its catalog members. The DMA on Feb. 4 appointed Bob Allen, former president/CEO...
Quad/Graphics Acquires World Color Press
Printer Quad/Graphics has acquired rival World Color Press. The deal will create North America’s second-largest commercial catalog printer by sales; R.R. Donnelley is the largest....
Auction Set for Bachrach
Bachrach Acquisition, which owns the 133-year-old men’s apparel cataloger/retailer Bachrach, has scheduled an auction to sell the assets of the bankrupt merchant on Feb. 22....
Study Finds USPS Overpaid Pension Fund by $75B
The U.S. Postal Service was overcharged by $75 billion for payments to Civil Service Retirement System (CSRS) retirees from 1972-2009, according to a study released by the Office of Inspector General (OIG)....
Dell Acquires Kace
Computers giant Dell has purchased Kace, a systems management appliance company. Terms of the transaction, announced Feb. 11, were not disclosed....
Movers and ShakersMovers and Shakers
Miles Kimball has promoted Vicki Updike from vice president of marketing to president. The gifts cataloger's parent company, Blyth, has also named Stan...
Sigma Micro and Stark Bro’s Beget Fifth Gear
Sigma Micro and Stark Bro’s Fulfillment have joined forces to create Fifth Gear. ...
Nancy Kerrigan to Endorse Oriental Trading
Oriental Trading Co. has entered into an endorsement agreement with former U.S. figure skating champion Nancy Kerrigan for 2010. Kerrigan is the multichannel gifts and novelties merchant's first-ever celebrity endorser....
Lands’ End Lays Off 60
Apparel merchant Lands’ End last week laid off 60 employees. Half of the workers were from its Dodgeville, WI-based U.S. operation, the rest were from its European divisions. The job cuts did not include seasonal workers....
Deals Pick up in December
2009 Ended Quite a bit Stronger than 2008 when it comes to industry mergers and acquisitions. Fourteen catalog-related deals went down in the last three...
Catalog
Design that takes the cake
VeryVera VeryVera sells all sorts of foods, from hors d'oeuvres and salads to casseroles and quiches. But its real bread and butter is cake double chocolate...
Variable data printing update
True print personalization namely, customized catalogs and other tailored direct mail communications was supposed to be the next big thing five years...
E-Commerce
FREE tools from Google
Google isn't really in the search business, it's in the data business. Search just happens to be the company's most popular free product. Many people...
Ruling: FACTA Does Not Extend to E-Commerce Confirmations
Online merchants have dodged another bullet when it comes to the Fair and Accurate Credit Transactions Act (FACTA). ...
Marketing
The "BrandAbout" process
A three-week, pre-honeymoon trip to Australia 20 years ago ended up having a huge impact on my business life. Why's that? The Aussies are a rugged and...
Lists & Data Strategies
Digital prospecting takes hold
It's no secret that marketers have smaller budgets to acquire or retain customers these days. According to a July study by the Association of National...
Operations & Fullfillment
Negotiating parcel contracts for 2010
With the 2010 FedEx and UPS general rate increases now implemented, many shippers are feeling the squeeze on their transportation dollars...
Managing Your Fulfillment Folks
Labor costs have increased by 10% to 15% during the past five years, but the measure of true productivity (units of work measured over a time period) has remained relatively flat. That means there's been an increase in the labor cost per unit of work performed. Here are a few ideas for developing and managing your labor force....
Choosing a Web Content Management System
How do you choose a CMS that meets the needs of marketing without giving IT headaches? Here are the key factors to consider...
Backword
letters/opinion
We just finished reading Herschell Gordon Lewis' Annual Best and Worst Copy in the February edition of Multichannel Merchant. Wow this is the first time...
BLOGBIT
This month, Sherry Chiger, the new editor of the E-mail Essentials e-newsletter (and MCM editor ar large), takes to the Big Fat Marketing Blog to dish...
Tales From the Front
The husband of a Multichannel Merchant staffer ordered (or so he thought) a jar of Basil & Cabernet vinegar in dipping oil from the Napa Style Website....
