ONLINE SERVICE: Cultivating super cyber reps
What to look for in your e-mail service repsWhen assigning staff to answer queries and solve customer problems via e-mail, think twice before giving your
STRATEGIES: Frederick’s, take two
Racy mailer tones down even moreAfter several fits and starts, the makeover of $148 million cataloger/retailer Frederick’s of Hollywood continues. “Frederick’s
BUSINESS-TO-BUSINESS: More ups than downs
With a few exceptions, 3Q ’99 looks just like 3Q ’98Of the 12 publicly traded business-to-business catalogers tracked by Boston-based investment bank
Executive Greetings greets changes
When San Francisco buyout firm Behrman Capital became the majority shareholder in $110 million Executive Greetings in September, it announced that the
WEB ORDERING: Taking stock of ‘Net orders
Offering real-time inventory status onlineAccording to the Catalog Age 1999 Consumer Catalog Shopping Survey, more than 60% of online shoppers cite “convenience”
RETURNS PROCESSING: Unfazed by online returns
That many catalogers are expecting big business from the ‘Net this holiday is no surprise. But with the projected increasesin Web shopping, mailers will
RELAUNCHES: Fairy-tale ending for Storybook
Girls’ apparel title thrives under new parent Delia’sWhat are the chances of survival for a catalog whose corporate parent filed Chapter 11, stopped mailing
Gaining buying clout
`There’s strength in numbers” is much more than a saying to The Mark Group. Since April, the multititle mailer has cut its long-distance telephone costs
MERGERS AND ACQUISITIONS: Fewer deals, but no slump
Lack of serial acquirers accounts for drop in third-quarter activityThird-quarter merger and acquisition (M&A) activity among catalogers fell 25%, to
PICK-TO-LIGHT TECHNOLOGY: `Enlightening’ fulfillment
Although pick-to-light warehouse technology has been around for 20 years, it has only recently taken off among catalogers, thanks largely to software