Nordstrom To Expand Cedar Rapids DC

| MCM staff

Seattle-based cataloger/retailer Nordstrom said on Aug. 29, it plans to expand its Cedar Rapids, IA-based fulfillment and contact centers. The expansion will coincide with the company’s updating of its direct business’ inventory systems.

Turning the Traditional Contact Center into a Customer-Centric Profit Center

| Sam Bloomfield

The conventional, transaction-based contact center is going the way of the pay phone: fast disappearing. Whereas the recent wireless boom has made coin-operated telecommunications virtually non-existent, evolving business needs have enabled the contact center to shed its black-and-white, service-based platform. Companies in every market of the retail industry are wise to embrace the changing face of the contact center and the opportunities this presents for the organization as well as the consumer.

Custom Prospect Database Solutions – Technology Implications

| Caryn L. Gray

In the third installment of this four-part series on building custom prospect databases, we’ll discuss how customized consumer prospect database systems require changes in how we leverage and apply technology to the process of customer acquisition. Specifically, we’ll explore where prospect databases are hosted and maintained, how data consolidations work if the house file is integrated in the prospecting solution, and how and by whom the “rental” data are accessed.

Future Trends in Interactive Marketing (and the Future is Now) — Part 1

| Josh Perlstein

Nobody debates that the Internet allows for the most cost-efficient, personalized, and effective communication with consumers. Online communication can support brand building and generate sales, individually and simultaneously. Perhaps equally important, the Internet allows for communication and sales tactics to be quickly, easily, and accurately measured and optimized.

Focus Your Direct Response Marketing for Lower Costs and Higher Response

| MCM staff

The complaint is a common one among companies that depend on direct mail and direct response marketing: “I’m sick of spending a fortune to send out thousands of full-color catalogs and mail pieces only to get a measly 1% response rate. How can I cut costs and find a more practical way to get my target market to respond to my direct mail and catalogs?”