Perhaps a sign that mailers were less than optimistic about fall, catalog mailings dropped 33%. Just 236 catalogs were received by Catalog Tracker in August. While that is 30 more books than July, it’s down considerably from the 349 catalogs the Greenwich, CT-based list firm received in August 2006.
The U.S. Postal Service wants to raise rates again, and nobody knows how the agency will go about the increase. Some fear the USPS may try to go for one last big hike under the old rules.
Want to make your customers happy? Stop selling for a minute and give them something to read. It can be detailed product information or even jokes. But it may be time to learn what other b-to-b merchants already know: that content is king.
In today’s multichannel world, designers, photographers and copywriters work on a multitude of projects. In addition to catalogs, you’ll find them creating Websites, direct mail pieces, newsletters, e-mail communications, space ads for print publications, banner ads, free-standing inserts (FSIs) for use in newspapers, trade show materials, retail store signage, and a host of other projects.
Multichannel Merchant’s exclusive 2007 Benchmark Survey on Print, Production, & Paper finds that catalogers have further embraced digital workflows, digital photography, and digital proofing.
ACMA Executive Director Hamilton Davison testified before the House Subcommittee on Federal Workforce, Postal Service, and the District of Columbia on Oct. 30 during a hearing titled, “Will Increased Postal Rates put Mailers Out of Business?”
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The wildfires have slowed down in Southern California, but do you want to mail catalogs there? One list firm tells us no, while another says it’s up to the mailer to decide.
If you’re feeling the need to take a hike, Country Walkers has added to its already hefty list of trips. In its 2008 catalog mailed Sept. 4, the marketer of walking vacations introduced 13 new itineraries spanning four continents.
Looking to see its sales rise, cake and cookie decorating supplies Web merchant Fancy Flours has launched a print catalog. The book mailed to 50,000 customers and prospects over two drops, says Fancy Flours president/founder Nancy Quist. She plans to distribute two catalogs a year, one in the fall and one in the spring.