Critical Issues and Trends
Increasing competition from manufacturers and retailers entering the catalog and Web selling channels was ranked the second most pressing marketing concern
Marketing
Listen Up
We all know the drill. An order comes in, and the picker has to wade through sheets of labels to know what to pick. It takes time, and he also has to report that it’s complete. But there’s another way. The worker gets the order through a headset. When he’s finished, he says
The Layout of the Land
When L.L. Bean began expanding its stores beyond its Freeport, ME-based flagship location, the venerable outdoor gear and apparel cataloger was challenged
Lane Bryant catalog in, Regalia title out
You launch some, you lose some. A week after unveiling its long-awaited Lane Bryant catalog, Charming Shoppes on Nov. 8 announced it would close its Regalia
Deal making dwindles
If industry watchers were expecting a flurry of post-postal rate hike mergers and acquisitions, that hasn’t happened
The elusive impulse factor
Since the declining days of the Sears & Roebuck and Montgomery Ward big books or maybe earlier than that catalogs have been in a competitive battlefield.
Restoration Hardware sold
Restoration Hardware agreed last month to merge with an affiliate of private equity firm Catterton Partners.
A Lowe’s moment
Home improvement retailer Lowe’s certainly started the season on the wrong foot. A holiday catalog the company published last month included the headline
GIVE THEM WHAT THEY WANT
Boy meets girl. Boy proposes to girl. Boy and girl head down to the local department store and register for home items, such as place settings, stemware,
Reform a reality for next rate hike
It’s official: Future postal rate increases will follow the provisions of the postal reform bill passed a year ago. That means rate hikes will be tied