Homing In on a Soft Market
Multichannel merchants of home furnishings have been struggling of late. One-time powerhouse Pottery Barn suffered a year-over-year decline in sales for
Marketing
RESOURCE GUIDE: Alternate Payment Systems
Merchants operating businesses through the mid-1960s were in the habit of receiving two types of payments from customers: cash and checks. From the mid-1960s
Redcats’ New Brand Within
Redcats USA chairman /CEO Eric Faintreny is something of a branding expert. In 2000, when Redcats’ Swedish home and apparel brand Ellos was declining,
Multichannel Service Improves–or Does It?
A study from e-Gain Communications, a Mountain View, CA-based supplier of customer service and contact center software, reveals both good news and bad news regarding the state of multichannel customer service.
Home Depot Changes Course on HD Supply
Last year Home Depot put a lot of effort and money into expanding its HD Supply business. It acquired nine companies for the business-to-business division,
What’s New at ASAP? Lots
Automotive Specialty Accessories and Parts (ASAP), the parent company of catalogers J.C. Whitney & Co. and Stylin’ Concepts, plans to make some significant changes this year. Last month it announced one of them: a new chairman of the board of directors.
Catalog Critique: Medical Mailer Gets First Aid
A business-to-consumer marketer, Express Medical Supply sells urology and ostomy supplies, as well as more general home healthcare merchandise. The Fenton,
Guitar Center Buys Instrument Mailer
If at first you don’t succeed, try, try again: Guitar Center certainly took that adage to heart in its efforts to acquire South Bend, IN-based The Woodwind & the Brasswind. In late January, though, its purchase of the multititle mailer was approved
List and Data Strategies: Tips for Capturing More Data
The Internet has led to new ways of obtaining marketing data about customers, but old-school methods still work well too. In fact, best practices in capturing information usually require using a combination of strategies to maximize completeness and recency of data, says Scott Cone, vice president/client leader of Lanham, MD-based database marketing company Merkle. Here’s advice from experts on how to effectively gather information and flesh out the data you have.
Holiday 2007 Countdown
No, we’re not suggesting that you break out the Christmas decorations and deck the halls just yet. But if the fourth quarter is your make-or-break season,