Catalog Matchback Analysis – Part 2
In our previous catalog matchback post we discussed matchbacks and how we should not attribute 100% of the sales results to the catalog mailing because many of the sales are digital in origin. Customers are often touched multiple times (print, email, retargeting) along their purchase journey. Today we will look at catalog hold-out tests and how they can be used to modify your catalog matchback reports...
Catalog Matchback Analysis – Part 1
With software like Hubspot, you can track opens on emails, gain metrics on clicks, and measure the response rates of campaigns — which tells you the level of success and profitability you can expect from a conversion. But what did direct marketers do before the era of digital metrics and tracking? Catalogers relied on key codes to track response by customer segment. Most orders arrived either by mail...
6 Steps to Mailing a Print Catalog
Your seasonal catalog strategy and catalog circulation plans were developed many months ago, and now the Holiday season is rapidly approaching. But you’re in good shape because you’ve already ordered paper and scheduled catalog production time with the printer based on your catalog in-home dates. And now it’s time to execute the final steps of mailing your catalog. Use the following timeline as a guide...
Making the Marriage of E-Commerce and Direct Mail a Profitable One
Take a scroll on your Facebook or Instagram feed and you'll be surprised at the number of Shopify stores that tout themselves as e-commerce retailers. Selling everything from drop-shipped T-shirts sourced on AliBaba, to hats, pop-cultural tchotchkes and even sweaters with a pouch to hold your cat, the age of digital has given way to the age of e-commerce. So maybe you're already well-versed in the world...
Why You Need to Calibrate Your Catalog Marketing Strategy
Marketing without a well-thought-out strategy, be it catalog marketing or otherwise, is just like building a house without a blueprint. It doesn't necessarily mean that you will never get there, but there will be a lot of wasted time and resources before you do. Equally as important, is for you to remember that no strategy is fool proof, regardless of how much thought and analysis was put...
You’ve Got Mail — How Data Is Modernizing Direct Mail
We need to talk about the "D" word. Digital? Data-Driven? How about, "all of the above", plus one you may not have expected: Direct mail. If you've been drinking the "Kool-Aid" served up by industry bigwigs, you might think that direct mail is not only a relic of yesteryear, it's actually a casualty of digital. But that's where you'd be wrong. Direct mail is far...
Scratch-and-Sniff Stamps
The following announcement was released by the USPS on 5/21/18: The U.S. Postal Service’s first scratch-and-sniff stamps will add the sweet scent of summer to letters of love, friendship, party invitations and other mailings when the Postal Service introduces the Frozen Treats Forever stamps June 20 in Austin, TX. The stamps can be pre-ordered at this link soon for delivery shortly after the June 20 issuance. The...
Direct Marketing Catalogs: The Best Way to Reach and Influence Customers
In this ever more digital age, catalogs would seem like an outdated marketing strategy used by people in decades past. Yet, this could not be further from the truth. Direct marketing is, in fact, a key part of the consumer buying process. If used correctly, catalogs can be a highly effective tool for generating income and reaching out to new customers. Direct marketing print catalogs...