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 Catalog and Retail

Customer loyalty strategies determine the department store champion

January 01, 2012

In addition to long-standing tenure in the retail space, Wal-Mart Stores and Sears Holdings Corp. apply a similar approach to direct marketing, including direct mail, email, social media outreach, loyalty rewards and extensive e-commerce platforms.
 

Zappos launches magalog iPad app

December 16, 2011

Online retailer Zappos.com has launched Zappos Now, a digital catalog and lifestyle magazine app that includes editorial content on current fashion trends and the ability to shop directly within the app, the company said Dec. 16.
 

Office supply chains apply integrated 
strategies to stoke sluggish sales

December 01, 2011

Office supply chains Staples and Office Depot started the year in equally disappointing fashion.
 

Delivered: Holiday catalogs

December 01, 2011

What's in our mailbox this month: Holiday catalogs
 

Sears Holdings' marketing president to resign

November 03, 2011

David Friedman, Sears Holdings Corp.'s SVP and president of marketing, will resign his post in January. Imran Jooma, SVP and president of e-commerce at Sears Holdings, will manage the retailer's online, marketing, financial services and pricing business units.
 

Q&A: Jeff Hassemer, VP of product strategy at Experian Marketing Services

September 16, 2011

Jeff Hassemer, VP of product strategy at Experian Marketing Services, discusses his company's upcoming digital catalog app and how brands can leverage marketing technology to build customer loyalty.
 

Google digitizes retailers' catalogs with iPad app

August 16, 2011

Google has launched an app for Apple's iPad tablet that enables retailers to digitize print catalogs and embed rich-media content, such as videos. Catalogs from retailers including Macy's, Pottery Barn and Sephora are available through the Google Catalogs app at launch.
 

IKEA names McCann NY global AOR for catalog

August 03, 2011

Retailer IKEA has hired McCann NY as its global Agency of Record for its catalog, the company said on August 3.
 

Huber named Lands' End CEO

August 02, 2011

Sears Holdings has named Edgar Huber president and CEO of Lands' End, the company said in an August 1 statement. He will replace former CEO Nicholas P. M. Coe, who left the company in May to become CEO of Bath & Body Works Brand Management.
 

JCPenney CMO retires after eight years at the helm

July 18, 2011

Mike Boylson, CMO of JCPenney, retired this month after more than eight years as the retailer's marketing leader and 33 years at the company. JCPenney has yet to name a replacement.
 

Zappos switches up catalog strategy

April 20, 2011

Zappos.com, best known for its online shoe store, is expanding its presence in consumers' mailboxes.
 

Postal Service to cut 7,500 positions

March 24, 2011

The US Postal Service said March 24 that it will eliminate 7,500 positions in the next year as part of an effort to cut $750 million in costs. The USPS will cut the positions through a combination of buyouts, layoffs, and the elimination of some jobs.
 

Postal Regulatory Commission divided on five-day delivery

March 24, 2011

The Postal Regulatory Commission said March 24 that the US Postal Service overestimated its potential savings and underestimated potential lost revenues in its proposal to move to five-day-per-week home delivery. The commission's five members issued varying opinions on the plan to cut Saturday delivery, which Congress is expected to debate this session.
 

Cordray to join Pitney Bowes as president of Volly

March 24, 2011

Pitney Bowes has named Chuck Cordray the first president of its Volly platform, effective April 4. He previously worked as SVP and GM of Hearst Magazines Digital Media. Pitney Bowes is planning a second-half 2011 launch for Volly, which will enable brands to send messages such as bills, promotional mail and catalogs directly to consumers through an app.
 

Chicago offers a direct mail opt-out program

March 16, 2011

The city of Chicago began a mail preference service earlier this month that provides residents with the ability to opt out of receiving selected direct mail materials. The effort, created by nonprofit Catalog Choice, is designed primarily to enable Chicago to save money on sanitation and rid the city of tons of millions of pounds of paper waste.
 

Postal Service, APWU agree to four-year-plus contract

March 14, 2011

The US Postal Service and the American Postal Workers Union tentatively agreed to a new four-and-a-half-year contact on March 14. The deal, which would run through May 20, 2015, includes a 3.5% wage increase over the life of the contract, with the first raise taking effect in November 2012.
 

Illinois enacts tax requirement on out-of-state retailers

March 11, 2011

Illinois Gov. Pat Quinn signed the Main Street Fairness Bill into law on March 11, requiring all retailers doing business in the state to collect and remit sales tax. The law, which is effective immediately, requires out-of-state retailers, such as e-commerce merchants with affiliates in Illinois, to collect sales tax on customer purchases and remit them to the Illinois Department of Revenue.
 

Postal Service loses $451 million in January

March 08, 2011

The US Postal Service reported a net loss of $451 million in January when mail volume at the organization decreased 1.3% year-over-year to 13.7 billion pieces. The organization, which has said it could run out of money this fiscal year, decreased work hours by 3.3% in January, compared with the prior year.
 

JCPenney's sales increase in 2010 as retailer shifts focus toward e-commerce

February 25, 2011

Retailer JCPenney's 2010 fiscal year net sales increased 1.2% compared with fiscal 2009, the company said February 25. The company's Internet sales increased 4.4% to $1.5 billion in fiscal 2010, compared with the prior fiscal year.
 

Sears names D'Ambrosio CEO, reports 2010 revenue drop

February 24, 2011

Sears Holdings Corp. named Lou D'Ambrosio president and CEO, effective February 24. He replaced Bruce Johnson, who served as the retail company's interim president and CEO since 2008. D'Ambrosio served as CEO of Avaya, a business communications technology company, from 2006 to 2008.
 

Cabela's 2010 direct sales revenue drops 5.5%

February 17, 2011

Outdoors retailer Cabela's fiscal fourth-quarter revenue from direct sales increased 0.5% year-over-year to $386 million. However, revenue in that sector dropped 5.5% during the full year to $999.8 million, compared with the prior fiscal year.
 

H&M to debut e-commerce portal this year

Alex Palmer January 27, 2011

Clothing retailer H&M will launch a US e-commerce site at the end of this year, as well as expand its catalog operations. The Stockholm-based retailer made the announcement January 27 during its fourth quarter earnings when it reported worse-than-expected results, including an 11% year-over-year drop in profit.
 

Judge blocks Colorado e-commerce tax law

January 27, 2011

A federal judge has temporarily blocked a Colorado law that required out-of-state online retailers to notify the state of residents' purchases in order to collect sales tax from individual shoppers. The law also required multichannel retailers to notify consumers what tax they owed the state.
 

Pitney Bowes reveals direct-to-consumer messaging app Volly

January 06, 2011

Pitney Bowes plans to launch Volly, a consumer-facing communications application, in the second half of this year, the company said January 6. The platform will enable brands to send messages, including bills, promotional mail and catalogs, directly to consumers through the app.
 

Ikea contest drives e-mail opt-ins, catalog requests

Ben Comer December 13, 2010

Home furnishings giant Ikea named the finalists in its "Life Improvement Sabbatical Contest" on December 13. The company is using the program, part of a larger initiative including in-store seminars, an employee challenge and advertising, to drive opt-ins for e-mail and catalog requests. The retailer is encouraging consumers to vote on the winner.
 

Sears Holdings reports 5% Q3 revenue drop

Jacqueline Renfrow November 18, 2010

Sears Holdings Corp., the fourth-largest broadline retailer in the US, reported revenue and net income losses in the third quarter, due mostly to declines at its Sears stores. The company saw a year-over-year Q3 revenue decrease of more than 5% to $9.7 billion and a net loss of $218 billion.
 

Chico's reports Q3 direct-to-consumer sales up 41%

Alex Palmer November 17, 2010

Retail company Chico's FAS Inc. reported a 41% increase in direct-to-consumer sales in the third quarter. In its November 17 earnings report, the company said its direct-to-consumer sales, which include e-commerce and catalog orders, improved year-over-year to $34.4 million in Q3.
 

Sears enhances Wish Book for the holidays, adds QR codes to catalog

Alex Palmer November 10, 2010

The Sears Wish Book catalog is getting a social media makeover this holiday season. The retailer said November 9 that it will enhance the catalog with social shopping capabilities and make it available online and through smartphones, iPads and Facebook.
 

Catalogs.com launches iPad application

Alex Palmer October 18, 2010

Retail aggregator Catalogs.com launched an iPad application on October 18. The company's goal is to combine the graphic-heavy format and page-flipping convenience of a traditional print catalog with the interactive, lightweight benefits of Apple's tablet.
 

JCPenney to drop catalogs for 'look books'

September 28, 2010

Retailer JCPenney is discontinuing its traditional catalog business in favor of "look books," which refer consumers to the company's e-commerce site. Company representatives told 'The Dallas Morning News' that discontinuing the catalogs gives the company pricing flexibility. However, JCPenney said it expects to add $5 billion in sales over the next three years, with a significant amount of that coming from online.