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 Catalog

Red Cross drives gift-giving

January 01, 2012

The American Red Cross launched a multichannel year-end campaign to allow consumers to buy regular gifts for loved ones through a gift catalog that places these items side-by-side with gifts and services for those less fortunate.
 

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.
 

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.
 

Brands hop on iPad catalog bandwagon

October 01, 2011

Google's new catalog app for the Apple iPad reignited a debate that will likely rage among direct marketers at least for the foreseeable future: are print catalogs a marketing luxury?
 

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.
 

Q&A: Amy Sullivan, director of e-commerce, Brahmin Handbags

August 01, 2011

Amy Sullivan, director of e-commerce at Brahmin Handbags, discusses why her brand won't abandon direct mail.
 

Boston Proper builds customer database and sales with summer catalog initiative

August 01, 2011

With a glass of Merlot in hand, an affluent 46-year-old woman skims the pages of a Boston Proper catalog packed with photos of striking models in knit tops, maxi dresses, swimwear and sandals.
 

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.
 

Hardware chains match multichannel efforts nearly nail for nail

July 01, 2011

With more and more consumers using digital technology throughout the purchase process, home specialty retailers such as The Home Depot and Lowe's are bridging their in-store offerings with a multichannel approach to keep up with the various consumer touchpoints. The two companies share a foundational strategy and execution, if little else.
 

Q&A: Lynn Gore, VP of marketing, Plow & Hearth

July 01, 2011

Lynn Gore, VP of marketing at Plow & Hearth, discusses strategy for a uniform brand message across various channels.
 

Fewer than half of marketers see revenue increase in early 2011: DMA report

May 31, 2011

Forty-one percent of marketers said they saw higher revenue in the first quarter of 2011 than Q4 2010, down 5% compared with the previous quarter, according to the Direct Marketing Association's quarterly business review for Q1 2011.
 

Continual testing on Tafford Uniforms' 
e-commerce site lifts conversion rates

May 01, 2011

The Tafford Uniforms brand has sold nurses' scrubs and other medical uniforms to healthcare workers for nearly 25 years. While other brands focused on a b-to-b model by negotiating bulk contracts with healthcare facilities, such as hospitals, Tafford remained committed to selling directly to the individual worker.
 

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.
 

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.
 

PennySaverUSA.com launches mobile site

February 07, 2011

PennySaverUSA.com, a subsidiary of direct marketing company Harte-Hanks, and a provider of free online classifieds and online coupons, formally launched a mobile optimized website on February 7. Visitors to the site can use GPS technology to search for ads and coupons in their current location.
 

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.
 

Retailers testing out e-catalog versions

Chris Daniels January 01, 2011

A growing number of retailers have released app and digital versions of their printed catalogs, in an effort to reach a wider audience of shoppers.