To promote its move into the office products supply category, Daisytek conducted a direct mail and e-mail campaign that in less than two weeks has generated more than 125,000 requests for its four new catalogs.
For years, Daisytek has been a wholesaler of computer products, handling shipping from one “super-hub” in Memphis, TN. But this month it launched the new catalogs that feature its office products line to resellers, and on Jan. 1 it opens distribution centers in California and New York.
“Our customers are looking for expansion,” said Gordon Zdeblik, Daisytek's vice president of office products. “They wanted to be able to come to us for more than just computer-related products.”
The campaign to promote the change began late last month with a drop of 15,000 samples of the new catalogs and a sales kit to existing customers and prospects. Another 5,000 e-mails went to prospects and the more active customers within its database. The e-mails contained images from the catalogs along with the same information in the sales kit.
One of the new catalogs, called Business Products 2003 but dubbed the “big book,” has more than 12,000 office and computer products. The three smaller catalogs are the Computer Supplies Catalog, Business Machines and Peripherals, and Office Essentials.
Daisytek provides these catalogs to resellers who can then brand the catalogs and mail them to businesses or consumers.
More than 25,000 copies of the largest of the catalogs have been ordered along with 100,000 copies of the three smaller catalogs. Zdeblik did not say how many different resellers placed orders but revealed that the average order size from each was around 500. The campaign targeted small and medium-sized resellers.
