The COVID-19 pandemic profoundly changed the landscape of retail, driven in part by demographic shifts as people migrated away from coastal metropolitan areas. This movement, influenced by remote work flexibility, lifestyle preferences, and affordability challenges, has resulted in an evolving retail environment. Retailers in suburban and rural areas have experienced a surge in demand, while Read More The Shift in Retail Performance as Migration Trends Reshape America: Post-COVID Insights and Future Impacts
Category: Retail Strategies
Winning Black Friday: How to Stand Out in the Wild West of Discounts
Black Friday is one of the most competitive times of the year for retailers, with every brand vying for a share of the consumer’s attention and wallet. For CMOs, the pressure to make this Black Friday the best one yet is always top-of-mind. While it’s easy to get swept up in the frenzy of discounts Read More Winning Black Friday: How to Stand Out in the Wild West of Discounts
Beware the Four Horseman of the Apocalypse!
2021 is a perfect storm providing four challenges: Paper: inventory is limited, prices continue to rise; Postage: Mismanagement at the USPS continues to drive annual increases; PPC Inflation: privacy and competition are driving cost upward; Pandemic: while consumer confidence is still high, fears of inflation loom large. However, even the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse Read More Beware the Four Horseman of the Apocalypse!
Holiday Results Are In! And They Might Surprise You
Hardly a day goes by without a business pundit predicting the demise of another retailer and whether brands continue to be relevant to consumers. This holiday season, our retailers continue to fight that narrative with a variety of strategies and tactics with a mixture of results. Now that the season is almost over for online Read More Holiday Results Are In! And They Might Surprise You
Print is the New Digital Champion
Recently, I sat down with Lois Brayfield, CEO of J.Schmid, to chat about challenges and opportunities around brand position across channels. During this conversation, she mentioned the phrase, “Print is the New Digital Champion” and how they are using this in their client conversations. That discussion and Brent Niemuth’s video resonated with me so much Read More Print is the New Digital Champion
The YOU in Team
The retail landscape has become more complicated over the years, but as direct marketers, our mission remains the same: to find a group of people that desires a set group of products or services and lead them to a place where they can learn more about them (a store, website, etc.). I call it “inviting Read More The YOU in Team
Add a Million to Your Bottom Line
Most catalog companies today waste thousands of dollars, if not millions, in over mailing catalogs to their customers and prospects. Most industry pundits who make this observation simply recommend eliminating mailings to those buyers that they deem responsive to digital marketing or to less responsive segments. Such reductions often result in significant loss of sales, Read More Add a Million to Your Bottom Line
One Way to Fill the Revenue Gaps
Multichannel marketers have struggled for years with filling the revenue gaps that typically occur in the lull right before catalog mailings arrive in-home. Even in the age of digital proliferation, it’s still common to see the gaps form. While there are various methods that can (and should) be tested to help alleviate the gap, one Read More One Way to Fill the Revenue Gaps
How to Kick Your Retail Store Sales into High Gear
Last week I was sad to read that one of the first “brick and mortar” clients I worked with 20 years ago had declared bankruptcy. I was reminded of the initial project that I did for them. They had hugely expanded their catalog program, mailing many millions of catalogs over the year, but with results Read More How to Kick Your Retail Store Sales into High Gear