September 1, 2008
Cover Story
MCM Awards 2008
It's not easy to be the best In fact, it's quite hard to put forth the effort that goes into flawless catalog creative, seamless Website navigation, unique,...
Editor's Note
The distressing tale of DMSI
When the Word Got Out that Direct Marketing Services Inc. (DMSI) would be sold at a public auction on Aug. 5, not many people even knew the multititle...
News
Swiss Colony Unit Buys DMSI
It didn’t take long for multititle mailer Direct Marketing Services Inc. (DMSI) to be scooped up. ...
Harry & David Buys Cushman’s
Food gifts marketer Harry & David Holdings is getting into the grove: ...
Blyth Buys As We Change
Blyth, the parent company of gifts and housewares cataloger Miles Kimball, announced on Aug. 4 it acquired As We Change, a catalog targeting women age 40 and older...
Catalog Tracker: Free Shipping Spree Continues
June was the Second Straight Month that free shipping promotions were on the rise. According to the Catalog Tracker service of list firm Direct Media,...
People
Eddie Bauer Holdings has hired Pirkko Karhunen as senior vice president, design. She most recently worked for Aeropostale. The company also hired Carrie...
Smithsonian Catalog, Website Back in Action
After being out of commission for four months, the Smithsonian Catalogue and online store are back in business...
Finance: More Distress, More Deals
The Second Quarter Saw Some Action in terms of mergers and acquisitions. Twenty transactions were recorded for the period, compared with 14 for the quarter...
Special Section: List Report 2008
The Independents
Walter KarlEdith RomanDirect MediaWill there be a single independent list firm standing by the time Vin Gupta is done? Good question. Gupta has said several...
Slowdown Lowdown
ParadyszMatera CEO Chris Paradysz has a theory: The list business likes to put itself in a corner, he says. But it's no different from any other business....
Catalog
Competitive benefit is king
2008 MCM AWARD WINNERS COPY The combination of fierce competition and merciless judging is certainly a reason every winner in fact, make that every finalist...
E-Commerce
Online Selling: Some words about content
There are more opinions on what the role of Web content is in selling online than there are on the upcoming election. Some people think it's the most...
Lists & Data Strategies
Port of entry
It's one thing to segment customers by behavior most merchants do. It's another to sort them by origin. But that may be just as important for a multichannel...
Market Snapshot: Sharp-Dressed Men
The Men's Apparel Catalog Market's total universe hit 1.4 million names in the second quarter of this year, according to New York-based list brokerage...
Operations & Fullfillment
Systems: Overcoming integration hurdles
Every merchant would in theory want to achieve true multichannel integration. The major benefits to this range from improved customer satisfaction and...
Distribution: USPS wants your parcel business
When it comes to parcel delivery, the U.S. Postal Service aims to get leaner, meaner and more technologically advanced. During a conference call on July...
Roadway Goes Heavy on Parcel Delivery
Transportation services provider Roadway is going after the home delivery business. The company has teamed up with NonstopDelivery, a third-party logistics provider specializing in home delivery and supply chain management, to roll out a final mile delivery service for heavyweight goods throughout the U.S....
Back Word
Back Word
WISTERIA'S REFRESHING TAKE ON OLYMPICS-INSPIRED MERCHANDISE MOST PRODUCTS AND PROMOTIONS INSPIRED BY THE OLYMPIC GAMES are too predictable and patriotic....
Slim-Jims Smarts
Many Recent Reports Foretell the Demise of the letter-size booklet, or catalog. These articles have heaped unfair criticism on the U.S. Postal Service...
