Posts Tagged ‘Direct Response’

Quick Fulfillment Tips for Marketers

Tuesday, August 4th, 2009

tonysziklaiDon’t take the initial setup phase for granted - Clients sometimes rush or don’t put enough effort into the initial setup phase of the fulfillment engagement. This can lead to miscommunications and mistakes that have long-term ramifications. It’s especially important to communicate who all of your vendors are, and make sure all offers and file exchanges are thoroughly tested.

Understand how the decline cycle works - Companies who are outsourcing their payment processing and fulfillment need to have a clear understanding of how the decline cycle works. New clients who don’t understand the difference between soft and hard declines, or that multiple charge attempts are being made always surprise me.

Make sure your refund policies are clear and reasonable - I see many situations where clients try to save money by imposing strict or unclear refund policies. These can lead to increased chargebacks and customer service calls, as well as BBB and FTC complaints.

Consult with your fulfillment company regularly regarding packaging - Packaging is very important when it comes to freight costs. Your fulfillment company can help you come up with the best packaging to keep your freight costs down. Remember, once a package is above one pound, an extra ounce can push you to the next weight tier.

Work with customer service to plan for call spikes and backorder situations - Avoid backed up call queues and long hold times by proactively planning for call spikes and backorder situations. Fulfillment centers don’t have infinite numbers of customer service agents, so you need to work with them in advance to make sure that staff is properly allocated. In backorder situations, sometimes it is better to outbound clients or send them e-mails to let them know what is going on and thereby reduce inbound customer service calls.

Be prepared for dry spells and unanticipated storage costs - Many DRTV marketers think they will never have a dry spell and are often caught flat footed when retail orders dry up or campaigns slow down. If they have over-ordered inventory, they can end up with higher than expected storage costs, which can definitely impact their bottom line. My advice is to develop a contingency plan and build adequate cushion into your budget for storage.

Tony Sziklai is president of Moulton Logistics Management.

ERA Minute: Bosley’s George Fettig

Friday, July 31st, 2009

Interested in contributing an ERA Minute? Contact Dave Martin at dmartin@retailing.org or (703) 908-1033. 

ERA’s 2009 D2C Convention Education Tracks

Friday, July 31st, 2009

Here’s a sneak peek at what attendees can expect from the education lineup at ERA’s upcoming D2C Convention September 13-15, in Las Vegas. 

Track One: Direct Response Success

 

Track Two: Digital Marketing Intelligence 

Track Three: Operations and Profitability

ERA’s Women in Business Symposium

AsSeenOnTV.Com CEO Dan Fasano Passes Away

Tuesday, June 16th, 2009

dsc02844ROCHESTER, N.Y.—AsSeenOnTV.com has announced the death of its founder and CEO, Dan Fasano. Mr. Fasano passed away in Florida after a long battle with leukemia. Mr. Fasano was a pioneer in the direct response industry and created some of the most notable As Seen On TV concepts—including the website www.AsSeenOnTV.com and
As Seen On TV Direct. AsSeenOnTV.com President Mary Beth Fasano will ascend to the CEO position. She has been actively managing the company since Mr. Fasano became seriously ill last year. Ms. Fasano stated there would be no change in the operations of the company. She also announced that long-time corporate advisor and Rochester attorney Ron Axelrod will continue in his advisory position and that Frank Costanzo, former president of the company, has agreed to advise during this period.

In recent years, Dan has been a committed philanthropist to Hospice, The Leukemia Society, The National Bone Marrow Donor Program and the Moffitt Cancer Center. The Fasano family asks that memorials be made to Dan’s Foundation, www.MiracleOfLifeFoundation.org.

Direct Response Gets Down in San Diego!

Wednesday, June 3rd, 2009

Below are a few photo highlights from the recent Response Expo.

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Have photos you want to share with the industry? E-mail them to eMedia Editor Pat Cauley at pcauley@retailing.org.

Upcoming events you don’t want to miss:

ERA NYC Networking Reception - June 18

ERA Europe 2009 Electronic HomeShopping Conference - June 28-30

ERA L.A. Networking Reception - July 21

2009 ERA D2C Convention - September 13-15 (Early bird/free exhibit pass for ERA members ends July 1!)

Endorsements and Testimonials E-mail List: Get in the Know!

Tuesday, May 26th, 2009

pictureAs you probably know, the FTC is planning to eliminate the safe harbor for testimonials with disclaimers. If you are concerned about these changes, make sure you sign up to receive updates from us on this issue. We will send occasional updates that will keep you up to speed. This is part of the grassroots effort we will be launching shortly and these updates will make sure you know about opportunities to get involved. Please make sure you don’t miss out - fill out the form here.

Tomi Turner is ERA’s legislative manager.

Toronto Networking Reception Pics!

Tuesday, May 26th, 2009

Below are a few photo highlights from ERA’s recent networking reception in Toronto.

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Click here to get info on all upcoming events!

Registration is now open for the 2009 ERA D2C Convention!

Wheelchair Foundation Changes Lives in Ethiopia With the Help of DR

Monday, May 4th, 2009

Below are a few photo highlights from Launch DRTV Creative Director Drew Plotkin’s recent trip to Ethiopia for a Wheelchair Foundation drop and distribution. The trip was funded via a PSA spot produced by Launch DRTV and money raised from numerous DR industry players at the Los Angeles Wheelchair Foundation Gala organized by Imagine Fulfillment Services.

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To make a donation, please call 1-800-584-0796 or click here.

Industry Quote of the Day

Thursday, April 23rd, 2009

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“There’s no way you can justify spending $3 million on a thirty-second Super Bowl ad, but you sure as hell can justify a half hour infomercial that you know the cost of when within 72 hours you know the revenue you generated from it.” — Chris Rebholz, president of Christopher Morgan Fulfillment

Look for more insights from Chris and other DR fulfillment leaders in Electronic Retailer’s upcoming May issue! Do you have an industry quote or industry event pictures worth sharing? Post a comment or send an e-mail to eMedia editor Pat Cauley at pcauley@retailing.org for possible inclusion.


Mobile TV: The Newest Frontier

Tuesday, April 21st, 2009

koeppelpeter03Media buyers and marketers are looking at mobile TV to increase sales for clients.

Mobile TV is being viewed as a way of expanding brand and presents a unique opportunity when it comes to direct-response sales lead generation.

Traditional direct-mail marketers reveal that their response with print mailing has dropped to less than 0.1 percent. That means 99.9 percent of your client audience is not responding to the direct-mail piece you spent money on.

What makes mobile TV so attractive to advertisers?
The emergence of mobile TV as a mobile medium also comes with some impressive applications. For instance, if you are seeing a Lexus commercial on your mobile iPhone while watching a local news program, you could potentially touch a Lexus icon on your phone screen to be connected to a live Lexus sales representative.

The real-time factor.
Mobile TV provides the unique value of real-time marketing to consumers. Studies show they spend more when transactions are completed quickly before they have a chance to rationalize a purchase.

Even with all of these big changes underway, television is still a big layer in the media game. TV ads will continue to have loyal buyers.

Do you agree?

Peter Koeppel is a Wharton MBA and president of Koeppel Direct, a full-service media buying agency based in Dallas.

DRTV Continues Mainstream Push

Wednesday, April 15th, 2009

Unless you’ve been living under a rock, you have probably noticed the extensive increase in coverage recently of the DRTV industry. Here are some current events you won’t want to miss:

Discovery Channel’s Pitchmen - Wednesdays at 10 p.m.

CNBC’s “As Seen on TV” Special - Wednesday, April 22. 9 p.m.

Slate Magazine: The Art of the Infomercial

USA Today’s review of Remy Stern’s new book “But Wait…There’s More!”


Don’t be a Gilly! Follow ERA, Silly.

Wednesday, March 18th, 2009

Don’t be a Gilly! Instead, get to the head of the class and ahead of your competition by attending ERA’s webinars, receptions and meetings. You’ll learn about best practices, new trends and also network with your industry peers in a fun, relaxed setting.

Upcoming Events:

ERA Webinar- Optimizing Your DRTV During a Downturn: Your 2009 DRTV Stimulus Package—March 19

ERA Chicago Networking Reception—March 22, 2009

ERA Government Affairs Fly-In—April 20-21

ERA Toronto Networking Reception—April 29, 2009

CNN Direct Response Segment

Friday, March 6th, 2009