There’s a new service created by the National Resources Defense Council, the National Wildlife Federation and the Ecology Center that lets consumers specify which catalogs they wish NOT to receive. Over 20,000 people have already signed up.
Clearly the reasoning behind this new service is purely environmental.
We see 3 things happening as a result of this…especially with the recent postage increase:
- Variable data printed catalogs will grow in popularity. A lower volume of catalogs will be sent out with less pages, but extremely targeted based on the individual’s purchase history or demographics.
- Maybe #1 seems like a stretch, but what will definitely happen is catalogers will get smarter about how they market and who they market to.
- More focus will be put on driving traffic to the cataloger’s website including search engine optimization and paid search.
And we also think more and more catalogers will start using recycled and certified virgin paper, and become more environment-conscious. This will likely happen within the industry as a whole because it’s becoming more and more important to consumers.
When it comes down to it, all of this is positive for the industry. Less paper wasted, more targeted offers and smarter marketing.
Popularity: 34% [?]
Tags: Catalog Marketing, Variable Data Printing
“I’m sorry, I received all the components for your current mailing but unfortunately I can’t insert these components. I just don’t have enough clearance left and right to insert.”
Have you ever received this type of phone call? It can happen.
To give you an idea of how standard lettershop inserting equipment works…each component is placed in its own individual hopper. A gripper arm reaches down and grabs the insert and drops insert 4 on 5, 3 on 4 and so forth. All the inserts, neatly and strategically stacked, come to the end of the line. During this process, an outer envelope (the carrier envelope) is waiting at the end of the conveyor belt.
“How do the inserts get into the envelope?” Good question…a suction cup grabs the throat of the envelope and pulls it up about a 1/4″. And then an inserting arm shoves all of the inserts into the envelope.
Doing this at 4,000 pieces per hour, things happen quickly. When the envelope is opened a 1/4″, it actually shortens the overall width of the envelope. Therefore, most lettershops require a 1/4″ clearance on both the left and right side of the envelope. For example, if you have a #10 envelope with a width of 9-1/2 inches, the maximum insert size is 9 inches.
For more information or questions, please contact Matt Cote at matt (at) ballantine.com.
Popularity: 30% [?]
Tags: Inserting, Lettershop
