ETD: 854 Passionate Postcarder releases direct mail ROI calculator; Aid Tsunami Victims Through Recycling; Gift Givers Will Spend More This Valentine’s Day on Gifts
E-Tailer's Digest
etd_post at gapent.com
Tue Jan 25 12:25:07 GMT 2005
E-Tailer's Digest --- Everything for the Retailer
Issue #0854 January 25, 2005
George Matyjewicz, Moderator mailto:georgem at gapent.com
Published by: GAP Enterprises, Ltd. http://www.etailersdigest.com
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CONTENTS
[1] Greetings
[2] Passionate Postcarder releases direct mail ROI calculator
[3] Aid Tsunami Victims Through Recycling
[4] Gift Givers Will Spend More This Valentine’s Day on Gifts
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[1] Greetings.
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Hi All:
Martha Retallick, "The Passionate Postcarder" has a new direct mail Return
On Investment (ROI) calculator which you should consider if you are using
direct mail. That always seems to be an issue - how do you calculate
ROI? If you spent $1,000 and got back $1,001 is that good? Or should you
consider standards like advertising should represent 3-5% of sales, i.e.,
$1,000 should generate $20,000 to $33,333 revenue. What do you think?
The Tsunami disaster has brought out the best in a lot of people. One
company has a rather unique idea - recycle for Tsunami victims. Cartridges
for Kids® offers matching funds for each recyclable item donated to this
worthy cause. Rather than toss those empty printer cartridges, used cell
phones, laptops and PDAs, recycle them. I spoke with the folks at
Cartridges for Kids® and was impressed with this approach.
Coming soon - the third major holiday gift event, St. Valentine’s Day on
February 14. Gift industry guru Pam Danziger has a new report available on
the this holiday and what you should consider.
How is 2005 doing so far?
Tell us about your business, which will remain for posterity at
our "Members: Who Are You?" site. This is a courtesy to our members who
contribute to our forum, and not merely a way to advertise for
free. Anything to do with the retail world, i.e., supplier, retailer,
consulting, etc. http://etailersdigest.com/resources/members/index.htm And
we have a form there for you to tell us about you. As I said when I first
proposed this idea, we have "known" each other for a long time, yet we
often don't know anything about each other. So, tell us who you are and
what you do.
Now, let's get to everything for the retailer.
Sincerely
George Matyjewicz, PhD
Chief Global Strategist, GAP Enterprises, Ltd.
mailto:georgem at gapent.com
http://www.etailersdigest.com
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[2] Passionate Postcarder releases direct mail ROI calculator
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"Passionate Postcarder" Martha Retallick has developed a new software
package that provides instant Return on Investment (ROI) calculations for
direct mail campaigns.
The Direct Mail Return on Investment Calculator is based on the Microsoft
Excel spreadsheet software. It runs on both the PC and Mac platforms. The
Calculator can be used to evaluate the results of a mailing that has
already being done, or one that is being planned.
Further details are available at:
http://www.PassionatePostcarder.com/direct_mail_roi_calculator.html
For more information, contact
Martha Retallick, "The Passionate Postcarder"
Telephone: 520-690-1888
Web: http://www.PassionatePostcarder.com
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[3] Aid Tsunami Victims Through Recycling
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Individuals, businesses, and clubs can help Tsunami Victims by sending
empty printer cartridges, used cell phones, laptops and PDAs for
recycling. Qualifying items are valued up to $20 each with Cartridges for
Kids® matching the amount paid for each item donated. The proceeds will go
to the international aid organization Save the Children. Please visit
www.recyclecartridges.com for more details or call 970-612-2091.
With the recent Tsunami disaster, Cartridges for Kids® is reaching out to
the world the best way we know how
by fundraising through recycling. We
want to raise funds for the thousands of orphaned children in Southeast Asia.
Our fundraising is somewhat different than most because it does not involve
people spending money. We are offering the opportunity to help the relief
effort by recycling empty printer cartridges, inkjets, used cell phones,
laptops and PDAs. The proceeds from this recycling effort will be sent to
the international aid organization, Save the Children. Cartridges for Kids®
will match the amount paid for each item donated. Please visit the website
www.recyclecartridges.com for further details.
Our company, Cartridges for Kids®, is one of the largest recycling and
fundraising companies of used laser and inkjet cartridges and used cell
phones in the country. We have been recycling since 1987 with our primary
mission to help children and the environment.
Since 2000, schools and non-profit organizations have received over $5
million dollars through their recycling efforts with the Cartridges for
Kids® program. Last year, participants earned over $1.7 million for their
used items. Easter Seals earned $54,000 and Children’s Miracle Network
earned $22,000.
For further information, please contact:
Barbara Crawford
Program Director, Cartridges for Kids®
451 West 69th Street
Loveland, CO 80521
(970) 612-2091
www.recyclecartridges.com
E-mail: relief at cartridgesforkids.com
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[4] Gift Givers Will Spend More This Valentine’s Day on Gifts
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Final year-end tallies of the Christmas 2004 season are still coming in,
but for some retailers it was disappointing. While many luxury retailers,
like Coach, Saks Fifth Avenue, Neiman Marcus and Nordstrom, and internet
merchants performed superbly, other retailers targeting the mass market saw
their sales increase by 5 percent or less.
This year more retailers are depending upon after-Christmas spending to
hike their overall performance, since many retailers don' book gift card
sales until they are redeemed and more gift cards were given this past year
than ever before. As a result, retailers are eagerly anticipating the next
major holiday gift event, St. Valentine’s Day on February 14, for a spur to
sales.
Valentine’s Day is going to be more important than ever for retailers and
marketers. Retailers and marketers need to understand that shoppers have a
very different psychology when they are buying gifts than when shopping for
themselves. This study provides insights into the ‘why’ that motivates
gift shoppers.
In the latest research about gift purchasing and giving, Unity Marketing
found that seventy percent of gift-givers honor Valentine’s Day by giving a
present. Valentine’s Day gifters will spend approximately $135 this year
buying gifts, up 6 percent from last year’s average of $126. Out of the
seven major gifting holidays, Valentine's Day is the third most widely
gifted holiday, after Christmas (96 percent) and Mother's Day (74 percent).
Gifting Is Exponential Marketing Opportunity
Gifting is a powerful strategic opportunity for retailers, especially since
the major gifting holidays like Valentine’s Day and Christmas, account for
just over half of the gifters’ annual budgets, leaving the rest available
throughout the year for occasion-driven gift giving—birthdays, weddings,
anniversaries, housewarming and new babies.
“Gifting represents a rare exponential marketing opportunity where
retailers can touch two target markets directly: the gift buyer and the
recipient. For retailers, gifting has the advantages and promotional
marketing power of sampling and word-of-mouth, but it magnifies and
intensifies that power. Retailers need a gifting strategy that takes
advantage of its full relationship potential, not just for holidays, but
throughout the rest of year.”
Key findings about Valentine’s Day gift-giving, based on a survey of 950
gift givers who spent over $250 throughout the year, not just at Christmas,
include:
o Valentine’s Day goes gender-neutral
o Women are as likely to give Valentine’s Day gifts as men—68 percent of
women and 72 percent of men buy presents. Women gifters buy more
Valentine’s Day gifts (2.7 on average) than men (2.2 presents). Because of
this, retailers need to merchandise gift items that are suitable for both
genders to give and receive. But men still spend more on Valentine’s Day
gifts compared with women.
o More Valentine’s Day gifting goes on among the young
o “A heart that loves is always young,” but in the case of Valentine's Day
gifting, the youthful take the lead. So while 85 percent of millennial
generation adults (born from 1977 to 1985) bought a Valentine’s Day gift
last year, only 76 percent of genXers (1965-1976) and 68 percent of baby
boomers (1946-1964) did.
o Families with children are more attuned to Valentine’s Day gifting
o Households with children under 18 years are more likely to celebrate
Valentine’s Day with a gift (78 percent) as those without children (68
percent). Households with children spend more and give more individual gifts.
o Flowers and plants, candles, and jewelry and watches top the list of
popular gifts
o Among the 15 popular giftware items surveyed, the top gifts among
Valentine’s Day gifters are flowers and plants (56 percent); candles and
accessories (53 percent); and jewelry and watches (50 percent), followed by
plush or stuffed animals (41 percent).
About the Gifting Report
This new consumer insights study, Gifting Report: The Who, What, Where, How
Much and Why of Gift Giving & Shopping, With Special Christmas Gift Season
2004 Update presents an experiential research perspective of the gifting
market.
The gifting market, that is the buying and giving of gifts to family and
friends, is a $253 billion market. That means almost one out of every ten
dollars spent at retail is to buy a gift. The key to crafting an effective
gifting marketing strategy is to really understand the dynamics of gift
giving, shopping and selection.
A key finding from this research is that the majority of gift shopping
takes place throughout the year, not just during the last two months. Out
of the total annual gifting budget just over $2,000, the typical gifter
spends only 40 percent at Christmas, leaving 60 percent of gift spending
occurring over the course of the year.
This in depth report, based upon both qualitative and quantitative
research, provides powerful new insights into why people buy gifts and ways
marketers and retailers can gain a greater share of gifting spending. By
researching the gifting experience, Unity Marketing presents a major new
research study of the gifting market. No other research study has
investigated gifting from the experiential point of view and in such depth,
including gift-giving incidence and spending throughout the whole year,
including 7 major gifting holidays and 12 gifting occasions (e.g.
birthdays, anniversary, wedding, friendship, etc.). The personalities of
three different types of gift givers with different gift giving and buying
motivations are also explored.
Details of this report may be found here...
http://www.unitymarketingonline.com/reports2/gifting/reports2/gifting/gifting.html
Pam Danziger, President
Unity Marketing
http://www.unitymarketingonline.com
717-336-1600
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