There’s a new education option this fall for those looking to gain expertise in multichannel marketing.

This fall, the DePaul University in Chicago will introduce a certificate program and graduate degree course for marketers that well-known direct marketer Ron Jacobs helped develop. The Jacobs and Stone Multichannel Marketing Communications Graduate Certificate program, dubbed MC2, was named in honor of Jacobs and Bob Stone, co-authors of the direct marketing book “Successful Direct Marketing Methods.”

The MC2 program is designed for professionals across communications disciplines, including advertising, branding, direct marketing, interactive, promotion and public relations. It teaches marketing communications from the outside-in perspective of customers and prospects, where today every customer is a multichannel customer. 

While the university has had a direct marketing program for the past 19 years, the timing was right to add new content.   

  “Today’s rapidly changing communications landscape requires that marketing communications professionals reinvent themselves in order to stay on the cutting edge,” said Jacobs in a statement.

I did something last night that I have never done before: I bought a swimsuit online.

I’d been contemplating getting a new suit for a while, but the situation became urgent when I agreed to go to the beach with my boyfriend’s extended family for Labor Day weekend. I realized that if I was going to avoid mortifying Grandma (a Catholic Sister, seriously), I might want to look into a modest one-piece suit.

I went online, thinking it would be the easiest and fastest way, and I was surprised to find, on a pretty well-known catalog site, a few trouble-spots that were really a turn-off. These details may seem minor, but when you’re working with people like me, who generally abhor Internet shopping, it really helps to keep these basics in mind:

1.) I want to buy a product, not a person. A majority of the swimwear sites I looked at featured buxom models gallivanting in the suits — which is fine. What’s not fine is that they didn’t feature in-depth shots of the suits on their own (front, back, close-up). It’s nice to see that the products are wearable, and that people seem to have an awesome time with them, but I really need to see the nitty-gritty too, like: Is it cut in a way that will fit me (not of the buxom model variety)? and Does it have weird details that are covered up by a model’s arm?

2.) I need to know my information is safe. Most sites are great at this, asking for that special code on the back of your credit card, displaying messages about security, etc. But, again, on this big catalog site, there was nothing. I simply keyed in my billing address and my credit card info, and the transaction was done before I knew what hit me. A little scary.

3.) Be as clear as possible when communicating to shoppers. I received an e-mail confirmation with an “Order Number,” and was told I could track my purchase on the site. I clicked the link, and it asked for my “Customer Number” — which is not the same as my order number, and which I can’t seem to find anywhere. This problem is almost certainly a case of user error, but, all the same, I feel like it could have been avoided if some extra steps had been taken by the vendor.

So I’m stuck, waiting on a suit that I am not able to track, that may not come on time and may not look at all like I thought, and I’m worrying that my credit card information is going to end up in the wrong hands.

To DMNews readers who shop online, I’m curious: Is this something that happens often? How can online retailers improve the experience?

When I was younger, the end of August signified back-to-school shopping. I got my kicks buying school supplies. I loved it. I’d go to the store with my parents, list-in-hand, and excitedly rush around putting sparkly notebooks and colored pencils into the cart.

However, with the slumping economy, kids and parents may feel a pinch come the first day of school. I recently read this article on MediaPost, noting that a study from the NPD Group found that consumers say they’re planning on spending less during back-to-school shopping. The stores being affected most are clothing and shoe stores.

The percentage of people shopping at discount stores dropped from 84% to 81% and those going to apparel store dropped from 20% to 16%. Additionally, only 22% will visit shoe stores, going down from 27% last year. In total, 35% of those surveyed said they would spend less this year than last. Only 25% made the same statement a year ago.

All that being said, some retailers, like Kohl’s, are finding new ways to reach teens and tweens. The company launched a campaign this month using Stardolls.com. The site allows kids to create their own avatars and dress them in virtual Kohl’s clothing. They can buy the clothing using Stardollars, which they acquire by signing up for a monthly membership (around $5-$6). According to this article in the Wall Street Journal, Kohl’s hopes online interaction will lead to in-store sales. The avatar trend has also been utilized by K-Swiss, Eberjey and Sears.

As a quasi-hip and slightly tech-savvy Gen-Y-er, truthfully, while writing this post I said to myself, “What is with kids today spending real money on a virtual pair of shoes?” But then again, I’m sure my mother questioned my reasoning for wanting a pair of L.A. Gear sneakers that lit up with each step.

Doubleclick Performics recently debuted a new research report zeroing in on the online shopping and search habits of the tween set — kids ages 10 to 14.

Not so surprising: The most popular categories for purchase or recommendation by tweens are electronics, apparel, consumer packaged goods and telecommunication products.

A bit more surprising: Tweens are actually savvy shoppers, using search to compare prices, read product information and find sales and discounts. Who knew?

Tweens are also apparently still mall rats — while many think tweens do everything online, most still make their purchases offline, in the store. So it’s essential for retailers to include their bricks-and-mortar addresses in search results.

As an early adopter of the iPhone (my lovely wife gave me one for Christmas last year) I am slightly jealous of all the folks zipping around on their new, faster 3G models. However, my jealousy is tempered by the new iPhone apps, which work even on my now outdated model.

I wrote about widgets a few weeks back, and most of the apps are not too dissimilar from widgets — both are small applications with streamlined function.

I’m very interested in seeing how marketers leverage this new development. The free app Twitterrific integrates advertisements into the Twitter stream using the Deck Network. Will Facebook or the New York Times integrate ads into their free applications? Or, will third parties release portals that trade increased functionality for ad placement? There’s also the chance for brands to create promotional applications that can be dynamically updated with new deals, as with widgets.

Another interesting development is the series of e-books available for download. These are mostly older books in the public domain. Though it is unlikely that this will compete too readily with the Amazon Kindle, which has many more (and recent) books available to read, it does convert the iPhone into another portal for the e-book channel — and one wonders if the Kindle itself may add communication capability in the future.

Advanta has released a new Platinum Business Card for Online Marketers, offering cash back rewards for a variety of Web-focused activities.
The card caters directly to bloggers, online marketers, Web site operators, etc. by offering 5% cash back on the first $1200 spent in “bonus categories,” said categories being: online PPC advertising, eBay fees, Web site hosting, shipping, USPS, computers and office supplies, cellular services and gas. Other purchases can earn 1% cash back. Cardholders can also choose to receive travel rewards, if cash isn’t really their thing.
I’m curious to see how Advanta will market the card. Will they take the traditional credit card route and send out a direct mail campaign, or, since they are looking for online-savvy customers, will they stick to a Web-based campaign?

While the US consumer watches gas prices rise, there may be a positive spin for the cataloger and other direct marketers who save consumers a shopping trip. Bloomberg reports that petroleum gasoline futures are at  $3.40 per gallon today and I’ve seen several reports that gas averages $4 a gallon at the pump.

Here’s some math: The average American commuter driving a sedan at 20 miles per gallon would use 1.36 gallons per 1-hour round trip to the mall.  At $4.00 per gallon, that’s a $5.44 savings. If you’re company’s shipping fees are lower than that, you’ve got some feel good savings to pass on to the customer.

But before you start rewriting all of your promotional copy, consider the true nature of costs and benefits. The carbon offsets and increased prices for delivery of products to individual homes will still have an environmental impact. In addition, according to a recent study by Connected Nation, it takes 50 orders that save the consumer an hour of driving, to make 1 cent of carbon offsets for each individual. Thanks to multiplication, this can eventually total to dollars of change.

The retail industry’s woes are getting hard not to notice. DMNews reported on Monday about the financial industry’s growing lack of confidence in catalog and multichannel retail operations, forcing some, like BlueSky Brands, to close while others, such as Red Envelope, recently warned that they may have to cease operations. Yesterday, the New York Times had its own report about the growing wave of bankruptcies among retailers, pointing out that while the trend may have started with smaller retail companies like Sharper Image, which recently filed for Chap. 11 bankruptcy protection, it is quickly spreading to larger, national chains such as Linens & Things. Like our story, the NYT report also points to the banks’ contributing role in these bankruptcy filings.
In the Linens & Things example, however, the financiers appears to be willing to work with the retail chain for now. Linens & Things said yesterday that it has delayed a $16.1 million interest payment while it discusses a capital restructuring with creditors that could help it avoid bankruptcy. The retail chain also said its lenders have agreed to delay exercising their right to stop making loans to the company. Linens & Things has blamed the combined effects of the credit crunch, the housing downturn and the slowdown in consumer spending for its financial woes.
What do you think will determine which multichannel merchants will survive this current environment and which ones won’t?

The retail industry’s woes are getting hard not to notice. DMNews reported on Monday about the financial industry’s growing lack of confidence in catalog and multichannel retail operations, forcing some, like BlueSky Brands, to close while others, such as Red Envelope, recently warned that they may have to cease operations. Today, the New York Times had its own report about the growing wave of bankruptcies among retailers, pointing out that while the trend may have started with smaller retail companies like Sharper Image, which recently filed for Chap. 11 bankruptcy protection, it is quickly spreading to larger, national chains such as Linens & Things. Like our story, the NYT report also points to the banks’ contributing role in these bankruptcy filings. In the Linens & Things example, however, the financiers appears to be willing to work with the retail chain for now. Linens & Things said today that it has delayed a $16.1 million interest payment while it discusses a capital restructuring with creditors that could help it avoid bankruptcy. The retail chain also said its lenders have agreed to delay exercising their right to stop making loans to the company. Linens & Things has blamed the combined effects of the credit crunch, the housing downturn and the slowdown in consumer spending for its financial woes.

What do you think will determine which multichannel merchants will survive this current environment and which ones won’t?

1-800-FLOWERS.COM Inc. said today that it will be launching a partnership with Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia Inc. in April for an exclusive co-branded floral, plant and gift program called Martha Stewart for 1-800-Flowers.com.

“This partnership will leverage the best of both brands - lifestyle icon Martha Stewart’s unparalleled design talent with our company’s relationships with our millions of customers and our unique same-day, any-day distribution capabilities,” said Jim McCann, CEO of 1-800-FLOWERS.COM, in a statement.

The news was part of the company’s second quarter financial results release, which indicated that 1-800-FLOWERS.COM’s revenues increased 1.3% during the fiscal second quarter ended Dec. 30 for a total of $329.9 million.

During the second quarter, the company attracted approximately 1.3 million new customers, of whom 67%, or more than 845,000, came to the company through is online channels. Approximately 2.8 million customers placed orders during the quarter, of which 54.4 percent were repeat customers.

–Chantal Todé