Read This East to West
As I noted in the December issue, this column is written more than a month before you actually read it. That means while you’re sweeping away the last of the pine needles that fell from your Christmas tree, I haven’t even hit Black Friday yet.
Still, usually when I write my “post” holiday column, I already have a boatload of shopping experiences to draw from. This time, not so much.
Maybe it’s the economy — or the fact we still have a bag of uneaten Halloween candy. But like a lot of other consumers, I just wasn’t in a rush to spend.
That’s not to say direct marketers didn’t have a good shot at loosening my purse strings. Here’s a few observations from the stack of catalogs and e-mails I accumulated.
- Best ‘come hither’ offer
This past holiday it had to be free shipping. More than anything, that’s what drew out my early season purchases. In mid-November I needed a quick, nice birthday gift for an out-of-town relative and was already thinking Harry and David. I had a catalog in hand but didn’t know what to choose. An e-mail spotlighting a selection of about a dozen items that would ship gratis sealed the deal. The confirmation e-mail offered half-price shipping on my next order. I always bought a tabletop tree for my godmother, so why not do it then? That netted H&D another order — and got me another half-price shipping code. Will I place another order? It looks likely.
- Best copy
It isn’t “best” because it got me to place an order, but it is best because it stuck in my mind. Sundance put out a beautifully photographed jewelry catalog for the holidays — so beautiful, in fact, that I had to hold back from buying a lot of things for myself. Several handbags were featured, and the copy for the “Ready-to-Roll” bag intrigued me, but I wasn’t sure if it was a good or bad thing…
A bag to carry every day, soft and pliable in tumbled leather with a grained leather handle. Its east-west shape makes it easy to find things within the cotton-lined interior.
“East-west shape?” Huh? Did that mean the bag had two sides, meaning the contents would be either on the left or the right side? Wow! That’s revolutionary! Or something.
- Best Magazine/Not a Magazine
This one goes to Williams-Sonoma, whose December “Holiday Entertaining” catalog hit all the right notes with a medley of attractive layouts, lavish photographs and tempting recipes and tips. The inset boxes — like an invitation to take a class on how to decorate the Build-a-Bear Workshop cake using a new kit the catalog was promoting — were well done and helped both to sell and draw shoppers to W-S stores.
How about you? What got you to open up your wallet during the holidays? Let me know at [email protected].
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