Here’s how the brand story begin:
“An outdoorsman first and businessman second, L.L. Bean had returned from too many hunting trips with cold, wet, chafed feet. He wanted a comfortable boot that would stand up to the elements. As he would find out, he wasn’t alone. When the bolt of inspiration struck L.L., very little in his background suggested he might someday lead a multimillion-dollar company. In fact, L.L.’s history should hearten late bloomers everywhere. The year was 1911…(read more)

Million Moment Mission is brilliant!

L.L. Bean will donate $1.00 for every eligible action taken between 12:01 a.m. ET on 1/18/12 and 11:59 p.m. ET on 12/31/12 to the National Park Foundation, with a total donation not to exceed $1,000,000.

Multichannel Merchant has compiled some good examples that work. Take the time to watch and read the accompanying article.

Do you have experience with product videos? Share your comments here.

Join the group and share your thoughts

Catalogers, especially in the apparel and accessories segments, need to revisit their free shipping policies and metrics in order to avoid margin deterioration in the face of continued demand by consumers.

November 15, 2011

Release No. 11-124

WASHINGTON — The U.S. Postal Service ended its 2011 fiscal year (Oct. 1, 2010 – Sept. 30, 2011) with a net loss of $5.1 billion. The year-end loss would have been approximately $10.6 billion had it not been for passage of legislation that postponed a congressionally mandated payment of $5.5 billion to pre-fund retiree health benefits.

Total 2011 mail volume declined by 3 billion pieces, or 1.7 percent, from 2010. The Postal Service’s largest and most profitable product, First-Class Mail, continued its year-over-year decline, from $34.2 billion in 2010 to $32.2 billion in 2011 (5.8 percent), which dwarfed continued growth in its more competitive products, packages and Standard Mail.

USPS Shipping Services revenue, which includes Priority Mail and Express Mail, increased $530 million in 2011 (6.3 percent). The increase in Shipping Services revenue was driven by strong growth in the Parcel Select and Parcel Return Services, due to increased mailings of packages, as customers continued to use the Internet more often to purchase products. Revenue from Standard Mail increased by $495 million (2.9 percent) on a volume increase of 2 billion pieces (2.6 percent).

The Chronicler notes:  Will the USPS get smart and notice that the two areas of growth come from multichannel merchants and that responding to that demand might provide at least part of the solution?

It was usually (although not always) with some amusement that I watched Sheldon come into the office and rip into the purchasing department for not returning items he happened to find in the warehouse stuffed onto the back of some distant and hard to reach bin.  Imagine the look on John’s (a buyer) face when he was presented with some electronic contraption with vacuum tubes and transistors – mind you this was just a few years ago.  John’s reply?  “Sheldon, I don’t even know what that is or what it does!  And the manufacturer is long gone, outta business.”  Sheldon would say, “Return it for credit anyway.”

Defender was actually one of the very first – if not the first – boating catalogs (circa 1960) and internet retailers (1994). In their own way, a true pioneer in the industry.

Goodbye Sheldon.

If you have a story to tell regarding QR codes, let The Chronicler know. I would like to hear it.

Now that “free” shipping and higher fuel prices have embedded themselves in the cost structure of the survivors, what will be the impact of the USPS’s dismal state in years to come?  Stay tuned.