Keys to the Ultimate Multichannel Marketing Mix on Agenda at ACCM Interactive Forums

March 13, 2007 — The secrets behind the ultimate marketing mix for today’s multichannel merchants will be abundant at several forums presented at the upcoming Annual Conference for Catalog & Multichannel Merchants (ACCM) (www.accmshow.com) when it convenes May 21 – 23 at the Boston Convention and Exhibition Center in Boston, MA.

New Power Forum: Differentiate and Conquer

Monday, May 21, 11:00 am – 12:45 pm

Moderator: Sherry Chiger, editorial director of Multichannel Merchant.

Panelists: Love Goel, chairman/CEO of Growth Ventures Group, a multichannel retail consultancy based in Minnetonka, MN, and Jeff Schumacher, partner, McKinsey & Co., a global strategic management firm based in Chicago.

The new realities of multichannel commerce have translated into increased competition — for distinctive merchandise, for compelling calls to action, and, of course, for customers. It’s no longer enough to offer new products, now that knock-offs and look-alikes can be turned around in a matter of days. And it’s no longer enough to promise multichannel convenience, as even retailers and manufacturers are selling to customers via the Web and mail.

Sherry Chiger will lead the ACCM Power Forum discussion of options, strategies, and tactics for rising above competitors and retaining (or regaining) customer loyalty.

New Executive Forums:

Creating the Exceptional Cross-Channel Customer Experience

Tuesday, May 22, 10:45 am – 12:00 pm

Moderated by Alder Yarrow, founder and principal, HYDRANT, a panel of executives responsible for customer experience will discuss how to think strategically about delivering an exceptional experience for customers across different channels. The conversation will include best practices, pitfalls, and how to get started down the road towards an integrated customer experience.

Customer Experience Immersion

Wednesday, May 23, 2:15 pm – 3:15 pm

This special Executive Forum will include a discussion with ACCM keynote presenter David McQuillen, who was voted one of Fast Company magazine’s “Top Ten Creative Minds for 2006.”

In this interactive discussion, McQuillen will continues his keynote presentation on the importance of interacting with the company from the customer’s point of view, and teaching people how to implement programs within the organization to help managers and executives.

About ACCM

Co-sponsored by the Direct Marketing Association (DMA) and Multichannel Merchant, the Annual Conference for Catalog & Multichannel Merchants (ACCM) is the world’s largest and most comprehensive conference for catalog, Internet, and multichannel professionals. For more information and to register, please visit www.accmshow.com.

About Multichannel Merchant

MULTICHANNEL MERCHANT helps executives manage all facets of their businesses by providing superior analysis of successful strategies across all areas of multichannel marketing – print, catalogs, e-commerce, merchandising, operations, retail and more. It’s the one source that helps professionals capitalize on opportunities in their core businesses, and integrate strategies to maximize their successes in each channel. MULTICHANNEL MERCHANT’S franchise includes MULTICHANNEL MERCHANT magazine; the Annual Conference for Catalog & Multichannel Merchants (ACCM); MULTICHANNEL MERCHANT Weekly, List & Data Strategies, and Searchline e-newsletters; www.multichannelmerchant.com; the Annual Multichannel Merchant Awards; and much more.

About Direct Marketing Association

The Direct Marketing Association (www.the-dma.org) is the leading global trade association of businesses and nonprofit organizations using and supporting multichannel direct marketing tools and techniques. DMA advocates industry standards for responsible marketing, promotes relevance as the key to reaching consumers with desirable offers, and provides cutting-edge research, education, and networking opportunities to improve results throughout the end-to-end direct marketing process. Founded in 1917, DMA today represents more than 3,600 companies from dozens of vertical industries in the US and 50 other nations, including a majority of the Fortune 100 companies, as well as nonprofit organizations.

In 2006, marketers – commercial and nonprofit – spent $166.5 billion on direct marketing in the United States. Measured against total US sales, these advertising expenditures generated $1.93 trillion in incremental sales. Last year, direct marketing accounted for 10.3 percent of total US GDP. Also, there are today 1.7 million direct marketing employees in the US alone. Their collective sales efforts directly support 8.8 million other jobs. That accounts for 10.5 million US jobs.

The Power of Direct: Relevance. Responsibility. Results.

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