Arandell Corporation

Gary Sierzchulski, VP, Arandell Data Services

This past week I was in New York.  It was a beautiful, sunny afternoon and I was sitting on a bench at Noon eating a hotdog and watching everyone rush by on 6^th Avenue.  What I noticed more than ever is that most people were not enjoying the great weather or for that matter, the people walking around them; they were too busy with their heads down looking at their phones.  I did a quick test.  For one minute I counted the number of individuals who were not using their phone either to (believe it or not) talk or to look at their emails, websites and yes, mobile apps.  There were only 33 people who fell into that category…33 people out of hundreds that rushed by!  That is incredible but not unusual.  We have become obsessed with our phones and their ability to do just about everything for us.  Here is an interesting fact; people sleep more nights with their phones than with a human person.  These phones must be something special.

Today there are over 285 million mobile phones in use in the U.S. and of those, 160 million have the ability to text.  Get this, even though there are “only” less than 50 million iPhones and Blackberrys in use, the Apple store has downloaded over 2 billion apps so far. You do the math.

So you have two choices; embrace this new technology or think it’s a passing fad that will be gone as soon as the next major communications invention arrives.  Let’s take the side of embracing it.

When we look at the different marketing channels we think of the basics; brick and mortar, direct mail and the youngest member, the Internet.  Now there’s a new kid in town – mobile, and he’s growing bigger each month, more than the other three combined.

So how do you get on the mobile wagon?  There are a few steps to take to see if it’s right for you now.  Keep in mind it’s not a question of IF its right, but rather a question of WHEN it’s right for you.  Sooner or later you will be riding the Mobile Wagon.

1. Look at your customer base.  How much of your sales are generated through the Internet? (Don’t be confused with “through the Internet” as opposed to by the Internet.)  Most likely you see that number growing, meaning your customers are savvy, technological capable, and want to control the buying decision when they want to.  If you answer, “yes” to this – you are ready for mobile.
2. In analyzing your web results, what percentage of hits is from mobile phones?  If you see any at all – you are ready for mobile.
3. Do you want the ability to “talk” to your customers at any time or any place they are, maybe even as they just walk into your store?  If yes – you are ready for mobile.
4. Do you want to give your customers the option to experience a rich, visual, and inviting view of your store that is always open for business?  If you say yes to this – say mobile.
5. Can your customers walk and talk at the same time?  Are they over the age of six?  If yes – you are ready for mobile.

Keep in mind, mobile will not, repeat, NOT replace any of your existing marketing channels.  What it will do is give your customers another alternative to see your products, understand your company and most importantly buy from you in a very different environment.  Used strategically with your other channels, mobile is a great new addition to your weaponry. 

There are several ways to break into the mobile market.  The beauty of this technology is that you can take it very slowly and build over time or go hog wild from the get go.  Either way, you will be adding a whole new dimension for your customers and prospects to interact with you.  And since this technology is relatively new, most marketers have only begun to unleash the ability of this channel so you can get very creative and give your customers a highly unique experience before others copy your great idea.

So do not fear, mobile is here and is not going away.  But it is a great marketing partner for you and its possibilities are only limited by your creative abilities.  Give me a call to learn how Arandell is embracing this technology and how we’re working with our customers to incorporate mobile with the Mother of all marketing channels – The Catalog.

Jim Treis, EVP, Sales & Marketing

Menomonee Falls, WI, Austin, Texas, April 15, 2010 – Arandell Corp., North America’s premier and most robust offset printing company, today announced a partnership with Digby, the leading provider of mobile commerce solutions for retailers, to power Arandell Mobile Solutions, providing retailers with mobile optimized extensions for their print catalogs. Additionally, Arandell and Digby have entered into an ongoing Strategic Marketing Agreement to develop innovative and cutting edge cross-channel marketing practices that fully leverage the complementary strengths of catalog, mobile and in-store channels.

 “Through our internal response analysis we conduct for our clients, catalogers who integrate a mobile solution into their overall marketing mix see a significantly higher customer response to their marketing messages, produce a higher customer average order and achieve higher customer retention” said Jim Treis, EVP Sales and Marketing at Arandell. “We chose to partner with Digby because of their expertise and experience in our market, coupled with the fact that their solution works seamlessly across multiple phone platforms. This combination makes Digby unique in the market. They were the natural choice to power for Arandell’s Mobile Solutions offering.”

Consumers are increasingly looking to their mobile devices to research products they are interested in. Making it easy and efficient for mobile users to find product specifications, access social content such as product ratings & reviews, share products with friends through integration with Facebook, and even access product availability in retailer’s stores, all of which are components of a comprehensive multi-channel strategy. Arandell and Digby have developed best practices and standards for catalog retailers that enable consumers to use their mobile device as part of the shopping experience. Mobile integration points include mobile friendly urls and bar codes that provide consumers with real time access to  relevant information for their purchase decision.

“Forward thinking retailers are treating mobility as a strategic opportunity and delivering an immersive mobile experience.” said Dave Sikora, CEO of Digby. “Our relationship with Arandell will allow us to deliver a compelling mobile experience that complements their direct mail and catalog initiatives.”

According to a recent survey by Ruder Finn¹, an independent public relations agency, 34% of mobile users use their devices to find background information on products or read product reviews. 

¹ Ruder Finn Mobile Intent Index (http://intentindex.com/mobile)

 For additional information, contact:

Katy McDermott
Marketing/Sales Analyst
Arandell Corporation
KMMcDermott@Arandell.com
www.Arandell.com

Stephen Slezak
Marketing Director
Digby
sslezak@digby.com
www.digby.com