Advanced Predictive Modeling Made Simple (Sort Of) By Ozgur Dogan (Multichannel Merchant) Predictive modeling has been widely adopted in the direct marketing industry. So much so, it has become the direct marketer's best friend....

ZIP+4 + 2 = ZIP+6 By Ray Schultz (Direct) How do you get an entire newspaper chain to improve its targeting? It's not easy when you own 90 papers, ranging from small weeklies to big-town dailies. ...

The First Five Commandments of Database Content Management By Jim Wheaton (Multichannel Merchant) Myriad methods exist to turn data into actionable insight. Examples include statistics-based predictive models, homogeneous groupings (also known as clusters), cohort analyses such as lifetime value, ...

Adding a Persona Touch By Tim Parry (Multichannel Merchant) Ask anyone at women's apparel cataloger/retailer Appleseed's to describe Kate, and they will tell you that Kate is a baby boomer, a mother — maybe even a grandmother — who is active in her community ...

Evaluating Web-Generated Names By Todd Miller (Multichannel Merchant) Traditional catalog-oriented direct marketers have always been suspicious of customers acquired via the Internet. "They are not loyal," some reasoned. ...

Making Measurement Matter By Jatinder Singh (Direct) The rest of the world finally appears to have caught up with direct marketers' focus on accountability....

Something for Something Drives Data Collection By Jeff Zabin In Latin, quid pro quo means “something for something.” As English speakers, we use the term to refer to a more-or-less equal exchange of goods or services. But that definition has severe limitations in the world of interactive promotions...

Recording Customers in Motion By Amy Guggenheim Shenkan, Sean Collins, and Jeff Schumacher (Multichannel Merchant) During the next five years, retail store sales are projected to grow by 2.4%. In contrast, e-commerce sales are expected to climb by 13%-14%. ...

Demand Insight and the Data Value Chain By Gavin Finn An engineer has been defined as “someone who measures with a micrometer, marks with chalk, and cuts with an ax.” The message of this quip is simple: If the tool to take action is blunt, fine measurement means little. ...

Precision Marketing Is a Green Initiative By Jeff Zabin Can an investment in improving customer data analytics to drive precision-marketing effectiveness be considered a green initiative? ...