I wish I had a nickel for every time I heard, “When’s the best time for us to mail our catalog?” I think the question is coming up more often because trends are shifting, and some companies are getting blindsided as a result.
A major contributor to shifting seasonality is the fact that Internet has conditioned customers to ordering “just in time.” While two-day delivery may not be practical when you’re selling live plants, many buyers nevertheless tend to think, “I’ll order on Thursday so I can plant this weekend.”
For many of our clients, the best month to mail has shifted from January to February … February to March … and now shows signs of edging into April. Before you make major changes to your mailing schedule, a strong word of caution:
Don’t assume what’s true for other companies will hold true for you, too. Test! Mail your best customers a few different times and see what happens. Compare results from the same list segment at different times of the year, and use that as guide as to whether you should shift more circulation to different months next year.
