Issue link: http://osercommunicationsgroup.uberflip.com/i/620700
C o n s u m e r E l e c t r o n i c s D a i l y N e w s W e d n e s d a y, J a n u a r y 6 , 2 0 1 6 1 8 C o n s u m e r E l e c t r o n i c s D a i l y N e w s W e d n e s d a y, J a n u a r y 6 , 2 0 1 6 1 8 DIRECT MAIL BY THE NUMBERS An interview with Cliff Rucker, Vice President of Sales, United States Postal Service ® . CEDN: Many companies are using digi- tal marketing as their primary marketing channel. Why should they consider using direct mail as part of an overall market- ing strategy? CR: Over the past decade, digital mar- keting has exploded. Internet users are bombarded by email, banners, text mes- sages and more. Yet even as digital mar- keting increases, companies are relying on direct mail to gain results through a trusted medium. In fact, a recent study by Epsilon found that direct mail was the single most trust- ed communication channel chosen by consumers. CEDN: What about marketing to Gen Y and Millennials? Does direct mail work with so-called "digital natives"? CR: Studies show 90 percent of 25- to 34-year-olds consider direct mail to be a trustworthy medium and 87 percent of 25- to 34-year-olds say they like getting information and offers in the mail. Most importantly, 65 percent of con- sumers surveyed by the Direct Marketing Association (DMA) say they have made a purchase as a result of direct mail – which is why companies invest in adver- tising in the first place. You know, John Wanamaker, a nineteenth century American retailer, said, "half of the money I spend on advertising is wasted – I just don't know which half." Unfortunately that's still true for many digital-only marketers. With a carefully targeted direct mail plan integrated with a digital campaign, marketers know their advertising ROI because it's directly tied to sales, not just response or click- throughs. CEDN: How much of an ROI can marketers expect? CR: The average ROI on direct mail is 37 percent. Compare that to email at 31 percent, telemarketing at seven per- cent and social media marketing at six percent, so you can clearly see the value direct mail adds to any marketing cam- paign. CEDN: What about those who say mail is obsolete? CR: Our Mailing Promotions reward customers for combining innovative direct mail methods with their digital marketing campaigns. Rather than mak- ing mail obsolete, these promotions encourage customers to add digitally enabled technologies such as augmented reality (AR) and near field communica- tion (NFC) to mail, which just increases customer engagement. By integrating digital technologies onto a printed mailpiece, companies can guide customers to their website, social site or other digital property in a way that a search engine or email just can't compete with. Combining direct mail and digital tech- nology also increases the shelf life of your message. Studies show that 63 per- cent of consumers keep their mail for at least two days, increasing the chance they will take action and respond. CEDN: Is there anything else you would like our readers to know? CR: Be sure to visit us at booth #31026 during the 2016 CES where you can talk with USPS Marketing experts about the power of adding direct mail to their omnichannel campaigns. You can also find more information at powerofdigital- mail.com. For more information, visit www.usps .com or stop by booth #31026. LOVEHANDLE PHONE & TABLET GRIPS Smartphone accessories are the hottest trend in consumer retailing and everyone is on the hunt for the next big thing in accessories. If you are looking for a prod- uct with a bright future, DMD Products may have created what you are looking for with this unique yet immeasurably effective smartphone handle with an unforgettable name. The patented LoveHandle ® phone and tablet grip, by DMD Products, is a universal stick-on soft fingertip elastic smartphone handle that uses a removable no-residue 3M ® adhesive to securely adhere to any smartphone, e-reader and tablet. The LoveHandle even bonds to most cases. If you've ever dropped your phone or struggled to touch the farthest reaches of your screen, then you should strongly consider taking the LoveHandle for a test drive. As smartphones have grown in size, our ability to operate them one-handed without the fear of dropping them has essentially gone out the window. With the trend in larger phones, we have regressed back to a day when both hands are need- ed to effectively send a text or post a status update. This simple elastic handle empowers users to seam- lessly operate their con- nected devices on the go, and its slim design still slides easily in and out of pockets. When LoveHandle is paired with the new iPhone 6S Plus, for example, the user is able to reach all parts of the screen with his or her thumb while holding the device with one hand after slipping the tip of an index finger under the low pro- file elastic band. The improved grip is ideal for people who take a lot of photos, particularly self- ies, which can be a real challenge. LoveHandle is avail- able in many colors, including gold, silver and rose, to stylish- ly coordinate with modern devices. At a retail price under $10, it's easy to consid- er adding it to your devices. For more information, stop by booth #81131 for brochures and a free sample or visit www.lovehandle.com. THE CHARGEPOINT MOBILE APP: A NEW WAY TO FUEL YOUR CAR If you drive an electric vehicle (EV), you probably already know ChargePoint, the largest EV charging network in the world with over 26,000 charging spots. If you're not driving on electricity yet, you will be soon. EVs are simply a better car, with more torque, instant acceleration and no engine noise. Driving on electricity can save you $13,000 over the life of a vehicle – electricity is a fraction of the cost of gas and EVs require less main- tenance. Plus, you can help clean our air – in the U.S., transportation is responsible for 30 percent of all green- house gas emissions. The most important thing when you make the switch to electric is being able to find EV charging, and the easiest way to find an open charging spot is with the ChargePoint mobile app. It can help you find available EV charging stations, start a charging ses- sion, check your charging status and view your charging history. Most impor- tantly, the app shows the real-time status of the station so you can see if it's available or in use. With the ChargePoint mobile app, you can plug in wherever you go. Map: View over 35,000 charging spots with stations from all major charging networks. Real-time: Access the most real-time data of any network to ensure you don't navigate to a sta- tion that's in use. Charging: Simply start charging with a tap of a button, or if you have an Android, tap your phone on the station to use NFC. Filtering: Use map filters to see just the stations compatible with your car. Tracking: See miles added in your current session based on your car model, cost of your charging sessions, time that you've been plugged in and more. Integration: See all of your residential, public and workplace charging in one place and get recommendations on the best time to charge based on your utility plan. Download the free ChargePoint mobile app on Google Play or the App Store. Visit www.chargepoint.com for more information or visit booth #3330 in the North Hall. WOCKET SMART WALLET STAYING AHEAD OF THE CURVE NXT-ID introduces a new revolutionary method and system to perform wireless payments. This patent surrounds the use of miniature antenna modules for multi- ple purposes including RF and magnetic stripe communications, energy transfer and charging and wireless magnetic pay- ments, to name a few. "What's really exciting about this technology is that these miniature anten- na modules are small and efficient enough to fit within a wide variety of mobile and wearable applications, but powerful enough to transmit wirelessly to the most prevalent point of sale system still in use today – magnetic stripe read- ers," says David Tunnell, Chief Technology Officer of NXT-ID Inc. "We were pleasantly surprised to discover that our existing antenna designs for our Wocket ® Card are not only small enough to fit into ultra-thin powered, but can also be optimized to transmit wirelessly, enabling wireless payments not only to mobile applications such as smart phones, but also wearable applications where ultra low power and tiny size are critical, such as smart watches and smart wallets." This technology is posi- tioned to become a major enabler in wireless payments, not only at NFC terminals, but also with common magnetic stripe readers. NXT-ID states one can simply point the device containing the antenna within a few inches of most magnetic strip read- ers to successfully transmit magnetic stripe data wirelessly, at a fraction of the power consumption of other approaches. Wocket is a smart wallet designed to protect your identity and replace all of the cards in your wallet, with no smart phone or cloud required. Wocket works anywhere credit cards are accepted and only works with your biometric stamp of approval. All of your credit, debit, loyalty, gift, ID, membership, insurance, tickets, medical information, passwords and vir- tually any other card can be protected on Wocket. Order your Wocket at www.wocket wallet.com. For more information, go to www .wocketwallet.com, call 877.580.7112, email press@nxt-id.com or stop by booth #21632 at CES.