One of the reasons hackers breach direct marketing merchant sites is that’s where the card numbers are stored. Cardholder data is kept for a variety of reasons including: 1) providing customer service, 2) processing re-occurring transactions and 3) responding to chargebacks (representments). Fortunately, Visa recently clarified its Rules and advised merchants that they no longer need the entire 16-digit card number to cure a chargeback. Instead, merchants may use other clarifying information in addition to a truncated card number, in responding.

Visa has also mandated that issuers accept these truncated numbers. This is welcomed news for merchants and unless card numbers are absolutely needed, they simply should not be stored—helping to lessen the burden of PCI compliance. PCI compliance requires card numbers to be encrypted (if they are stored).

This does not eliminate an e-tailer’s responsibility to comply with PCI, as they are still processing card data; it merely makes the job easier. Further, direct marketers how are processing re-occurring transactions should consider utilizing a gateway that stores the data for them in an encrypted fashion.

Many gateways have re-occurring payment modules, which allow you to input the card data and to bill that same card on a regular basis, yet encrypts and stores that data in a PCI-compliant format. Since most e-tailers utilize a payment gateway, it behooves you to inquire if your gateway can perform this service for you. Doing so further allows you to concentrate on selling and eliminates enormous enterprise risk. Risk that could lead to substantial fines, the loss of your merchant account and a listing of your data on the MATCH file; further curtailing your ability to process transactions.

Think about the reasons you are storing card data. Do you really need to?

Ken Musante is president of Direct Response Payments in Eureka, Calif. Contact Musante at (877) 476-0570 or at kenm@eurekapayments.com.

Bookmark It

Hide Sites

1. One free registration to ANY of our domestic conferences (including September’s ERA D2C Convention) – a $1,600 value!;
2. Networking opportunities with our 450+ member companies;
3. Significant discounts to all of our industry events;
4. Free admittance to our monthly educational webinars and subscription to Electronic Retailer magazine;
5. Representation and influence on Capitol Hill.

So what are you waiting for? Contact Robin Greenspan today at rgreenspan@retailing.org or 703-908-1306 for more information about joining ERA.

Bookmark It

Hide Sites

When I was a young lad, nobody in their right mind said, “When I grow up, I want to be in the infomercial business.” But nearly 25 years after starting in this industry, that’s just where I find myself. And boy, am I glad!

As Electronic Retailer magazine and ERA celebrate the 25th anniversary of the infomercial, we wanted to give all of our readers the opportunity to share their stories and memories.

Here are mine…

It was a snowy day in December of 1986 when I reported for duty on my first day as an inbound call agent for National Instant Consumer Exchange, then known as NICE Corporation. Today, it goes by the name Convergys, and it’s one of the largest contact centers in the world. At that time, I was a skinny teenager making minimum wage. NICE Corporation was a little company whose entire inbound call center fit in one room in Ogden, Utah. And the infomercial business was in its infancy…but just getting ready to explode to a scale few could have imagined.

In those days, the phones were ringing non-stop for blues records, stop smoking products, diet pills and a wide range of other products. The 30-minute “infomercial” format had just hit the airwaves one-year prior. New upstart cable networks had hours and hours of time to fill, and the long format gave them something to broadcast while adding to the bottom line. And the American consumer was enraptured with the whole idea of watching a 30-minute advertisement, then calling to order a product, which would be delivered right to their home. They were doing it by the millions.

Yes, the industry has grown by leaps and bounds since that time. So has my career. And my waistline…but that’s a different story.

In the 24 years I’ve been in the business, I’ve worked for call centers large and small. I’ve done creative production for short form and infomercials, product marketing, international distribution, product sourcing, e-commerce and more. Starting in 1999, I’m proud to have been (and continue to be) one of the pioneers on the forefront of new technologies in the electronic retailing space. My team was the first to stream infomercial video online (years before YouTube existed), was the winner of the very first “Best Website” award ever presented by ERA in 2001, and I’ve continued to introduce new tools and concepts to the industry through my articles in Electronic Retailer magazine, and speaking at dozens of industry conferences. Whether it’s the shift from “Call Now” to “Visit our website,” SEO, innovative shopping carts or social media marketing, this industry is always changing…and always fascinating.

Here are a few of my “remember when” memories from 1986:

• “COD” was the payment option of choice for most consumers calling to order.
• Orders were mailed or faxed from the call center to the fulfillment center. There was not data transfer!
• For really big clients, we sent a reel-to-reel magnetic tape every couple of days containing their orders.
• The “Golden Girls” were big on TV. (Twenty-five years later, Betty White is still hot on TV.)
• A gallon of gas was 89 cents.
• Richard Simmons made his FIRST appearance on QVC.
• When they weren’t watching infomercials on TV, people were watching “The Cosby Show” and “Magnum P.I.”
• There was only one “toll free” prefix…and it was 1-800.
• One last memory of the past 25 years: The friends I’ve made in the business are second to none. To this day, I have business relationships stretching back to the very earliest days of my career, and I’m proud to call these same people my friends these many years later.

So now it’s your turn. What are YOUR favorite memories of the DRTV / Infomercial / Electronic Retailing business? How did you get started? What “remember when” highlights would you add to the above list?

Please leave your thoughts in the Comment section below and let the reminiscing begin!

Marty M. Fahncke is a consultant, speaker and writer working with companies around the world to increase the effectiveness of their marketing strategies. Fahncke is a regular contributor to Electronic Retailer magazine, and is a member of the Magazine Advisory Board. Be sure to check out his blog at http://www.MartyFahncke.com.

Bookmark It

Hide Sites

Digital marketing is without a doubt the future of the industry, and
it is best for agencies to jump on the bandwagon early before it is
too late to get with the times.

Social media is perhaps the most popular aspect of technology to
emerge in the last few years, and has quickly become an institution.
With websites such as Facebook and Twitter, people have never been
able to integrate their online and offline lives together better than they can now. Since so many people spend a good deal of time visiting and updating their profiles on sites such as these, marketers have come to realize that there is no better way to reach people these days than through social media. Taking advantage of social media sites can make marketing easy and inexpensive.

Marketers use social media in a variety of different ways. Most social
media sites sell ad space, which can be used to target either a national or local market. Marketing agencies are learning that since these sites can target someone based on their location it is not much different than advertising in print, yet it costs a whole lot less. On top of these methods, marketers are also starting to set up their own Facebook and Twitter accounts so that they can report any type of news or events. If the page is fun and interesting to read, it may even be possible to develop a following of people that you can market to on a regular basis. Using social media to this effect is perhaps the single most important thing agencies can do.

James Mowery is a computer geek who writes about technology and related topics. To read more blog posts by him, go to online dating.

Bookmark It

Hide Sites

ATTENTION!

Download the 2010 ERA Annual Awards Submission Packet and submit your entry by May 24!

Contact Ashley Cavell or visit retailing.org/Annual_Awards for more information.

Bookmark It

Hide Sites

To learn more about the ERA Networking Reception: Toronto and to register, please visit retailing.org/Toronto. Also check out the photos from the 2009 ERA Networking Reception: Toronto! For a complete list of upcoming ERA events, visit retailing.org/events. Hope to see you soon!

Bookmark It

Hide Sites

ERA has listened. And now we’re responding.

We’ve already taken steps toward becoming a true content-driven association and will be dramatically increasing the publication of original content and research.

But we need your help.

Please take less than five-minutes to complete this survey. We’ll use the results to shape ERA’s editorial calendar to ensure that we deliver you timely content on the topics most crucial to your business—and in the formats you prefer.

Be sure to include your contact information in the space provided on the survey to be included in a drawing for a FREE All Access Pass to the 2010 ERA D2C Convention at the Wynn Las Vegas September 21-23 — an $800+ value!

Thank you in advance for your help.

Bookmark It

Hide Sites

Advocacy: This year we have moved the ERA Government Affairs Fly-In to the middle of the week not to avoid the Monday blues, but to give you more opportunities to meet directly with members of Congress. Staff level meetings are extremely important, but we hope added member meetings will help to make the experience more interesting and help to create a lasting impression of our industry.
Education: This year we are expanding our educational content. We’re going to keep it as informative as last year, but we’ll also make it fun. Here are a few key changes:

• We’re sponsoring an interactive game that helps to provide perspective on what is important to a member of Congress. I’ve participated in it and it is really informative for those with a great deal of political understanding as well as those who are new to the process.
• The educational sessions will be presented in a live webinar the week before the Fly-In, this will give you more time to think about how your business could be affected and can help you share specific information on how your company will be affected.
• We’re also including a dynamic presentation on how the electoral landscape could shift in the next election. This brings one of the most exciting elements of politics to our stay.

Last year the networking was a resounding success, but that doesn’t mean we didn’t improve it. This year we’ll use our educational offerings opportunities to get to know your colleagues in the industry. By participating in our interactive game and presentations you’ll see a different side of colleagues you have known for years and get to know people who are new to the industry.

More than 35 industry members have already registered to attend! Register today and learn more at retailing.org/fly-in.

Bookmark It

Hide Sites

Here is the top 10:

1.   Berkshire Hathaway
2.   Johnson & Johnson
3.   Google
4.   3M Company
5.   SC Johnson
6.   Intel Corporation
7.   Microsoft
8.   The Coca-Cola Company
9.   amazon.com
10. General Mills

Rick Petry is a freelance writer who specializes in direct marketing and is a past chairman of ERA.  He can be reached at (503) 740-9065 or online at rickpetry.com.  On Twitter at http://twitter.com/thepetrydish.

Bookmark It

Hide Sites

Twitter has long struggled with both uptime and search-ability, two areas in which Google is the acknowledged champion. The question is whether Twitter is really doomed in the face of Google’s clear attempt to take over their turf.

While it’s not clear at the moment, it doesn’t look good for Twitter.

While Google Buzz got off to a rocky start by automatically enrolling anyone with a Gmail account into Buzz and connecting them with everyone else in their contact list, the blunder still proved that Google has the power to make this kind of social media tool far more easy to use than Twitter ever has.

Twitter’s search ability is limited. Google’s search engine can be put to excellent use in helping people find who and what they’re looking for. 

On the other hand, Twitter already has a thriving culture and traditions, with its own cadre of words, lots of offline spin-offs like Tweetups and live-Tweeting, and the use of the hashtag, which Google Buzz hasn’t yet incorporated.

Finally, there’s also the question of whether people are even interested in learning how to use a new social media tool, when they already have so many to handle. The groundwork has been laid by an evolution of social sites, and Google’s Buzz will more than likely build upon what has already been successful. Tying this in with their other powerful tools for example; Google Maps, Picasa, Trends, and Product Search, certainly can be a convincing way to make people want to give Buzz a try.

Peter Koepell is the President of Koeppel Direct and has over 25 years of advertising, marketing and media experience. You can follow him on Twitter at http://twitter.com/drtvbuyer.

Bookmark It

Hide Sites

Register by July 1 and receive a Show Floor Only Pass for FREE (ERA members) or $99 (non-members). The All Access Pass is only $835 (ERA members) or $1,399 (non-members). New this year, you will also need to separately register for a ticket to the ERA Annual Awards Gala - just $179 (ERA members) and $299 (non-members): www.D2Cshow.org/registration. Go ahead little birdie - spread your wings and register today!

Bookmark It

Hide Sites

ERA’s annual Government Affairs Fly-In is where direct response executives get together to advocate for our industry on the Hill. First, participants get the latest information on upcoming legislative and regulatory proposals. Then they have a hands-on opportunity to present our industry’s concerns directly to members of Congress and their staff. The work you do at the Fly-In lets lawmakers know we aren’t just advocates in Washington, rather we are an entire industry of entrepreneurs that can be affected by what happens inside the Beltway. Of course the event wouldn’t be complete without great networking, so we include two vibrant networking receptions. Plus, spending time on the Hill is like playing a team sport, so you get beyond exchanging business cards and start forming real relationships.

We’re also adding new features this year. Because we are moving the Fly-In to Tuesday-Wednesday, we’ll have more meetings with members of Congress. Plus, our education will be both more informative and more interesting than ever before. You’ll have an in-depth educational webinar before the Fly-In. At the Fly-In you will participate in an interactive game where you can experience the day to day pressures faced by a member of Congress. This is a helpful tool for those new to politics and seasoned veterans alike – plus it’s a lot of fun. (Warning: This can get competitive!) We’re also including an exciting presentation on how the electoral landscape may change in 2010 – so you can be in the know before anyone else.

Don’t miss it! Register now and learn more at retailing.org/Fly-In.

Tomi Turner is ERA’s legislative manager.

Bookmark It

Hide Sites

It appears that nearly 2 million people were affected by this disaster. It is estimated that rebuilding will take at least 3 or 4 years and may cost tens of billions of dollars.

Please take a moment to consider helping our DR industry colleagues and all of the Chilean people affected by this disaster.

• Donate directly to the American Red Cross
• Contact affected members directly
                Falabella TV: Ricardo Alonso, ralonso@fallabella.cl
                Antena 3 Directo: Andres Sunnah, asunnah@a3d.cl

Bookmark It

Hide Sites