Anthrax has slowed response at Viking Office Products.
“Response has been 5% slower this week since the anthrax incidents,” said Sean Clough, vice president of marketing at the Torrance, CA-based office supply company.
Shipping products to customers hasn’t been an issue, though, because the business-to-business marketer ships only by United Parcel Service and local same-day delivery services.
Catalogs, which are sent through the Postal Service, are reaching customers as expected–except in the Washington D.C., Maryland and New York City markets where anthrax incidents concentrated in recent days. “We’ve seen slower delivery in the seeds,” Clough said. He attributes the slower delivery to “more security in the bulk mail centers in those areas.”
Viking has made no changes in mail plans. Mailing schedules are set for the fourth quarter, Clough explained.
But e-mail prospecting, which can be planned and executed in days–or hours–has increased “significantly,” he said.
Viking is trying to enlarge its e-mail prospecting database. “There’s a significant push in the call centers to get e-mail addresses” after customers place orders, he said.
Network
