Posted on May 19, 2008

A new college textbook entitled, 'Contemporary Business Communication' by Scot Ober, includes the following interview with our Assistant Director of Merchandising, Janet Kelly: An Insider's Perspective: Chinaberry, Inc. Few companies would point out to their customers that they sometimes charge more for products than their competitors. But Chinaberry, Inc., an international catalog sales company, has done just that -- and has seen its sales increase despite this declaration! Chinaberry, Inc. sells books and products through its catalogs and websites. The Chinaberry catalog sells more than 500 personally selected books and items for children and families, complete with detailed reviews and personal commentary from the staff. The problem, says Janet Kelly, Assistant Director of Merchandising, was that customers would often read about products in the catalogs, then purchase them elsewhere at larger outlets, such as Amazon, that can offer lower prices than smaller retailers like Chinaberry. ''It's disheartening when people discover a treasure in our catalog and then buy it from a 'big box' store because it's a buck cheaper.'' ''When so many customers said they depended upon our thoughtful selections for their family, we felt we owed it to them to let them know that if they continued to use us only as a resource, they would eventually lose us. We saw no benefit in keeping this fact to ourselves. Communicating with our customers and educating them on making conscious buying decisions has always been our M.O.'' So messages began to appear in the company's catalogs, explaining why prices were sometimes a bit higher than at larger retailers and urging customers to purchase from Chinaberry rather than from another outlet. How have customers responded? ''The vast majority thank us -- not that they're happy about being charged more, but to understand the dynamics involved.'' Kelly reports that Chinaberry's sales are now better than ever before.