Deadline Looms for CatEx/ECMOD Supplier Awards
Quick…the deadline is this Friday (3rd) so get those forms in! Designed to honour the incredible contribution that supplier businesses offer the catalogue and online sector, not only will the winners pick up their trophy at the glittering ceremony, but they also receive recognition as a CatEx/ECMOD Supplier Award Winner for the following 12 months. How Can Suppliers Win a Supplier Award? There are two ways…1. Clients can nominate suppliers who have been key to their success over the past year. Simply complete and return this nomination form 2. Suppliers can enter a separate four categories to bring their company to the attention of a specially recruited panel of judges. Click here for the entry form.

Can you afford to miss the ECMOD2010 Conference?!
With the conference brochure landing on desks as we speak, you’ll want to be at the front of the queue to learn from the likes of Johnnie Boden (founder of Boden), Anne Walker MBE (International Dance Supplies), David Lockwood (Direct Wines), Allie Oldham (Scotts & Co), Kristine Kirby (Monsoon Accessorize) and Chloe Thomas (Indium Web Management). With over 60 inspirational speakers covering 35 topics, this conference is truly unique. To download the conference programme click here, or for further details contact Jenny or Sarah on 01271 866112.

ECMOD2010 Exhibition – Celebrating 20 years!
Free to attend, the ECMOD2010 Exhibition is celebrating its 20th Anniversary on 6th & 7th October at Earls Court, London. Attracting major B2B and consumer players as well as smaller family-run businesses, exhibitors are all expert suppliers to the catalogue and home shopping industry. For a full list of exhibitors go to www.ecmod360.co.uk/exhibitors, or to register click here. If you are interested in exhibition/sponsorship opportunities contact Jill on 01271 866112.

Mobile Fun’s French-language website beats targets
Mobile phone accessories etailer Mobile Fun has launched a website for French consumers. The new site, www.mobilefun.fr, which launched in July, is managed from Mobile Fun’s French offices in Paris and is already beating its initial sales targets, with more than 2,500 orders placed in the first two months of trading.
France is the third European country in which Mobile Fun has a local presence; the German website started trading in 2008 and is one of Mobile Fun’s fastest growing websites.

New head of marketing at Firebox
Gifts and gadgets etailer Firebox has appointed a new head of marketing to take over from managing director and current head of marketing Christian Robinson, who steps down this month. Pete Danks joins from business-card etailer Moo.com, where he was head of acquisition marketing. He also previously worked for Yahoo! where he led partner marketing at comparison site Kelkoo. The announcement follows the recent appointment of Paul Zimmerman as managing director.

Vente-Privee appoints marketing director
Secret-sales website Vente-Privee.com named Nicolas Cosson as marketing director. He takes over from Xavier Court, cofounder and partner, who moves to oversee public relations, advertising and marketing and the member relations services divisions.

Voting open for Catalogue Exchange advisory board
Catalogue Exchange member companies have been voting to elect four client-side and four supplier-side board members. A total of 20 candidates are standing for election, including incumbent chairman Dara O’Malley. Each Catalogue Exchange member company is entitled to cast one vote per vacancy. To have your say, click here. Voting closes on 10th September.

4imprint overhauls website search
With a choice of more than 2,250 personalised promotional items on its website, 4imprint has made it easier for its customers to find what they are looking for. It has revised and upgraded the search facilities on its website to enable items to be cross-referenced into more than one category, for example, a mug can appear in the eco-friendly category, a giveaway, or an office item. Customers can search by the category most logical to them, by price, shape, customer rating, or minimum quality.

Five tips to help you get set for Christmas
As a multichannel retailer, you’ve probably spent much of the summer preparing your Christmas campaign. If you still need some help fine-tuning your online marketing in time for the festive season, ecommerce provider Demandware has put together a white paper titled Preparing for the 2010 Holiday Shopping Season. Click here for a handful of its best-practice tips.