BOSTON, MA--(MARKET WIRE)--Jan 7, 2009 -- Aberdeen, a Harte-Hanks Company (NYSE:HHS - News), is pleased to announce the publication of a new research report titled "Precision Merchandising: Improving Profitability through Laser-like Targeting" which reveals how forward-thinking retailers are gaining competitive advantage by producing personalized, customized assortments for their customers. "This report will look at the influences driving customer need for more personalized assortments, what tools are available for retailers to meet this need, and how best to bring Precision Merchandising into their overall merchandising strategy," said Benjamin Ream, Retail Analyst at Aberdeen. To obtain a complimentary copy of the report, visit: http://www.aberdeen.com/link/sponsor.asp?spid=30410182&cid=5365.

The report will show how today net-savvy customers want and expect merchandise to them to be far more personalized, and better suited to their needs and lifestyle across all selling channels. Best-in-Class companies are leveraging business analytics to derive "Precision Assortments" to achieve this. By tailoring assortments to specific and also "clustered" customers' needs, Best-in-Class retailers are providing the customer greater value while distancing themselves from their competition.

 
Key benefits to retailers using Precision Merchandising include:

-- Greater customer loyalty and brand affinity
-- More UPTs (Units per transaction) at a higher margin
-- "Locking in" the lifetime value of these customers

A complimentary copy of this report is made available due in part by the following underwriters: Quantivo and Professional Advantage. To obtain a complimentary copy of the report, visit: http://www.aberdeen.com/link/sponsor.asp?spid=30410182&cid=5365.

For additional access to complimentary Retail Research, please visit http://research.aberdeen.com/index.php/-retail.

About Aberdeen Group, a Harte-Hanks Company

Aberdeen is a leading provider of fact-based research and market intelligence that delivers demonstrable results. Having benchmarked more than 30,000 companies in the past two years, Aberdeen is uniquely positioned to educate users to action: driving market awareness, creating demand, enabling sales, and delivering meaningful return-on-investment analysis. As the trusted advisor to the global technology markets, corporations turn to Aberdeen(TM) for insights that drive decisions.

As a Harte-Hanks Company, Aberdeen plays a key role of putting content in context for the global direct and targeted marketing company. Aberdeen's analytical and independent view of the "customer optimization" process of Harte-Hanks (Information - Opportunity - Insight - Engagement - Interaction) extends the client value and accentuates the strategic role Harte-Hanks brings to the market. For additional information, visit Aberdeen http://www.aberdeen.com or call (617) 723-7890, or to learn more about Harte-Hanks, call (800) 456-9748 or go to http://www.harte-hanks.com.

 
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     Media Contact:
     Benjamin Ream
     Aberdeen Harte-Hanks
     (617) 854-5207
     Ben.ream@aberdeen.com