Elektra-fyin’!

Elektra, a retail chain with more than a 1,000 stores across Central and South America, wanted to make it easier for Mexican-Americans to buy appli­ances and other house­hold goods for family members at local stores in Mexico.

The answer: catalog mailings and call cen­ters to process U.S. orders, coupled with a system for the Mexican stores to verify payment and the recipient’s identification.

USPS Global Account Manager Alfredo Villaescusa in Tucson, AZ, worked with Elektra. The first mailing of 220,000 catalogs was delivered last month in Chicago. Others are planned for New York, Los Angeles and Austin, TX. The company also is considering USPS to mail account statements in the future.

Current revenue from this account is $103,400 monthly — or an impressive $1.24 million annually.