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Despite Internet and environmental concerns, catalogs keep on coming
October 19, 2009
Much of what used to be done through the mail is now handled electronically, so why do catalogs continue to thrive? As The Wall Street Journal reports, more than 17 billion catalogs were mailed in the United States last year — about 56 for every American. Many such mailings are unsolicited, and by one estimate, less than 2 percent prompt a sale.
But among retailers who rely on direct sales, 62 percent say paper catalogs remain their biggest revenue generator, according to a recent survey cited by the Journal. And that’s because glossy catalogs still entice buyers in ways computer images don’t. Moreover, marketers say, catalogs drive online sales, making them more important than ever.
“There will be some paper version for as long as I’m in the business,” said Steve Fuller, chief marketing officer for L.L. Bean, the Maine-based outdoor-goods purveyor. Bean mails about 250 million catalogs a year, making it one of the country’s biggest catalog retailers, the Journal reports.
The catalog industry says it’s working to reduce its environmental impact by pushing retailers to use more recycled paper and to make it easier for consumers to opt out of mailings. Activists want a crackdown against catalogs. Such efforts worry the U.S. Postal Service, which depends on catalogs as an important source of revenue and recently commissioned a study that concluded “the more often you mail, the more sales you could see.” — Compiled by Greg Beaubien for Tactics and The Strategist Online
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