Catalogs: As the paper catalog steadily recedes, what’s taking its place?
As consumer buying habits evolve, the web is making the paper catalog obsolete. Many retailers have eliminated catalogs altogether, including Bloomingdales, Touchstone and Lane Bryant; others, such as 1800Flowers.com, Junonia, Title Nine and Chadwick’s, are cutting back. But just mailing fewer catalogs is not a strategy. Retailers have to understand who still shops through catalogs, how to transition those consumers to the Internet and how to reinvest in online marketing to build sales without mailing catalogs. This story will look at the economics of catalogs today—what it costs to produce and mail catalogs versus what it costs in online marketing to generate comparable sales. It will report what retailers who have phased out catalogs are doing instead, and how they’re faring. Finally, it will explore how long paper catalogs are likely to survive at all.