Industry Spotlight:
Catalogs
How big is this industry? There are over 16,000 catalog marketers in the U.S., bringing in a total of $160 billion in sales each year. That spells tons of opportunity for you. Just take a look …
- The Who’s Mailing What! Archive tracked 61,725 total catalog mailings. This 4.8% increase over last year shows how much retailers are counting on catalogs to carry them through this very tight economic period!
- There are 1,245 major catalogers in the Who’s Mailing What! Archive. This is up 5.7% from last year.
- Email catalogs are still running strong. The Who’s Mailing What! Email Campaign Archive lists 17,031 catalog-related emails. These stats – total mailings, major mailers, and email catalogers – mean one thing for you: There is an abundant, unfilled need for catalog specialists.
- According to the Direct Marketing Association’s 16th Annual State of the Catalog Industry report, the paper catalog is still the largest revenue generator among all channels used by direct-marketing companies. In fact, 62% of direct mailers use catalogs as their main source of sales.
And in spite of the current economic woes, specialty markets – ones that rely heavily on both traditional and online catalog sales – are doing well. Here are just two examples …
- If you enjoy playing in the snow, you’ll understand why Internet sales for snow sports products grew by 75% in 2007-08.
- Urban Outfitters – Philadelphia’s upscale specialty retailer – defied the consumer downturn with a 79% increase in second-quarter profits. Internet and catalog sales were up 42%!
The Professional Writers’ Alliance
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Published: November 4, 2008
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