CHICAGO — U.S. catalog companies had an average sales growth of almost 11 percent in the first quarter, according to a new study from the Direct Marketing Association.
The survey, part of the DMA's Quarterly Business Review, was released yesterday at the Annual Catalog Conference here. It found that catalog companies reported an average sales growth of 10.9 percent compared with first-quarter 2003. On a performance index scale of 1 to 100, with numbers above 50 representing growth and numbers below 50 representing decline, catalogs received a revenue index of 55 for the quarter.
Catalogers expect an even stronger second quarter, projecting a performance index of 72 percent, the DMA said.
The QBR gauges the outlook for direct and interactive marketing users, suppliers and agencies in today's economy and lets members compare and benchmark their performance and strategies against those of their colleagues.
The QBR includes the DMA Index, a 1-to-100 scale measuring the industry's overall performance. The full survey, which measures quarterly economic activity for the direct marketing industry, will be released later this week.
