The number of online catalogs grew from 6,147 to 7,440 in the past year, according to the 2005 edition of the National Directory of Catalogs, released yesterday.
The directory includes information on approximately 11,000 business and consumer mail-order catalogs in North America. Of those, 3,805 catalogs are available only in print form, down from 5,169 last year. There are 6,668 catalogs available online and in print form, and 772 that are available only online, up from 648 last year.
Of the 234 subject categories in the directory, automotive experienced the most growth, from 387 to 521 catalogs. The largest catalog categories are books, with 1,045 catalogs, and apparel/accessories, with 768.
