A growing number of catalogers are shifting the focus of their efforts to the non-print media of the Web and e-commerce, according to a survey released today by Transcontinental Printing's catalog group.
According to the survey of 100 catalogers, 66 percent identified the Internet and e-commerce applications as an area of significant investment. Also, 54 percent listed the use of house files as an area of investment, followed by list sourcing at 40 percent and mailing frequency at 35 percent.
Growing Web site and multichannel marketing sales is becoming as high a priority as printed catalogs, Transcontinental said. According to the survey, 78 percent said they intended to grow mailed catalog sales while 73 percent identified Web site sales as a growth priority and 72 percent listed multichannel marketing.
The shift to Internet sales may be explained, in part, by catalogers' discomfort with growing mailing costs, Transcontinental said. The survey revealed that 39 percent of respondents said costs associated with mailing and distribution represented the greatest obstacle to their growth, followed by the cost of paper at 15 percent.
Of the 100 catalogers surveyed, 61 had annual print volumes of more than 500,000 while 31 percent had average print runs of 450,000 or more.
Fifty-three of the respondents identified catalogs as their primary revenue producer.
Scott Hovanyetz covers telemarketing, production and printing and direct response TV marketing for DM News and DMNews.com. To keep up with the latest developments in these areas, subscribe to our daily and weekly e-mail newsletters by visiting www.dmnews.com/newsletters
