INTERNET RETAILER, March 2009: Although retail catalogs are still a big business at The Orvis Co. Inc., economic demands are forcing the retailer of outdoor apparel and sporting goods to reduce circulation. It’s a tough call for the brand that started in 1865 as a mail-order house, says Mark Holmes, vice president of information technology, because it risks cutting off valuable customers.
Even in a web world, loyal catalog customers have proven valuable because they spend more, he says. “The importance of the catalog hasn’t gone away,” Holmes says. “We’re proving that someone who gets a catalog buys across our web and store channels, and that the catalog is a material tool for driving people to our retail web site.”
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