According to the 2006 edition of "The National Directory of Catalogs," from Oxbridge Communications, the number of product catalogs in North America that were available only in an online format nearly doubled in 2005.
Online catalogs made up 78% of 11,438 catalog listings in 2005, compared to only 60% in 2004, and 1,320 of them were available online only. In 2004 only 772 of the catalogs listed were online only.
The reason for the migration is clear. As the Direct Marketing Association (DMA) reported late last year, printed catalogs accounted for 65% of multi-channel retail sales in 2002, but only 40% in 2005.
On the other hand, website and e-catalog sales rose from 14% to 30% of the total in the same period.
"While online catalogs are on the rise, marketers continue to find print catalogs a powerful tool for driving customers to their websites; and some catalogs that began online have added print versions, such as 'RugsUSA,'" said Deborah Striplin, editorial director for Oxbridge. "In addition, there is a rise in 'magalogs,' or catalogs that contain editorial content, such as 'Outdoor Republic' and 'Pulse.'"
Over the past ten years, the three catalog categories showing the strongest growth were Automotive, which grew from 270 to 542 titles; Education, growing from 334 to 513 titles; and Apparel & Accessories, up from 677 to 750 catalogs.
Strangely, considering the rise of technology and the Internet, during that same time period, the Computers & Automation category decreased from 561 to 240 catalogs.
Of the 225 subject categories covered in the directory, the Books & Book Trade category had the most listings with 1,008. The next most popular categories were Apparel & Accessories with 750 catalogs, Automotive with 542, Education with 513, Gardening & Horticulture with 434 and Gifts & Greeting Cards with 307.