If print direct marketing is dead, someone forgot to tell apparel marketer Urban Outfitter. The company is planning on boosting its catalog circulation during this calendar year.
Take its Anthropologie brand, which circulated 17.4 million books during fiscal 2010, which ended on Jan. 31. That’ll jump to 18.4 million in 2010. Its flagship Urban Outfitters line, which put out 12.1 million catalogs in fiscal 2010, will increase that run to 13.2 million in fiscal 2011. And its Free People line, which distributed 7.4 million catalogs, plans to release 8.2 million copies.
Granted, catalog circulation has been a mixed bag for Urban Outfitters during the last two years. Anthropologie distributed 21.5 million catalogs during fiscal 2009, so the planned increase won’t bring the company back to that level. But the company held the Urban Outfitters branded catalog at 12 million copies distributed between fiscal 2009 and fiscal 2010.
Free People has seen increases in both years: Its circulation stood at 6.7 million copies in fiscal 2009.
According to documents filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission, direct-to-consumer sales for all brands combined were 16.7% of consolidated net sales, or roughly $323.6 million of the $1.94 billion the company pulled in during fiscal 2010. In fiscal 2009, direct sales made up 14.9% of its consolidated sales, amounting to around $273.4 million of the company’s $1.83 billion in sales.
