According to the DMA’s report, 91% of catalogers say they’re active on the Internet

The internet has become an established channel among catalogers.

Ninety-one percent of the group say they have an active presence online, according to the Direct Marketing Association’s recently issued State of the Catalog Industry Report. Among those active, 89% are consumer catalogs and 95% are business-to-business titles.

Catalogers are using the Internet to attract new customers, too. Respondents said 44% of their online buyers had never purchased from the company before.

Web-site Sales Expected to Rise

The study also shows that catalogers expect to generate 9% of sales from their Web sites this year — more than double the Web sales in 1999.

“It’s clear that the Internet is helping catalogs grow their overall business rather than shifting business between marketing channels,” said DMA president H. Robert Wientzen in a statement.

Other findings include:

• Twenty-five percent of those catalogs with a Web site have been online four years or more.

• Catalogers are using the Internet mainly to generate sales (85%). Others use it for lead generation (68%), customer service (63%) and inventory liquidation (58%).

• Eighty percent of all catalogs offer online transactions, including 100% of consumer catalogs and 57% of B-to-B catalogs.

The DMA report was based on a survey of more than 100 catalog executives who were asked about their business performance in 1999.

According to the DMA’s report, 91% of catalogers say they’re active on the Internet

THE INTERNET has become an established channel among catalogers.

Ninety-one percent of the group say they have an active presence online, according to the Direct Marketing Association’s recently issued State of the Catalog Industry Report. Among those active, 89% are consumer catalogs and 95% are business-to-business titles.

Catalogers are using the Internet to attract new customers, too. Respondents said 44% of their online buyers had never purchased from the company before.

Web-site Sales Expected to Rise The study also shows that catalogers expect to generate 9% of sales from their Web sites this year – more than double the Web sales in 1999.

“It’s clear that the Internet is helping catalogs grow their overall business rather than shifting business between marketing channels,” said DMA president H. Robert Wientzen in a statement.

Other findings include:

– Twenty-five percent of those catalogs with a Web site have been online four years or more.

– Catalogers are using the Internet mainly to generate sales (85%). Others use it for lead generation (68%), customer service (63%) and inventory liquidation (58%).

– Eighty percent of all catalogs offer online transactions, including 100% of consumer catalogs and 57% of B-to-B catalogs.

The DMA report was based on a survey of more than 100 catalog executives who were asked about their business performance in 1999.