(Catalog Age)–Maternity and baby products cataloger/Web marketer E-Style is embracing a new channel. The Los Angeles-based company plans to open its first store in November.
E-Style, which includes the Babystyle.com and Kidstyle.com Web sites, actually plans to open two stores in southern California by the end of the year, though president and COO Tom Park says that the exact opening dates and locations have not yet been determined.
E-Style was founded as a Web site in 1999; the company tested a catalog the next year and rolled it out in summer 2001. The catalog plays an important role in E-Style’s strategy–particularly for customer acquisition, Park says. In fact, 50% of the orders from the spring catalog were from new customers.
For 2002, E-Style will mail 2.5 million catalogs; the four editions include a 40-page summer book and a 60-page fall/holiday book. In the catalogs, Park says, “our apparel comes to life a little more than on the Web site; retail will now enable customers to feel the product fabrications, etc.”
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