21st Century Catalogs

As the call center manager for Baker Creek Heirloom Seed Co., Lisa O’Leary’s title doesn’t quite fit these days. The Mansfield-based company no longer takes orders by phone.

“Officially, that’s my title, but unofficially, I do a little bit of everything,” said O’Leary, who sets up the annual printing of the company’s catalogs with Pennsylvania-based Fry Communications Inc.

Baker Creek doesn’t take phone orders because its catalog business is booming.

O’Leary said the seed distributor can’t seem to produce enough of the books, as gardeners nationwide clamor to plant such varieties as Atomic Red Carrots, Ivory Pear Tomatoes and Alligator Squash. It printed 500,000 of its 2015 catalogs, up from 300,000 two years ago.

Catalog comeback?
The changes in Mansfield are part of a larger shift in thinking among companies known for their catalog business.

Catalog veteran J.C. Penney Co. Inc. (NYSE: JCP) announced in January it would relaunch its catalog this year as a 120-page scaled down version emphasizing home goods. J.C. Penney in 2009 stopped producing its catalogs, which at one time ran upwards of 1,000 pages, spokeswoman Kate Coultas said.

Retailers are taking a fresh look at the traditionally bulky mail-order books as a marketing tool like no other, said veteran direct marketing consultant Lois Brayfield, president and chief creative officer at Mission, Kan.-based J. Schmid & Associates Inc.

“While many people thought the Internet would be the demise of catalogs, we’ve seen just the opposite,” Brayfield said.

But catalog production hasn’t been without a bruising.

According to the Direct Marketing Association, the estimated number of catalogs mailed in the United States peaked in 2007 at 19.6 billion. It hit a low in 2012 of 11.8 billion, before creeping up to 11.9 billion in 2013, the most recent available by press time.

Brayfield said the downward trend in catalog production was created by a perfect storm of rising paper and mailing costs and a spiraling economy. With the economy returning and millennials becoming more established as consumers, the climate has changed.

“Millennials have been raised on the computer. Purchasing from a distance has become second nature to them,” she said.

Now, even online-only companies are getting in the catalog business, she said.

“I just received one last week called ‘Online Shoes,’” Brayfield said. “Catalogs are really just an incredible advertising tool that drives people to do something.”

Springfield-based Bass Pro Shops debuted its widely known catalog in 1974, and distribution along with its many sale circulars has topped 100 million in the last decade. Today, the outdoor retailer prints an annual master catalog, and over 30 seasonal and specialty editions, such as the current Spring Angler and Saltwater Specialist.

While its 2015 printed master catalog contains over 700 pages, it’s sprinkled with product reviews from online buyers, drawing connections to BassPro.com.

“Bass Pro Shops considers its catalogs to be an important part of our marketing mix to drive business to our stores, call center and BassPro.com. In fact, we send out more catalogs now than ever before,” spokeswoman Tammy Sapp said via email, declining to quantify current distribution.

According to Springfield Business Journal archives, the retailer mailed 34 million catalogs worldwide in 2001. Research by Schmid & Associates indicates Bass Pro Shops has a direct-marketing database of 2.55 million.

“I’m sure they mail in the millions when you add up current buyers, inquiries and prospect names. Many brands will mail what they deem their best customers anywhere from 24-50 times a year, sometimes more,” Brayfield said.

The latest incarnation of the Bass Pro catalog is a mobile application for the iPad and iPhone, which Sapp said provides product demonstrations and tips.

According to data that will be published in the DMA 2015 Statistical Fact Book, 40 percent of retailers utilize print catalogs and 30 percent have digital catalogs. Over two-thirds of retailers found catalogs to be effective or very effective, while 7 percent found them ineffective.

“We’ve watched the evolution of catalogs over the last 33 years, and it’s been a fascinating ride,” Brayfield added.

Online referrals
For J.C. Penney, it seems online customers prefer to browse old-school before hopping on the Web to place orders.

“Our research has shown that our customers – particularly when it comes to shopping for home merchandise – still prefer to browse a traditional print piece, but will then go online or come into the store to make their purchases,” said J.C. Penney’s Coultas via email. “When we stopped publishing a catalog, we thought that catalog shoppers would migrate online. But, eventually, we learned that a lot of what we thought were online sales were actually catalog shoppers using JCPenney.com to place their orders.”

She said the returning catalog’s home-goods focus is in response to demand.

“Home goods have historically been among the top-selling items in our catalogs,” she said, adding they account for 40 percent of online sales.

With J. Schmid client Journeys shoes, catalogs have become the No. 1 driver to retail stores, Brayfield said.  

“The other trend we’re seeing recently is that many traditional retailers, like Jockey underwear, who used to rely on the big boxes to give them square footage in the stores are now going direct to the consumer,” Brayfield said.

Baker Creek’s O’Leary said the move to nix phone orders streamlines the process.

“People were asking gardening questions, advice and needing help with things. It’s hard, because taking an order by phone can take 10, 15, 20 minutes,” she said. “So, in an effort to help as many customers as possible, we cut out the phone orders.”

During the spring planting season, she said the company can garner 1,000 orders a day or as few as 300 a day later in the year. Orders can range from around $7,500 for larger farms to $20 for backyard hobbyists, O’Leary said.

Last year, Baker Creek published its Whole Seed Catalog, a 356-page comprehensive inventory that sells for $7.95 in Wal-Mart, Barnes & Noble and other stores. It also sells a gardening magazine, called Heirloom Gardener.

The company also distributes smaller seed catalogs for free. In 2013, 300,000 catalogs were given away and this year 375,000 are headed out the door to regular customers and those who requested the 200-page books online.

“The Whole Seed Catalog has the same listings, but it includes articles, recipes, tips and tricks,” O’Leary said of the bigger book. “A lot of our customers get the catalog, go through the catalog, and then place their orders online.”

Baker Creek has come a long way since owner Jere Gettle launched the catalog in 1998.

“His first catalog was put together by hand in his bedroom,” O’Leary said. “And he carried it around to his neighbors.”[[In-content Ad]]