William,
You and I debated this a while ago:
""We can produce and mail a catalog that costs about the same, if not less, than a targeted e-mail campaign," said Matt Jackson, vice president for marketing at eHats, an online hat retailer that is developing its first catalog.
Some companies that conduct custom e-mail campaigns on behalf of e-tailers may charge 25 cents or more per e-mail sent, Jackson said. According to the Direct Marketing Association, most catalogs cost 50 cents to $1 to print and mail to each household.
"With an e-mail, people either delete it or look at it quickly and delete it," he said. "But if we execute a catalog properly, we know it'll not only get eyeballs, but it'll stay in someone's house, so it has a shelf life and a much longer lasting impact than a targeted e-mail campaign."
With catalogs, e-tailers also see a way to reach an objective that no amount of digital alchemy can achieve -- selling goods to the 50 percent of American households that remain without Internet connections. "We have to reach as many people as possible," Jackson said, "and let them buy in whatever way they feel comfortable, be it through the phone, the Web site a catalog, whatever." "
nytimes.com |
