Did you get your IKEA catalog?

Submitted: The Two Sides Team September 22, 2014

This article originally appeared on the NextPage website on September 11, 2014.

With technology moving so fast these days, it is hard to imagine that consumers still flip through catalogs. Well, you better believe it. With the new IKEA opening in Kansas City, it has grabbed ears and eyes nation wide, and everyone couldn’t wait for their catalog to arrive. Below are some statistics about catalog shopping, but i wanted to give you a video that IKEA created for their new catalog. Click Here to view the IKEA Catalog Video.

Catalogs have survived the ages by changing along side the needs of consumers. Today 20 billion catalogs mail annually, but you might be surprised to learn who reads them, buys from them, tosses them or references them on their trip to the retail store or bedroom to get online and make the long awaited purchase.

Here are some revealing stats and facts about catalogs that might spur a marketing campaign or catalog mailing for your business:

Women open up and look at a higher percentage of catalogs than men.
Men buy from catalogs more frequently than women (44% more than six times a year, compared with only 36% of female catalog shoppers).

SOURCE:Consumer Catalog Shopping Survey, Catalog Age

20 billion catalogs are mailed annually
Catalogs mailings make up 10% of USPS volume
Percentage of sales for B2C averages 17% and 7% for B2B
Effect of the Internet has been positive as most catalogers have a substantial web presence and gather 20% to 50% of their orders from the Internet.
Baby boomers are vigorous catalog buyers, making up the largest demographic sector with 40,000 boomers buying regularly from catalogs.
However, more women than men shop catalogs during the holidays.
Catalogs are considered useful by 46% of those who receive them.
The most used and preferred method for purchases from a company whose catalog was received was to look at the catalog and then purchase through their website. This method is preferred twice as much as using the toll-free number.
If catalogs become too expensive to produce, more than 1 in 7 consumers would actually pay to receive catalogs.
On average consumers who receive catalogs spend $850 per year on catalog purchases.
Catalogs remain one of the four mediums that influence purchases most (see graph below).