Online retailer Zappos.com mails out 750,000 print catalogs; publisher says average catalog order is more than double that of online orders

Dec 11, 2009 — Forestweb

LOS ANGELES, December 11, 2009 (Forestweb) — Zappos.com has mailed a print catalog to 750,000 consumers, the third catalog this year from the online retailer of shoes and other products, the New York Times reported Dec. 7.

The catalog, titled “Zappos Life,” has a fashion focus, selling purses, jewelry, clothing and fragrances along with shoes. The first two catalogs this year were described as tests.

The company, which could provide a model for successful Internet retailing, is considering all aspects of the catalogs, from each issue’s page counts, which totals 48 for the current issue, to the weight of the paper.

While the catalog’s costs have not been disclosed by Zappos or the publisher King Fish Media, catalogs with a circulation of 500,000 to 1 million could cost from $400,000 to $900,000 to print and mail, the New York Times reported.

Zappos.com, recently acquired by Amazon, says customers who have not bought anything lately from the Web site are responding positively to the catalogs. An executive for King Fish said an average catalog order is more than double the size of an order that originated from the Web site.

The catalog can also be read at http://www.zapposlife.com. Zappos.com is planning to release another catalog next spring and is considering more themed catalogs, such as a wedding issue in June or a housewares issue close to Thanksgiving.

The primary source of this article is the New York Times, New York, New York, on Dec. 7, 2009.

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