Dec. 5, 2007 Despite production expenses and postage hikes, retailers are returning to the print catalog as a means of boosting online sales, according to Medill Reports.

Increasingly, retailers have come to view glossy paper catalogs as a brand vehicle instead of a sales tool, using the print catalog as an effective "jumping-off point" for online purchasing.

The strategy is working, the article says, and retailers appear willing to incur significant costs in paper, production, and mailing to reach target audiences. While newspapers and magazines have sought to save money by using less paper, the number of print catalogs continues to rise despite recent bumps in postage that have upped mailing costs by as much as 40%.

The article doesn't touch on any liabilities to the brand from resource-conscious consumers. One holiday shopper is quoted as saying, "My mailbox is overflowing with catalogs, starting about a month ago, which is sort of annoying. You have to just be willing to just throw them all out.

Many retailers print their catalogs on recycled-content paper. (Some companies, like Victoria's Secret, switched in response to consumer pressure.) This holiday season, however, retailers seem to be keeping relatively mum on their environmental efforts, saying the green message is failing to resonate with shoppers.

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