Top brokers describe today’s challenging catalog list market

Papalia: With mailers cutting back on circulation, it will have a domino effect on list universes. Added to this already shrinking universe are the privacy issue constraints—it is going to be an interesting year. Catalogers will be exploring profitable lists—examining new segments rather than tweaking and re-testing marginal lists. The quantity of catalogs being received is watering down results. In other words, the hotline names consist of many multis and not as many new-to-file names.

Catalog Success: Have any new lists come on the market in the past year that have had a major impact?

Belardi: Probably the best new list in recent memory came from Pottery Barn Kids. Also, a whole category of new lists that opened up recently is Internet buyers at postal addresses.

Bogner: The continued success and development of the Z-24 product from Experian has had the major impact on the catalog list industry. It has essentially created something from nothing. It gives catalogers a whole other dimension in which to test prospect names.

Maylander: Many of the new lists made available to the market (i.e., Anthropologie, Bliss Out, Pottery Barn Kids, Pottery Barn Bed & Bath) haven’t had tremendous mail universes. Any viable list with fresh names always will have a major impact for catalogers, since it allows us to mail unique names and rest our core lists.

Mickolajczyk: Probably the biggest impact in my area of concentration has been made by the Pottery Barn Kids file. While it’s been around for more than a year, the file’s growth has been explosive, but the performance level of the list has not faltered. It’s been a real lifesaver to quite a few circulation plans I’ve done.

Papalia: While there’s not necessarily one list that comes to mind, there are several new selections from existing files that do. The ability to select e-mail and e-mail postal address segments is becoming more prominent. Many lists are releasing additional selections that have never been available. Also, many subscriber files are now making the names received from their catalog added value sales available to catalogers, enabling catalogers to mail subscriber files more effectively. And the appending of e-mail addresses to postal records is a new way to reach known computer owners as well as Internet subscribers.