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Thousands of catalogs are available. They fill mailboxes during the holiday season, tempting consumers to buy everything from apples to zithers.
But what kinds of jobs are available for retail professionals in the catalog industry?
Catalogs at the Vanguard of Multichannel Retailing
Malls, the Internet and rising postal rates haven't killed off printed catalogs. In fact, many store-based and Web retailers send printed catalogs to expand their business.
According to the 2006 The State of the Catalog/Interactive Industry, produced by the Direct Marketing Association, seventy eight percent of respondents believe that a better ROI is yielded when a multichannel approach is incorporated into their direct marketing campaigns. Catalogers continue to mail more efficiently, sending out mailings at an average rate of once-per-month.
Types of Jobs
- Merchandisers: According to Richard Hodgson, a catalog consultant in Westtown, Pennsylvania, the key players on a catalog team are the merchandisers. They decide how to present products to consumers who can't touch them until the package arrives. They work closely with buyers and marketing personnel. A specialist in catalog merchandising is the rebuyer. This position is responsible for monitoring inventory in multiple warehouses, tracking the transfer of inventory between facilities, and monitoring slow and surplus merchandise. Merchandising professionals can earn more than $50,000 per year with experience; managers can earn more than $100,000 per year.
- Marketing Specialists: They develop short-term and long-range marketing plans, goals and budgets, and are alert to new products and trends to keep the company competitive by giving customers what they want. Managers and directors of catalog marketing can earn from $50,000 to more than $200,000 per year.
- Operations Staff: Catalogers use call center operators (customer service representatives and order takers), as well as distribution center staff such as pickers and packers. Many of these are holiday workers. Some cross-train their operations personnel to perform several functions. Sandpoint, Idaho-based women's apparel cataloger, Coldwater Creek, rotates its seasonal workers, says Tony Saulino, vice president of human resources. Here, an operations employee may start in the call center, rotate to the distribution center to help fulfill orders during the holiday shipping peak and move to the returns processing area after the holidays. Jobs in this area pay from minimum wage to more than $60,000 per year for call center and warehouse managers.
- IT Staff: Catalog retailers were among the first in retail to use techies like database administrators. Skilled techies in catalog can easily earn more than $75,000 a year.
- Circulation Managers: These are the people who know where you live. They manage the databases of new and continuing subscribers and coordinate scheduling of catalog mailings. Experienced circulation managers can earn more than $80,000 a year.
- Creative Staff: These people prepare not only the catalogs themselves, but also the order forms, direct-mail packages and other materials, particularly if retail stores are involved. Creative professionals include the art director, who is responsible for the look and feel of a catalog, copywriters, artists and photographers. Together, they bring to life a suit or a book, describing and illustrating the specifications and benefits of each product. When done well, the catalog persuades consumers to buy and answers questions before they are asked. Experienced catalog creative types can earn more than $60,000 per year.
How to Succeed in Catalog Retail
Professionals who understand mass customization -- the ability to customize marketing, delivery and services to meet the needs and desires of masses of individual customers -- and who can execute full-scale programs successfully in this new milieu will have the most attractive resumes. People with skills and interest in both marketing and data processing should find excellent career opportunities in catalogs and other types of direct marketing.
If you like small-town living, it's worth noting that most catalog companies aren't located in cosmopolitan areas. Rather, they are in remote places like Freeport, Maine, and Dodgeville, Wisconsin.
The Future
According to Hodgson, catalogs will continue to be the foundation of successful direct marketers for years to come. Even dotcoms and traditional store-based retailers may be mailing print catalogs in this era of multichannel retailing. It's an increasingly complicated day and age, but it's still the catalog age.