2005 CATALOG PRINTING Outlook -- Still Making the Sale

The longer term competitive concern is whether increased comfort with online order placement and the ever-growing level of broadband connectivity will lead shoppers to bypass the printed catalog and immediately call up a Website.

In 2000, conventionally completed catalog order sizes were 13 percent higher than online orders, notes the Abacus industry trend report. Average order sizes have since converged, as consumers have become more comfortable with Websites and marketers have gotten more effective at up-selling and cross-selling online.