An Evaluation of Mail Order Marketing in the United States

Author

Pao-Yuan Hsieh, Fontbonne College

Year of Award

1995

Degree

Master of Business Administration (MBA)

College

College of Business & Professional Studies

Degree Program

Business Administration

Department

Business Administration

Keywords

computer, catalogs, direct marketing

Abstract

Mail Order Industry in the United States has been thriving for many years. It is still growing every year even during recession. In 1993, the catalog sales had increased more than seven (7) percent to $237.19 billion. In 1994, the figure had increased more than twelve (12) percent to $266 billion and continues to push the envelope. Mail Order is faster and more convenient than buying retail. With both adults in the typical household now commonly working at least part time, consumers do not have as much time to shop as they used to. Mail order is tailor-made for people who value expediency over all. A customer can order in the middle of the night without parking problem or “out-of-stock” items. In such competitive market, Catalogers would need to be adept at attracting new customers and at using customer list strategies effectively to survive in the maturing catalog business of the 1990’s. To improve their prospecting efforts, Catalogers should know the difference between front-end and back-end marketing, understand the hierarchy of a customer, explore alternative methods of creating a customer list, use the customer list more effectively, and respond to inquiries and requests for catalogs more rapidly. My thesis will evaluate Mail Order marketing in the U.S.A. The emphasis is the marketing aspect of mail order industry. Part I entails the development of mail order industry in the United States. In Part II, the Marketing situation will be analyzed, i.e., overview of current industry statistics, market segmentation, and competition analysis. The Companies and marketing strategies in Part III will be explored which comprise of the major mail order companies and their strategies. Lastly, a summary and conclusion of mail order marketing is in order.

Document Type

Restricted Thesis

Recommended Citation

Hsieh, Pao-Yuan, "An Evaluation of Mail Order Marketing in the United States" (1995). All Theses, Dissertations, and Capstone Projects. 189.
https://griffinshare.fontbonne.edu/all-etds/189