ccording to The National Directory of Catalogs (www.oxbridge.com) released this year, 78 per cent of its 11,438 catalogue listings have an online presence compared to last year's 60 per cent. While about 1,300 catalogues are available exclusively online this year, just over half of that (770) were exclusively online last year. A catalogue may be described as an illustrated booklet listing products or services offered by a company, while an e-catalogue presents the same on the web. Analysing the trends in the catalogue industry, a company spokesperson said that while some marketers were using print catalogues to drive their consumers online, some online catalogues added their print versions like RugsUSA. There is also a rise in number of 'magalogs' - catalogues with editorial content, like Outdoor Republic and Pulse.

Books & Book Trade is the leading category with more than a thousand catalogue listings, followed by Apparel & Accessories (750), Automotive (542), Education (513), Gardening & Horticulture (434), and Gifts & Greeting Cards (307). The company adds that Automotive, Education and Apparel & Accessories are the fastest growing categories in terms of catalogues produced, while the Computers & Automation category has shown a decline. ... more