Here’s some perhaps unsurprising news: More print catalogs are moving online.
The number of retailers offering print catalogs without an accompanying web site declined from 1,574 to 1,347 during the year ending April 2009, according to the publisher of the annual National Directory of Catalogs. Most companies that send out catalogs also have an online presence.
Still, a lot of consumers, myself included, rue the departure of glossy paper. Some stores, such as Target, are trying to appease old fogies like me by offering digital “flip books,” with pages that turn onscreen. But I often have pockets of time when I am not within WiFi range or don’t have a laptop or smart phone with me. When I take the train to work, for example, I’ll often tuck a catalog in my bag.
And call me crazy, but I still think print has a place in this world (I guess that’s why I work for a magazine!). Another recent study, this one from Ball State University, found that the average person in the U.S. spends nearly nine hours per day in front of some sort of screen: television, computer, or Blackberry-type device.
Yes, that’s right: nine hours. So when it comes time to do a little shopping, I’m happy to do without the electronics. But if this current trend continues, I may not have a choice.
