More consumers are going online than ever before and merchants are questioning whether they need to continually churn out catalogs to stimulate sales activity. The latest merchant to decide to turn the page on catalog production is J.C. Penney. The company announced this week that it would no longer publish its twice-yearly 1,000-page catalogs.
"Big book catalogs have become less relevant as customers have embraced shopping online, where they have ready access to our entire assortment at any time on jcp.com, one of the nation's largest general merchandise sites on the internet. At the same time, customers greatly appreciate the smaller, more personalized catalogs we have introduced as well as digital and mobile applications that make it easier, more convenient and fun to shop with us," said Mike Boylson, executive vice president and chief marketing officer at J.C. Penney, in a press release.
Myron (Mike) Ullman, III, chairman and chief executive officer of J.C. Penney, pointed to the environmental benefits of the change calling it "a strategic opportunity to continue reducing our overall paper consumption and transportation-related environmental impacts." The company expects to reduce its catalog paper use by 30 percent next year as a result of no longer publishing its big books.
Discussion Questions: Is the era of the big book catalog over? How will the decision to no longer publish its big book catalogs affect J.C. Penney's business?