The mail order catalog industry in Britain

Abstract

This article focuses on the direct marketing practices of an important U.S. trading partner, Britain, via an interview survey of chief executive officers of British mail order catalog firms. Specifically, we examine the ongoing evolution to a specialized catalog market targeted at a higher income class from a more general one catering to lower-income households. The latter market is based on an agency system and installment credit. The executives within the general market, where catalog sales are still concentrated, see the specialized market as the target of opportunity for future growth.