The Future of Catalog Fulfillment & Operations

2. Investment in fulfillment infrastructure will increase dramatically.

Given the uncertainty about the economy in the last few years, catalogers have delayed investing in operating infrastructure and systems, instead relying on short-term fixes to survive until the next season.

When the economy eventually does rebound, there will be significant pent-up demand for operational investment. In making infrastructure investments, U.S. catalogers typically have spent less on new technologies and more on expanding existing technical and operational capacities and improving business processes. All of this may change with the technologically challenged catalog operations poised to finally come of age.