Special Report: Sustainability & the Environment

“All of us are forced to adapt to emerging economic and business trends,” Craven says. “Meeting consumer demand for more environmentally friendly practices and consumer control over receiving direct mail will simply force businesses to adapt.”

And by adapting to mounting consumer pressure to become more sustainable, catalogers have the ability to save costs and increase profits at the same time. A recent study from the marketing agency BBMG revealed that on average, nine out of 10 consumers (out of 2,007 respondents) are more likely to purchase from a “green” marketer than one who’s not, given the products are of equal quality and price. And the opportunity is there to reduce costs — both in the reduction of paper use and postage costs.