A Customer-Centric Approach and Other Enduring Lessons Learned From the Old Sears Catalogs

By Sang-youb Lee

Conclusion

Although about 100 years have passed since these catalogs were published, Sears’ successful approach—from its acute understanding of what customers want to the smallest details in copy and illustration—remains instructive for today’s catalogers.

Indeed, many of the cataloging tactics that Sears pioneered have been adapted to present-day titles.