Garden.com and other online retailers are changing direct marketing—including the look and function of the mail order catalog

By Melissa Sepos

“We send e-mail promotions showing specials focusing on your preference in gardening before they’re up online,” says Sharples. “They are more frequent than catalogs. They are very aggressive.”

How the Catalog Fits

“There are two buckets that we think about when it comes to marketing: off-line and online,” says Sharples about how the catalog fits. “Off-line is traditional direct mail, print, advertising and TV. Online, there’s buying banners on Yahoo!, distribution deals with iVillage or Excite and creating business relationships with other online vendors.”