Merchandise: Children’s Furnishings Catch On

The 1998 DMA State of the Catalog Industry Report’s outlook for home furnishings sales predicted a 5.4-percent increase between 1998 and 2003. The increase in sales is forecast despite the hefty shipping costs passed on to the consumer—which average $100 or more for beds, chairs, tables and dressers—but are necessary to keep catalogers’ profits from eroding. Nevertheless, consumers seem impervious to the costs, as shown in the reported above-average response rate Pottery Barn Kids received on rollout.