Six Trends to Watch in 2005

3. Offer gift cards. In 2004, he noted, 8 percent of all holiday retail sales were in gift certificates and gift cards. “They’re now wanted gifts,” he said. “Every cataloger should make it an extension of their services.”

4. Look for continued consolidation among catalogs and vendors. “Older entrepreneurs are going to begin to sell the companies they founded,” Perez observed. “And many companies will need to expand their scale just to stay competitive.”