SkyMall: The Ultimate Catalog Business Model

Catalog Production and Distribution Logistics

SkyMall is a logistical bear with separate editions for 19 different airlines, plus Amtrak four times a year. Maximum catalog weight is 12 ounces; for the holiday books SkyMall gets a variance for more pages. Before creating the covers, SkyMall’s design team talks to each airline to see if it has a concept in mind (e.g., “Give us an outdoor look” or “Show a laptop in use”). Several versions are rendered and sent for approval and then put into final form. Each major airline has its own cover with its own logo, plus, if it wishes, it can have pages of its own in the center wrapped around the order form. SkyMall creates 12 different covers four times a year for a total of 48 different covers.