SkyMall: The Ultimate Catalog Business Model

Here’s how it works. Let’s say the fourth quarter book is scheduled for distribution Oct. 1. The sequence of events would be as follows:

120 days out: Request product list from merchants.

75 days out: Layouts due. These are generally black-and-white pages and spreads that the airlines want to see. Merchant partners work from individual page templates with a section at the top reserved for SkyMall’s logo and toll-free numbers. Just before the book is put to bed, SkyMall adds the pagination.