The Puzzling, Frustrating 1 Percent Response Rate

“Merchandise of average desirability.” If you’re selling merchandise that is very hot at the moment (like Ty Beanie Babies), your response rates will be higher—as long as the unusual popularity lasts.

And conversely, it’s quite easy (especially for start-ups) to misjudge the desirability of their merchandise and to launch a catalog filled with less desirable merchandise. In that case, your response rates can be much less than 1 percent ... all the way down to near zero. Generally though, most catalogs (at least after the first year or two) are stocked with “merchandise of average desirability.”