Top brokers describe today’s challenging catalog list market

Bogner: It’s become a little easier for list managers to sell their lists via Web sites. But you can never replace the advice of a good broker.

Maylander: The Internet has helped our research division to target lists that are not yet on the market, providing our clients with exclusive use before the competition. The impact of sales has had mixed reviews by the bricks-and-mortar companies. We’ve seen success where the Internet has been embraced as a new channel for business supported by the retail and mail-order divisions. In some companies where cannibalization has occurred, we’ve seen negative impact. ... We feel the Internet won’t take over the catalog business, making direct mail non-existent. Rather it will help to complement the existing business and have more impact on the CRM [customer relationship management] model.