National Mail Order Catalog Day 2023: Date, History, Facts, Activities

National Mail-Order Catalogue Day occurs annually on August 18. This holiday is all about remembering a time when mail-order catalogues were a common marketing strategy. A mail-order catalogue is a form of direct marketing that enables businesses to engage with customers directly. A catalogue is a document that outlines all of a business or company’s products. Included in the catalogue are the prices for such items. Some people assume that this holiday commemorates the day in 1872 when Aaron Montgomery, an American businessman, sent the first modern mail-order catalogue to Chicago residents.

The background of National Mail Order Catalog Day

Mail-order shopping has a lengthy history. According to experts, one of the first shopping catalogues was established in the fifteenth century. In 1498, Aldus Pius Manutius of Venice, an Italian publisher, published several works through his Aldine Press.

The first seventeenth-century horticulture catalogue was published in 1667 by Englishman William Lucas. Benjamin Franklin, a scientist of international repute, was among the first in America to publish a catalogue for purchasing books and scientific publications in 1744.

At the beginning of the 19th century, mail-order purchasing gained popularity in the United States. During this time period, book publishers and farmers began selling their books and seedlings across the nation by utilising the newly established national postal service and expanded railway infrastructure. Then, in the 20th century, mail-order catalogues became wildly popular across many industries.

The first catalogue was printed on a single 8-by-12-inch sheet of paper. It was used by Ward to advertise items for sale, along with pricing and ordering information. The Montgomery Ward’s one-page product catalogue soon expanded into a 540-page illustrated book containing over 20,000 items. It was not long before other retailers adopted Montgomery Ward’s idea. In 1887, Richard Warren Sears, a renowned merchant, dispatched his catalogue. As more people entered the field, catalogue sales increased, and by 1971, sales for prominent U.S. corporations exceeded $250 million in postal revenue.

The mail order catalogue was not invented by Aaron Montgomery Ward, according to the National Mail Order Association. In the United States, however, Benjamin Franklin is credited with inventing the first foundational postal order concept. He compiled a catalogue of academic and scientific literature. In recent years, online platforms have essentially replaced mail-order catalogues. Moreover, “mail-order” has been substituted with “online shopping.”

National Catalogue Mail-Order Day Activities

Order from a mail-order catalogue.

As a means to commemorate this occasion, you can order anything from a catalogue. Even though the prevalence of mail-order catalogues has declined, certain businesses and organisations continue to publish them.

Check out old mail-order catalogues.

Try your local thrift store or flea market to find vintage mail-order catalogues. Businesses have spent a substantial quantity of money to design the most effective catalogues for boosting sales. Viewing old mail-order catalogues is a great method to gain insight into the past.

Bring the party online.

This day can also be celebrated online, such as on social media. Use the hashtag #MailOrderCatalogDay to let your friends and followers know you’re participating in the celebration of this day. You may also upload an image of a home-owned or thrift-store-purchased catalogue.

5 INTERESTING FACTS ABOUT MAILCATALOGS

Hammacher Schlemmer is the earliest mail-order company that is still in business.

Catalogues take readers on a journey through their stories and images, and as a result, they encourage greater interaction with retailers and their products.

Americans fell in love with this marketing strategy because it enabled them to receive direct delivery of the items they required.

There is no need to stockpile a significant number of products for a mail-order business, which requires little capital to start and operate.

Several U.S. retailers established mail-order businesses because this strategy enabled them to reach more customers and promptly expand their sales.

NATIONAL MAIL ORDER CATALOG DAY DATES