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National Mail Order Association
 
Guide to Mail Order Sales

The National Mail Order Association is proud to offer the entire contents of this invaluable guide and its exclusive direct marketing information to all who need a base to draw preliminary direct marketing statistics from in order to create a mail order and catalog business plan.

Once you draw a solid base of information from this guide for your business plan, you can then update specific information where needed using current direct marketing statistics offered in the NMOA bookstore.  Most useful are these titles:

About the Guide to Mail Order Sales
ISSN 1056-6082 assigned by the Library of Congress 5/16/91

Released In 1999, this extensive 1,250-page report on the mail order marketplace was researched and written by Arnold Fishman and published by Marketing Logistics, Inc., now part of the NMOA. This 1999 edition was the 18th and final year the guide was published. Arnold Fishman died in the fall of 1999.

Arnold was formerly president of the Consulting Group at the Maxwell Sroge Company and Director of Market Planning at Citibank, the Franklin Mint, and Paramount Pictures, founder of the Corporate Management Sciences Department at Miles Laboratories, Director of Research for Hoke Communications, and past Chairman of the Statistics Committee of the Direct Marketing Association. Considering this, you will understand why the information found in this guide was coveted and used by America’s most widely recognized mail order and direct marketing companies (see listing on this page).

The Guide covers both consumer and business-to-business activities, international as well as national, and is based on a tracking of sales of approximately 10,000 companies in a wide variety of areas. A comprehensive cross-sectional review of the current marketplace, the Guide places mail order in the total context of U.S. sales while providing objective perspective on size, growth, ownership, trends, demographics and technology in what has became a trillion dollar marketplace

The Guide reviews developments in 45 U.S. market segments, lists 400 leading companies, 500 leading businesses, 325 conglomerate structures, profiles 128 businesses, reviews 8 fund raising segments, 7 demographic segments, 30 foreign markets, and 5 supplier segments. It contains a unique 250-page directory of 2,000 mail order businesses.

Encyclopedic in scope, the Guide to Mail Order Sales covers all functions of direct response advertising and all channels of distribution and represents an information bank that is not available anywhere else at any price. It is the perfect tool for laying out the groundwork and background information of any direct marketing and mail order business endeavor.

The Guide is presented here for all direct marketing and mail order entrepreneurs to use as a base of information to draw from. The entire Table of Contents is below, linking to the specific document as listed. Remember, this information should be used as a base to build from, for example by estimating growth over the years after 1998 until now. For current direct marketing statistics please refer to these titles:

 

The following firms are among those that have purchased the Guide to Mail Order Sales or research reports derived from it.
AT&T
American Express
American Medical Association
Arthur Anderson & Co.
Avon Fashions
Ayer Direct
Bank of New York
Bell Atlantic
Black Box
Booz Allen & Hamilton
Boston Consulting Group
British Consulate in Chicago
Cabela’s
Canadian Direct Marketing
   Association
Chadwick’s of Boston
Chemical Bank
Chicago Tribune
City Bikes
Citicorp
Colonial Penn Group
Coopers & Lybrand
Consumer Reports
Contact East
Damark
Day Timers, Inc.
Dell Corp.
Direct Marketing Association
Direct Marketing Technology
Walt Disney
R.R. Donnelley
Dreyfus Corp.
Eastman Kodak
Equifax Inc.
Find/SVP
Federated Department Stores
* Fidelity Management &
     Fingerhut
 
First Boston Corp.
Franklin Mint
GSP Marketing
Gaylord Brothers
General Mills
W.W. Grainger
Grolier
Halfords Ltd. U.K.
Hallmark Cards
Harlequin Enterprises
Health Company
Hermes Management
   Consulting
Hewlett Packard
Histacount Corp.
IBM
Kestnbaum & Co.
Lands’ End
Link Resources
L.L. Bean
Management Horizons
Mastercard International
McCaffrey & McCall
McCann Direct
McKinsey & Co.
Mercer Management
   Consulting
Metropolitan Life
Michigan Bulb
Microsoft
Montgomery Ward
Moore Corp.
Morgan, Stanley
National Demographics & Lifestyles
New England Business
  Service
NIKE Co.
Ogilvy & Mather
Old American Insurance
Pacific Bell
Paper Corp. of America
JCPenney
Pepperidge Farm
QVC Network
Quebecor
Rapp & Collins
Readers Digest
Regal Greeting & Gifts
Response Graphics
Royal Daulton
Salzinger & Company
Sara Lee
Schmid
Sealed Air Corp.
Shaklee Corp.
Shamal Sports Ltd.
Simon & Schuster
Specialized Product Co.
Stanhome
T.R.W.
Talbots
Time-Life Books
U.S. Postal Service
U.S.A.A
Visa USA
Lillion Vernon
Webcraft
Western Bakeries
Wunderman, Ricotta & Kline
Xerox Corp.
Yield House
3M Co.

TABLE OF CONTENTS
Mail Order Guide
Authored By Arnold Fishman
VOLUME ONE
I.   Introduction                                        I:1-60
Pages             1-28
        Direct Marketing Sales Definitions                  2-4
        Methodologies For Mail Order Estimates              5-7
        Introduction to Estimates                             8
     1998 Annual Summary                                   9,10
     Macro Data                                           11-13
        Gross National Product:                                 
         High Penetration Mail Order and Marketing         
           Database Segments                              11,12
        Gross National Product vs. Business Receipts         13
     Non-Mail Order Direct Marketing Sales Statistics     14-17
        Sales Size and Composition                        14,15
        Upscale Discounting Sales Breakdown               16,17
     Mail Order Direct Marketing Sales Statistics         18-60
        Distribution Of Mail Order Sales By Firm               
        Characteristics (Dept of Commerce Statistics)     18-25
        Total U.S. Mail Order Sales and Contributions     26,27
        Total Business Receipts Distributed              
           By Channel of Distribution                        28
Pages            29-60
        Estimated 1998 Consumer Mail Order Growth Rates   29-34
        Catalog Industry Trend Data                          35
        Comparative Sales and Profitability                    
           Performance: Publicly Owned Mail Order              
           and Retail Merchandising Companies             36-38
        Specialty Vendors: Consumer Products              39,40
        General Merchandise Vendors: Consumer Products    41,42
        Specialty Vendors: Consumer Services:                  
                Non-Financial                                   43   
                Financial                                       44   
        Business Products and Services                    45,46
        Retail Mail Order Business Mixes                     47
        Sales Segments with Mail Order Shares                  
         Exceeding 10%                                       48
        Share of Sales by Mode of Ownership               49-51
        Domestic & International Mail Order Sales
           Benchmarks: 1987                               52-60
II.  Leading U.S. Companies In Worldwide Sales                 
        Through Mail Order                              II:1-19
III. Leading U.S. Mail Order Businesses                        
        Worldwide Sales                                III:1-32
IV.  Mail Order Conglomerate Structures                 IV:1-55
V.   Mail Order Consumer Sales Segments                 V:1-223
Apparel - Cosmetics
       Apparel                                            1-16
       Audio/Visual                                      17-22
       Automotive/Aviation                               23-29
       Books                                             30-38
       Collectibles                                      39-47
       Consumer Electronics                              48-58
       Cosmetics/Beauty Aids                             59-63
Crafts - Hardware/Tools
       Crafts                                            64-73
       Food                                              74-85
       Gardening                                         86-94
       Gifts                                            95-105
       Hardware/Tools                                  106-112
Health - Recorded Music
       Health Products                                 113-125
       Home Construction                               126-131
       Home Furnishings                                132-141
       Jewelry                                         142-146
       Multi-Products                                  147-161
       Photographic Equipment                          162-166
       Records                                         167-172
Religious to General Merchandise: Oil Companies
       Religious Products                              173-177
       Sporting Goods                                  178-187
       Stationery                                      188-193
       Toys/Games/Children's Products                  194-202
       Insurance                                       203-211
       Catalog Retailers                               212-216
       General Merchandise: Dept/Specialty Stores      217-220
       General Merchandise: Oil Companies              221-223
     VOLUME TWO
VI.  Business and Industrial Mail Order                 VI:1-43
Pages 1 - 30
        Summary                                             1,2
        Business Supplies                                  3-24
        Business Services                                 25-32
Pages 31 - 43
        Industrial                                        33-41
        Office Products Sales: Channel Comparison         42,43
VII. Mail Order Business Profiles                     VII:1-145
VIII.  Fund Raising Direct Response Marketing         VIII:1-33
         Total  Contributions/Direct Response                      
             Influenced Contributions                             1,2      
   Institutional Merchandise Direct Response   
           Fund-Raising Characteristics                    3-12
        Fund-Raising Segments                             13-33
           Arts, Culture and Humanities                   13-15
           Education                                      16-18
           Health & Hospitals                             19-21
           Public/Society Benefits                        22,23
           Religion                                       24-28
           Human Services (Social Welfare)                29-31
           Environment/Wildlife                              32
           International Affairs                             33
IX.  International Mail Order Direct Marketing         IX:1-148
        25 Leading Mail Order Companies Worldwide           1-3
        International Mail Order Direct Marketing Stats     4-8
        European Mail Order                                9-33
           Overview                                           9
           European vs. U.S. Mail Order                   10-12
           Common Market                                  13-17
           Multi National Operations                      18-21
           Sales Growth of Leading European Companies     22-24
           European Direct Marketing Volume               25-33
        Asian Direct Response Characteristics             34-36
        Central & South American Television Penetration      37
        Global Advertising                                38,39
     National Profiles                                   40-148
        Argentina                                            40
        Australia                                         41-49
        Austria                                              50
        Belgium                                           51,52
        Brazil                                               53
        Canada                                            54-59
IX.   International Mail Order Direct Marketing:  
                 National Profiles (continued)
        Chile                                             60,61
        China                                                62
        Czech Republic                                       63
        Denmark                                           64-66
        Finland                                           67-69
        France                                            70-77
        Germany                                           78-85
        Hong Kong                                         86-88
        Hungary                                              89
        India                                             90,91
        Ireland                                           92-94
        Italy                                             95-97
        Japan                                            98-112
        Korea                                               113
        Malaysia                                        114,115
        Mexico                                              116
        Netherlands                                     117-119
        New Zealand                                     120,121
        Norway                                              122
        Portugal                                        123,124
        Singapore                                       125,126
        South Africa                                    127-129
        Spain                                           130-132
        Sweden                                          133-135
        Switzerland                                     136,137
        Thailand                                        138,139
        United Kingdom                                  140-148
X.   The Information Superhighway Marketplace            X:1-17
        Definition                                            1
        Marketplace Dimensions                             2-17
           The Base                                         2-9
           U.S. Market Summary                              2,3
           Components                                       4-7
           Supporting Markets                                 8
           Convertible Markets                                9
        The Marketplace                                   10-17
           Existing Markets                               10-13
           Potential Markets                              14-17
VOLUME THREE
XI.  Consumer Mail Order Demographic Segments           XI:1-53
        Introduction                                        1,2
        College Graduates                                   3,4
        Employed Women                                      5,6
        Parents With Children Under 2 Years Old             7,8
        Professional/Executive Market                      9,10
        Non-Metro Market                                  11,12
        Young Women                                       13,14
        Senior Citizens                                   15,16
        Mail Order Shopper Buying Patterns                17-37
        Postal Behavioral Characteristics                 38-53
XII. Supply Side Statistics                            XII:1-68
        Comparative Media Growth                            1,2
        Comparative Marketing, Sales Expenditures              
         And Cost Data                                     3-17
        Interactive Marketing Data                        18-21
        Special Marketing Programs                           22
        Delivery Systems                                  23-28
        List Suppliers                                    29-36
        Payment Systems                                   37-47
        Product Fulfillment                               48-50
        Telephone Marketing                               51-54
        Sales Promotion Expenditure Data                  55-64
        Direct Response Agency Billings (1996)            65-68
XIII.   Events of 1998                                XIII:1-10
        Acquisitions                                        1-7
           Mail Order Companies                             1-4
           Other Companies                                  5-7
        Companies Closed Down/Financially Distressed        8,9
        Companies For Sale/First Public Offer                 9
        International Acquisitions                           10
Directories:                                             XIV-XV
XIV. Mail Order Conglomerates and Parents              XIV:1-25
XV.  Mail Order Business with Sales of $5 million+             
        Or Subsidiaries/Divisions of                       
          Conglomerates or Parents                     XV:1-247

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2807 Polk St. NE Minneapolis MN 55418-2954 USA
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