There was a time, between 2002 and 2006 or so when the web seemed to be killing off catalogs. Certainly they cost a lot of money to produce, mail and manage, and theoretically, with “everyone ” moving to the web to do their shopping, it seemed that just a postcard informing customers of new products or promotions would suffice. A good friend of mine, COO of a major catalog retailer agonized over whether or not he could do just that. He intuitively held back, not sure why, but pretty sure it was too soon to act.

Fast forward to 2012: At my household, at least, it sure seems like business is booming for catalog print companies. Every day brings another round of hefty catalogs, most from companies I have never spent a dime with, or even visited the web site of. I guess that means the list rental business is booming as well.

Some catalogs are relatively lean, but some of them are positively encyclopedic. Just the other day, I received a 300+ page catalog from a furniture retailer I have never bought anything from (hint: it was NOT the famous Ikea catalog). Befuddled, I left it on my kitchen table while I went to visit a friend. There, on her kitchen counter was the same big book. We both chuckled at its size, and it turns out she’d never bought from that retailer either. In her words, “Why are they sending this huge thing to me? It must have cost them a fortune and I have never once entered their store? ” In fact, I’m not sure this retailer even as a PRESENCE in Miami. I could Google it up, but what’s the point? A catalog seems like a strange way to introduce yourself to a city in any case.

I honestly don’t know what to make of it. I don’t remember getting such massive tomes even in pre-web times. I would say that out of every twenty catalogs I receive, I open maybe two of them, and actually use one as a shopping tool. This month it was LL Bean’s that made the cut. I’m going to Galapagos and the Amazon this summer and definitely need to find LL Bean type stuff. In fact, I’ve done enough shopping for all kinds of things at LL Bean (bedspreads, etc.) that I would expect to get that catalog. And it is sitting in my living room waiting for me to peruse the various products that might work for my trip.

So it appears that catalogs are alive and well. But I don’t quite understand why. Does this mean retailers are hedging their omni-channel bets? In an era of eBooks do we think our catalogs will be the “last man standing ” on consumers’ coffee tables? And curiously, why not offer them as eBooks free on B&N or Amazon (well, B&N at least…Amazon might not have a lot of interest there)? How about an iPad app? It’s got to be less expensive than the books themselves, and you could send me an email or postcard letting me know it was available.

Help me out guys… I’m really lost. And I’m getting embarrassed at the number of catalogs that make the direct trip from mailbox to recycling bin. It feels almost decadent.