Mail order direct marketing in the United States and the United Kingdom: Responses to changing market conditions

Although mail order accounts for a fairly similar percent of retail sales i n both the United States and United Kingdom, the evolution and development of mail order is different in each market. This poses a varied set of chall enges for companies in light of the changing marketing environment of the 1 990s. This study will show how the U.S. market has become highly fragmented and how mail order companies have gained competitive advantage through pos itioning their offerings at better quality and higher pricing points. Conve rsely, mail order direct marketing in the United Kingdom continues to be do minated by a small number of large companies promoting "big book" catalogue s at the mass market of lower to middle socioeconomic groups. Interestingly , growth segments in the U.K. market are beginning to follow a course simil ar to that observed in the United States with the development of "specialog ues" by well-known stove retailers and US. entrants such as Talbot's, Land' s End, and L. L. Bean. (C) 1999 Elsevier Science Inc. All rights reserved.