NEW CATALOGS

Lamps Plus Chatsworth, CA-based home lighting fixture specialist Lamps Plus, which has 45 stores in seven states (primarily on the West Coast) and an online store, now has a print catalog as well. The company mailed its 40-page inaugural book in January to 500,000 names. Eighty percent of the recipients were customers; the rest were names from rented lists.

Products range from table lamps to chandeliers to outdoor lighting. “The catalog has been a great branding vehicle,” says Mark Salek, director of catalog marketing, “allowing us to depict our products in more-natural settings.”

The initial catalog mailing exceeded expectations, Salek says, and Lamps Plus will likely mail at least three editions a year. It already mailed its second book, a 52-page edition, in April to nearly 1 million names. The mailings have increased both retail and Web traffic, with the average order coming in at slightly more than $200.

Product category: home lighting First mailing: January 2005 Size of distribution: 500,000 Target audience: primarily women, ages 30-50 with annual income of $75,000-$100,000 Frequency: three times a year Competitor: Shades of Light Average order size: $250 Trim size: 8-1/2" × 10" Telephone: 818-341-9555

Forensic Science Given the popularity of investigative crime dramas such as C.S.I and Cold Case, forensics is hot right now. That's partly why Rochester, NY-based educational products mailer Ward's Natural Science launched a forensics catalog.

The 48-page Forensic Science catalog mailed in March to 75,000 science teachers. According to catalog director Sean Hendrick, some of the names came from the Ward's house file, with the rest from list service firm Market Data Retrieval. The catalog sells items such as instructional posters, materials for documenting crime scenes, and fingerprint kits.

Response has already been strong, Hendrick says. Ward's anticipates a big spike in this category when the teachers return to the classroom in September.
— John Fischer

Product category: educational products First mailing: March 2005 Size of distribution: 75,000 Target audience: science teachers Frequency: once a year Competitors: Kemtec, Sargent-Welch, Science Kit Average order size: $300-$600 Trim size: 8-3/8" × 10-7/8" Telephone: 585-321-9458