The catalog division of Toronto-based Canada Post is launching the Look Book, a catalog of catalogs from U.S. and Canadian merchants. Participating merchants are a diverse bunch; they include Canadian retail chain Ben Moss Jewellers, lingerie cataloger Bra Smyth, outdoor gear cataloger/retailer Cabela’s, apparel cataloger/retailer Eddie Bauer, and computer mailer TigerDirect.
Canada Post in November will distribute more than 500,000 copies across Canada and another 200,000 via e-mail. It is using a proprietary segmentation system that it says helps marketers identify Canadian consumers who demonstrate the highest demand for their products. Consumer data are drawn from multiple sources and identify specific subsegments of the population based on spending habits, lifestyle, and media preferences.
Canada Post says that the Canadian retail market has already grown 7% year over year. In 2005 the Canadian retail market was estimated at more than $329 billion.