The History of Catalogs

Did you know that the first catalog was published by Aldus Pius Manutius in Venice in 1498?

Manutius founded his company “The Aldine Press” in Venice in 1495. The invention of the printing press earlier that century made it possible for Manutius to efficiently produce the first printed editions of many Greek and Latin classics.

When he wanted to introduce his books to Venice, he printed a catalog of all the books he was printing—the first ever published catalog.

As Lizabeth Cohen, the current Howard Mumford Jones Professor of American Studies in the History Department at Harvard University writes: "in the second half of the 20th century, shopping malls became a new kind of community for scattered suburb-dwellers ."

It was during this period—in 1963—that J.C. Penney launched their first catalog. While traditional mail-order companies only had catalogs to go by, J.C. Penney was one of the first to use the catalog as a supplementary channel. The company made it possible to order from their catalog while visiting their physical stores.

For years to follow, the catalog was one of the main tools of direct advertising. Many companies expanded their business through catalogs. For example, in 1982, catalog sales for Victoria’s Secret accounted for 55% of their $7 million annual sales

It's been 524 years since then…

It's weird that some things are still around 500 years later.?

This reminds me of how WhatsApp catalogs have been a go-to for consumers when it comes to shopping on WhatsApp. WhatsApp Catalog is one of the high-impact features that the company launched in 2019. Catalogs allow businesses to showcase their products and services directly on the messaging app.

“A Catalog becomes the first touchpoint for the customer because it showcases what you have to offer to them. Upfront they are able to see what you sell and know if it is what they want or not. Of course, brand marketing will still have a big role in influencing sales but the e-catalog saves time and effort for both parties involved.” said WhatsApp

If you aren't leveraging WhatsApp to showcase your products, your missing out. Learn how you can get started with WhatsApp catalogs the right way??