How Catalogs Drive Your Business

http://www.retailonlineintegration.com/article/how-catalogs-drive-your-business/1

The printed catalog is the main driver of traffic to the web. However, with all of the other touchpoints available to consumers today, how do we really know the impact of catalog mailings on web sales? And why do we give so much credit to the print catalog? There are a few reasons why, and they include the following:
The process of matching back order files to mail tapes gives companies the strongest sense of how catalogs drive web business. 
When looking at your order curves, you'll see that online sales spike every time a catalog hits in-home
Contact strategy testing: Try testing holdout panels in mail vs. no mail split tests. The mailed segments always perform better.
A reduction in catalog circulation always results in a reduction of sales from the web.