Today, Catalog Choice celebrates its second anniversary. We thought it would be fun and informative to reflect back on our beginnings in 2007 and compare things to how they look now.
Then: Before Catalog Choice, there was no free, title-specific service that let you reduce unwanted mail.
Now: With Catalog Choice on the scene, the Direct Marketing Association (DMA) dropped its fee and dramatically improved its service DMAChoice. More convenient choices for the consumer.
Then: We didn’t have a lot of friends in the direct marketing world.
Now: We’ve gained the trust of not only the consumer, but also the industry. We have strong supporters, including some of the biggest mailers around (L.L. Bean, Crate & Barrel, Williams-Sonoma). We are endorsed by the American Catalog Mailers Association.
Then: We had two ways to deliver mail preference requests (email and file).
Now: Today, we have five secure methods to ensure that each and every request we receive from you is delivered.
Then: It was all opt-out.
Now: Our service provides a way for consumers to request a catalog or decrease frequency of a mailing, if offered by the company. Consumers can also sign up for a company’s email newsletter through a subscription service we offer to mailers.
Then: It was just catalogs.
Now: We’re adding other forms of mail, including coupons, credit card offers, and phone books. Look for upcoming changes to the service to help you opt-out of these forms of mail easily.
Then: When we launched we had 600 catalogs in our service.
Now: Today, we have nearly 1,056 titles in our system.
Then: By the end of 2007, we had about 350,000 individuals using Catalog Choice, requesting to stop the mailing of 4 million unwanted catalogs.
Now: Today, we’re a community of nearly 1.2 million members strong! On your behalf we have delivered more than 16 million opt-out requests. Thank you for your continued support and participation! We could not have done it without you.
