I write a lot about internet operations on this blog. In the Wharton core Operations class, we teach a catalog business case, where I mak
e the point that catalog business is a good way to understand the advantages and disadvantages of Amazon’s internet retail model.
So, it is an amazing reaffirmation to hear that Amazon has released a print catalog — their first one! — in 2018 December. See the picture on the right.
It is interesting to note that Internet shipping Operations have come a full circle.
Of course, there are new tweaks. Like all things that Amazon does, it is based on data. Depending on your purchases, you may or may not have received it.
It is as if Marty McFly took the time machine from the 1980s to 2018, and found that catalogs are still in business. This shows how valuable traditional channels are. There is great value in improving and rethinking your “old” business model without discarding it.