SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - Online marketplace and auctioneer eBay Inc.
is using a decidedly low-tech retail tool to lure more Christmas
shoppers -- a glossy, 32-page catalog.
With the move, eBay joins Internet companies such as Amazon.com and
RedEnvelope in using catalogs to reach customers they might not find
with Web advertisements.
Leading Web companies like eBay and Yahoo Inc. also are buying
television and radio advertising spots in their effort to fuel growth.
Among the featured items in eBay's holiday catalog are autographed
copies of former U.S. President Bill Clinton's memoir "My Life," Ping
golf clubs and giant Sesame Street Pez candy dispensers, as well as
clothing, power tools and jewelry.
Since the items offered by eBay sellers are constantly changing --
eBay has long been a favorite place to sell Christmas gifts that have
missed the mark -- the catalog suggests how consumers can search for
specific items on the site. In some cases, it shows where prices
start.
The company mailed "several million" holiday catalogs, said Michael
Dearing, San Jose, California-based eBay's vice president of marketing
and merchandising.
*** FAIR USE NOTICE. This message contains copyrighted material the
use of which has not been specifically authorized by the copyright
owner. This Internet discussion group is making it available without
profit to group members who have expressed a prior interest in
receiving the included information in their efforts to advance the
understanding of literary, educational, political, and economic
issues, for non-profit research and educational purposes only. I
believe that this constitutes a 'fair use' of the copyrighted material
as provided for in section 107 of the U.S. Copyright Law. If you wish
to use this copyrighted material for purposes of your own that go
beyond 'fair use,' you must obtain permission from the copyright
owner, in this instance, Reuters News Service..
For more information go to:
http://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/17/107.shtml
Lisa Minter (lisa_minter2001@yahoo.com)